WEUR
 | |
| Broadcast area | Chicago metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1490 kHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Polish Language Talk and other ethnic programming |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WPNA-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | October 7, 1950[1] |
Former call signs | WEBS (cp)[2] WOPA (1950[2]-1984)[3] WBMX (1984-1987)[3] |
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.[4]
Programming
The majority of the station's programming is Polish language news, talk, and sports.[5] They also feature polka music on the weekends, such as the long running Eddie Blazonczyk Polka Show hosted by Tish Blazonczyk,[6] and the IPA Polka Show sponsored by the International Polka Association.[7]
WPNA is the home of the Hagerty Family Irish Program, the longest running Irish program in the United States.[5] This program has been on the station every Saturday morning since 1951.[8]
History
The station began broadcasting October 7, 1950.[1] The station's call sign was originally WEBS, but before going on the air the call sign was changed to WOPA to reflect the location of its studios.[2] The studios and antenna were in the former Oak Park Arms Hotel, now a retirement community.[2] 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.[3] 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
- ^ a b 1971 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1971. p. B-66. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c d History Cards for WPNA, fcc.gov. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ a b c Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
- ^ "WPNA Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
- ^ a b "About Us", WPNA. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "Eddie Blazonczyk Polka Show", WPNA. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ "International Polka Association", WPNA. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
- ^ 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
- Facility details for Facility ID WPNA ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
 | This article about a radio station in Illinois is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |