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WEUR

Coordinates: 41°52′52″N 87°47′38″W / 41.88111°N 87.79389°W / 41.88111; -87.79389
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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by JKSAW (talk | contribs) at 15:20, 30 October 2016 (Deleted reference to Keith Stras; he retired from AM radio on 10/30/16 after 40 years on the air. (19 years on WPNA)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

WPNA
Broadcast areaChicago
Frequency1490 kHz
Programming
FormatPolish Language Talk and other ethnic programming
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
1951
Former call signs
WEBS, WOPA, & WBMX
Call sign meaning
Polish National Alliance
Technical information
Facility ID1093
ClassC
Power1,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates
41°52′52″N 87°47′38″W / 41.88111°N 87.79389°W / 41.88111; -87.79389
Links
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteWPNA Website

WPNA (1490 AM) is a time-brokered radio station licensed to Oak Park, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Chicago area. The station is currently owned by Alliance Communications.[1] WPNA hosts radio programs for various ethnic and cultural groups in the Chicago metropolitan area.

While the majority of programming is Polish language talk, they feature polka music on the weekends such as the long running Eddie Blazonczyk Polka Show hosted by Tish Blazonczyk, and the IPA Polka Show sponsored by the International Polka Association.

WPNA is the home of the Hagerty Family Irish Program, the longest running Irish program in the USA. This program has been on the 1490 AM dial every Saturday morning since the station went on the air in 1951.[2]

History

The station's history goes back to 1951 when a license to broadcast on 1490 AM from Oak Park was granted by the FCC under the call sign WEBS. Shortly after going on the air, the call sign was changed to WOPA to better reflect the location of its studios. The offices and antenna were in the former Oak Park Arms Hotel, now a retirement community. The call sign once again changed in 1984 to WBMX for 3 years until 1490 AM was purchased by the Polish National Alliance which changed the station's call letters to WPNA on May 1, 1987. In September 2001, the station launched its first website at www.wpna1490am.com. A major change in station management occurred in late February 2015, and its website was converted to an all-Polish language site in June 2015 under a new URL: www.radiowpna.com.

WPNA was the home of the long-running Chet Gulinski Show, which featured polka music and was quite popular in Chicago's Eastern European communities.

References

  1. ^ "WPNA Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
  2. ^ Curry, Cathy. "Chicago's First Family of Irish Radio", Irish American News, Chicago, May 2011. Retrieved on 23 October 2014.