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WLEY-FM

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For the AM radio station in Cayey, Puerto Rico, see WLEY (AM).
WLEY-FM
Broadcast areaChicago, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Frequency107.9 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingLa Ley 107.9
Programming
FormatRegional Mexican
HD2: Urban oldies (Clubsteppin')
Ownership
OwnerSpanish Broadcasting System
History
First air date
1965 (as WMRO-FM)[1]
Former call signs
WMRO-FM (1965-1969)[1]
WAUR-FM (1969[1]-1988)[2]
WYSY-FM (1988-1997)[2]
Call sign meaning
la LEY (Spanish word for "the law")
Technical information
Facility ID71282
ClassB
ERP21,000 watts
HAAT232 meters (761 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
41°56′1″N 88°4′23″W / 41.93361°N 88.07306°W / 41.93361; -88.07306
Translator(s)95.1 W236CF (Chicago, relays HD2)
95.1 W236CG (Bolingbrook, relays HD2)
96.7 W244BQ (Park Ridge)
Repeater(s)107.9 WLEY-FM2 (Cicero)
107.9 WLEY-FM3 (Chicago)
107.9 WLEY-FM4 (Chicago)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitelaley1079.lamusica.com

WLEY-FM (107.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to Aurora, Illinois, serving the Chicago Metropolitan Area and Rockford, Illinois. Owned by Spanish Broadcasting System, it broadcasts a regional Mexican format branded as La Ley 107.9. WLEY's studios are located in the Crain Communications Building in the Loop, while its transmitter is located in Glendale Heights.

History

WMRO-FM

The station was first licensed in 1965, and held the call sign WMRO-FM.[1] Its transmitter was located atop Aurora's Leland Tower, and it had an ERP of 3,600 watts.[1] The station broadcast a beautiful music format.[3] WMRO-FM was owned by Vincent Cofey and Benjamin Oswalt.[1][4] In 1967, Vincent Cofey purchased controlling interest in the station for $35,000.[4]

WAUR

In 1969, the station's call sign was changed to WAUR and its ERP was increased to 31,200 watts.[1] In 1973, it was sold to Stevens Communications for $343,000.[5] In 1975, WAUR's transmitter was moved to the eastern fringes of Aurora, and its ERP was increased to 50,000 watts at a HAAT of 488 feet.[1] In the late 1970s, the station aired an adult contemporary format, playing music from the 1960s and 1970s.[6] In the 1980s, WAUR was branded "Gold Rock", playing oldies of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, along with some currents.[7][8][9][10] In 1986, the station was sold to Midwest Broadcasting for $4 million.[11][12] The following year, WAUR and AM 1280 WMRO were sold to Beasley Broadcast Group for $8.7 million.[13] Beasley Broadcast Group had been a minority owner of Midwest Broadcasting.[11]

WYSY-FM

In 1988, the station's call letters were changed to WYSY-FM.[2] WYSY-FM aired an adult contemporary format and was branded "Y-108" with the slogan "Doin' It In The 'Burbs!".[14] In December 1989, its AM sister station WMRO 1280, became WYSY, simulcasting Y-108.[15] In September 1992, the station's transmitter was moved to Bloomingdale, Illinois.[16] For a while in 1993, the station played hot AC days and hard rock/metal at night.[17]

In late 1993, WYSY was sold to Cox Communications for $9 million.[18] In January 1994, the station switched to a classic hits format featuring rock, pop, R&B, and disco hits of the 1970s, with the slogan "The Greatest Hits of the '70s".[19][20] The station was briefly branded "Star 107.9", but changed its branding to "Y107.9" because WZSR had registered the "Star" moniker with the state.[20][21][22]

In 1996, WYSY-FM and 105.9 WCKG were acquired by Infinity Broadcasting as part of a station swap.[23] At the end of the year, Infinity Broadcasting was purchased by the parent company of CBS.[24] This caused CBS/Infinity to exceed the FCC's ownership limits, requiring the sale of two stations.[25] CBS/Infinity decided to sell WYSY-FM and WSCR AM 820.[26] In 1997, WYSY was sold to Spanish Broadcasting System for $33 million.[26][27] On April 14, 1997, the WYSY-FM dropped its 1970s format and began stunting.[28]

WLEY-FM

In July 1997, after almost 3 months of stunting, WYSY adopted a Regional Mexican format branded "La Ley".[29][30][31] Its call sign was changed to WLEY-FM later that month.[2] By coincidence, WLEY's calls originated on WCFS-FM (105.9) in the 1950s, standing for Leyden Township.

WLEY-HD2

On August 21, 2018, WLEY-HD2 began broadcasting 95.1 Clubsteppin', an Urban oldies format focused on Chicago stepping.[32] The format is programmed by Tracey V. Bell.[33] Clubsteppin is simulcast on 95.1 FM by the translators W236CF in Chicago and W236CG in Bolingbrook, which formerly aired a rock format as "The Hound".[32] In August 2019, Tracey V. Bell's Integrated Brand Marketing Company purchased the two translators from Windy City Broadcasting for $3.5 million.[33]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h History Cards for WLEY-FM, fcc.gov. Retrieved March 2, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Ghrist, John R. (1996). Valley Voices: A Radio History. Crossroads Communications. p. 77-80.
  4. ^ a b "Ownership changes", Broadcasting. October 9, 1967. p. 90. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  5. ^ "Ownership changes", Broadcasting. January 8, 1973. p. 50. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  6. ^ "Stations, everywhere: a listeners' guide to the AM and FM bands", Chicago Tribune Magazine. March 4, 1979. p. 37. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  7. ^ Chicago Radio Guide. Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  8. ^ Bornstein, Rollye. "Vox Jox", Billboard. March 10, 1984. p. 17. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  9. ^ Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1983, Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1983. p. B-69. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  10. ^ Ross, Sean. "After The Summer Of Gold", Radio & Records. November 21, 1986. p. 36. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  11. ^ a b Unger, Rudolph. "Aurora FM Outlet to Widen Coverage to Chicago", Chicago Tribune. December 30, 1986. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  12. ^ "Changing Hands", Broadcasting. June 9, 1986. p. 132. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  13. ^ "Beasley Buys WMRO & WAUR For $ 8.7 Million In Chicago Move", Radio & Records. March 13, 1987. p. 12. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  14. ^ Chicagoland Radio Waves, MediaTies. Summer 1988/Spring-Summer 1989. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  15. ^ Young, Linda. "Aurora Mourns Loss of WMRO", Chicago Tribune. December 24, 1989. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  16. ^ Kening, Dan. "New Gun in Town", Chicago Tribune. January 19, 1993. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  17. ^ Stark, Phyllis; Boehlert, Eric; Borzillo, Cary. "Vox Jox", Billboard. February 13, 1993. p. 73. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  18. ^ "Transactions", Radio & Records. October 8, 1993. p. 6. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  19. ^ Kening, Dan. "WYSY-FM Fills a Void With Top 40 Hits From the '70s", Chicago Tribune. February 8, 1994. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  20. ^ a b "Newsline" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 3. January 15, 1994. p. 64.
  21. ^ Stark, Phyllis; Boehlert, Eric; Borzillo, Cary. "Vox Jox", Billboard. February 5, 1994. p. 91. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  22. ^ Borzillo, Cary. "What's In A Name? Plenty, If You Own It", Billboard. April 16, 1994. pp. 85, 87. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  23. ^ "Transactions", Radio & Records. May 24, 1996. p. 6. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  24. ^ "Westinghouse to Change Name to CBS After Spinoff", Bloomberg News. Los Angeles Times. February 06, 1997. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  25. ^ "Infinity's WYSY Goes Spanish", Radio & Records. August 30, 1996. p. 6. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  26. ^ a b "CBS Closes Windy City Deals", Radio & Records. April 11, 1997. p. 9. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  27. ^ "Station & Cable Trading", Broadcasting & Cable. February 3, 1997. p. 42. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  28. ^ Carlozo, Lou. "Radio: The '70s Sign Off", Chicago Tribune. April 20, 1997. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  29. ^ "Format Changes & Updates", The M Street Journal. Vol. 14, No. 27. July 9, 1997. p. 1. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  30. ^ "Call Letter Changes", The M Street Journal. Vol. 14, No. 27. July 9, 1997. p. 5. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  31. ^ "Radio Rides Hispanic Population Boom", Broadcasting & Cable. October 6, 1997. p. 46. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  32. ^ a b Venta, Lance (August 21, 2018). "95.1 Chicago Goes Clubsteppin". RadioInsight. Retrieved March 4, 2019.
  33. ^ a b "New Owner For Chicago's Clubsteppin 95.1", RadioInsight. August 28, 2019. Retrieved August 30, 2019.

External links

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