WEUR
 | |
| Broadcast area | Chicago |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1490 kHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Polish Language Talk and other ethnic programming |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WPNA-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1951 |
Former call signs | WEBS, WOPA, & WBMX |
Call sign meaning | Polish National Alliance |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 1093 |
| Class | C |
| Power | 1,000 watts unlimited |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°52′52″N 87°47′38″W / 41.88111°N 87.79389°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | WPNA Website |
WPNA (1490 AM) is a time-brokered radio station licensed to Oak Park, Illinois, United States, 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 United States. This program has been on the station 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
- ^ "WPNA Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
- ^ Curry, Cathy. "Chicago's First Family of Irish Radio", Irish American News, Chicago, May 2011. Retrieved on 23 October 2014.
External links
- WPNA Official Website
- Hagerty Family Irish Program Website
- International Polka Association Website
- WPNA in the FCC AM station database
- WPNA in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
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