WCFS-FM (105.9

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

) – branded ''Newsradio 105.9 WBBM'' – is a commercial

all-news All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to the discussion and broadcast of news. All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried on both major US satellite radio networks. All-news stations can run the ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

licensed to the

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

suburb of

Elmwood Park, Illinois Elmwood Park is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 24,521 at the 2020 census. The community has long maintained a large Italian-American population, with a more recent influx of Polish-American and Hispanic re ...

. Owned by

Audacy, Inc. Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...

, the station services the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hi ...

, operating as a full-time simulcast of WBBM (780 AM). WCFS-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...

(ERP) of 4,100

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

s.FM Query Results: WCFS-FM
fcc.gov. Retrieved March 10, 2019. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

is atop the

Willis Tower The Willis Tower (originally the Sears Tower) is a 108-story, skyscraper in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois, United States. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), ...

(formerly the Sears Tower). The studios and newsroom are located at

Two Prudential Plaza The Two Prudential Plaza is a 64-story skyscraper located in the Loop area of Chicago, Illinois. At tall, it is currently the sixth-tallest building in Chicago and the 28th-tallest in the U.S., being only five feet from 1,000 feet, making it ...

in the

Loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...

. In addition to a standard

analog transmission Analog transmission is a transmission method of conveying information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that information. It could be the transfer of an analog signal, using an an ...

, WCFS-FM broadcasts over two

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

subchannels, and is available online via

Audacy Audacy, previously known as Radio.com, is a free broadcast and Internet radio platform owned by the namesake company Audacy, Inc. (formerly known as Entercom). The Audacy platform functions as a music recommender system and is the national um ...

History

WLEY

The station originally held the

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

WLEY and broadcast at 107.1 MHz.
Broadcasting–Telecasting Yearbook Number 1950
', Broadcasting–Telecasting, 1950. p. 133. Retrieved February 2, 2019.History Cards for WCFS-FM
fcc.gov. Retrieved February 2, 2019. WLEY was founded in February 1948, with commercial broadcasts beginning in April. The "LEY" in its call letters stood for Leyden Township, which contains the

city of license In American, Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American broa ...

of Elmwood Park.Ghrist, John R. (1996). ''Valley Voices: A Radio History''. Crossroads Communications. p. 313-314. WLEY was owned by Zeb Zarnecki. The station broadcast in English and

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

.Migała, Józef (1987). ''Polish Radio Broadcasting in the United States''. Eastern European Monographs. pp. 151-156, 231. WLEY broadcast the "Polish Barn Dance," hosted by Zeb Zarnecki, along with other programs for the local Polish community. It is not related to today's 107.9

WLEY-FM WLEY-FM (107.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to Aurora, Illinois, serving Aurora, Chicago, Naperville, Joliet and much of surrounding Northeast Illinois. Owned by Spanish Broadcasting System, it broadcasts a regional Mexican format brand ...

Aurora An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

. The station's studios and transmitter were located on Harlem Ave, in Elmwood Park. It had an ERP of 320 watts at a

height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site is above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...

(HAAT) of 240 feet. In 1949, its ERP was increased to 1,000 watts and its HAAT was increased to 250 feet. In 1955, the station's ERP was increased to 32,000 watts and its frequency was changed to 105.9 MHz, after the previous occupant of that frequency,

WFMT WFMT is an FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a format of fine arts, classical music programming, and shows exploring such genres as folk. The station is managed by Window to the World Communications, Inc., owner of WTTW, Chicago ...

, moved to 98.7 MHz. WLEY was taken silent in 1956.

WXFM

In 1957, the station was sold to Evelyn Chauvin Schoonfield, a school teacher from

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, for $22,500, and its call sign was changed to WXFM. In the early 1960s, the FCC investigated several unauthorized transfers of control, which placed renewal of the station's license in jeopardy. However, the FCC allowed Schoonfield to keep the license, and authorized the sale of the station to WXFM Inc., with controlling interest owned by Robert Victor. In the 1960s and 1970s, WXFM featured a variety of musical programming, including classical,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

show tunes A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. T ...

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

, light classical, and MOR programs.Paige, Earl.
Chicago MOR/Classical FM Station Encouraged By Triad Programming
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''. May 29, 1971. pp. 32, 36. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
Broadcasting Yearbook 1976
',

Broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...

, 1976. p. C-59. Retrieved February 4, 2019. On October 3, 1962, it became an affiliate of the QXR Network. In 1966, the station's transmitter was moved to 333 North Michigan Ave. in Downtown Chicago, and in 1974 its transmitter was moved to the

Sears Tower The Willis Tower (originally the Sears Tower) is a 108- story, skyscraper in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois, United States. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM ...

. In 1970, ''Triad Radio'', a freeform program, began airing on the station. ''Triad Radio'' began in 1969, as a three hour weekly program on 105.1 WEAW-FM. The program eventually aired for five hours nightly on WXFM, and continued to air on the station through 1977.Childers, Scott (2008).
Chicago's WLS Radio
'.

Arcadia Publishing Arcadia Publishing is an American publisher of neighborhood, local, and regional history of the United States in pictorial form.(analysis of the successful ''Images of America'' series). Arcadia Publishing also runs the History Press, which publi ...

. Retrieved February 5, 2019.Looking Back
, ''The AOR Story''.

Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

. 1978. p. 9. Retrieved February 5, 2019. Triad Radio published a free monthly magazine that was distributed through retail outlets. Dick Lawrence, historian and radio personality, hosted "Sound of the 1920s" an original hour-long feature program of vintage music 'old scratchies' woven together by offbeat historical themes. In 1978, Herb Kent began hosting a show on WXFM. In the early 1980s, jazz began to dominate WXFM's schedule.
Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1983
', Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1983. p. B-73. Retrieved February 4, 2019.McCormick, Moria.
Count B.J. Out of Work as WXFM Abandons Jazz
, ''

''. February 11, 1984. p. 14. Retrieved February 4, 2019.Cox Picks Jeffries as WXFM's PD
, ''

''. March 2, 1984. pp. 1, 32. Retrieved February 4, 2019. Personalities on the station at this time included

Daddy-O Daylie Holmes Daylie (May 15, 1920 – February 6, 2003) was a Radio personality, radio jock on radio stations in the 1940s and 1950s that rhymed and rapped playing bebop and was one of the early pioneers of Black-appeal stations, black-appeal radio. His u ...

and Dick Buckley.

Pervis Spann Pervis Spann (August 16, 1932 – March 14, 2022) was an American broadcaster, music promoter, and radio personality. He was a disc jockey on WVON and was influential in the development of blues music in Chicago, Illinois. Early life Spann was ...

hosted an overnight

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

show.

WAGO

In 1984, the station was sold to

Cox Communications Cox Communications, Inc. (also known as Cox Cable and formerly Cox Broadcasting Corporation, Dimension Cable Services and Times-Mirror Cable) is an American digital cable television provider, telecommunications and home automation services. It i ...

for $9 million. On April 2, 1984, Cox launched a contemporary hits format on the station, and its call sign was changed to WAGO.Bornstein, Rollye.
Vox Jox
, ''

''. April 14, 1984. p. 14. Retrieved February 4, 2019. The station was branded "G-106."Chicago's WAGO Switches: Outlet Now AOR-Formatted WCKG
, ''

''. March 16, 1985. p. 14. Retrieved February 4, 2019. WAGO featured John Records Landecker in mornings, who had made a name for himself on 890 WLS.

Rock era

On March 4, 1985, the station's format was changed to

album oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-orient ...

(AOR) and its call letters were changed to WCKG. John Records Landecker continued hosting the morning show on WCKG until 1986, when he returned to 890 WLS.
Chicago Radio Guide
'. Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. Retrieved February 4, 2019. By 1987, WCKG had transitioned into a

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

format. On-air personalities included

Stephanie Miller Stephanie Catherine Miller (born September 29, 1961) is an American political commentator, comedian, and host of '' The Stephanie Miller Show'', a Progressive talk radio program produced in Los Angeles, California, by WYD Media Management and s ...

, John Howell, Mitch Michaels, Allan Stagg, Joe Thomas, Debbie Alexander, and

Rich Koz Rich Koz (born March 12, 1952) is an American actor and broadcaster best known for his portrayal of horror-movie host Svengoolie, as well as his early '90s children's cartoon showcase ''The Koz Zone''. Koz is also the host of the syndicated '' S ...

. WCKG picked up the syndicated ''

Howard Stern Show ''The Howard Stern Show'' is an American radio show hosted by Howard Stern that gained wide recognition when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from WXRK in New York City, between 1986 and 2005. The show has aired on Howard 100 ...

'' for mornings in March 1995. Following on-air attacks on rival Chicago shock jock

Mancow Muller Matthew Erich "Mancow" Muller (born June 21, 1966) is an American radio and television personality, actor, and former child model. Considered a shock jock, his career has been well known for controversy and clashes with the Federal Communicati ...

's family and Muller's boss's family, Stern's show was dropped in October 1995. The station blamed issues with "some of Howard's on-air content," and the show moved to

AM 1160 The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1160 kHz: in the United States and Mexico. Radio station KSL in Salt Lake City is the dominant Class A station on 1160 AM, a United States clear-channel frequency, according to the U.S ...

WJJD. WCKG was traded to

Infinity Broadcasting Infinity Broadcasting Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1972 until 2005. It was founded by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus. It became associated with popular radio personalities like Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, Don Imus ...

in 1996. At the end of the year, Infinity Broadcasting was purchased by the parent company of

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

Hot talk era

The station began evolving to a

hot talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...

format in July 1996 with the addition of

Steve Dahl Steven Robert Dahl (born November 20, 1954) is an American radio personality. He is the owner and operator of the Steve Dahl Network, a subscription-based podcasting network. Dahl gained a measure of national attention after organizing and hostin ...

in the afternoons and Stern returning to mornings, while classic rock continued to air in the remainder of the schedule. In 1998,

Jonathon Brandmeier Jonathon "Johnny B" Brandmeier (born July 15, 1956) is a Chicago radio personality and musician. Career Born John Francis Brandmeier to a German father and a Lebanese mother, Brandmeier started his radio career in 1973 at WFON in Fond du Lac, Wi ...

began hosting middays on WCKG, and the station further moved into a hot talk format. During this time, the station was branded "105.9 The PaCKaGe". In 2002, rock music was re-added to the station's schedule in certain hours, and its slogan became "Talk That Rocks." On April 1, 2002, Kevin Matthews joined WCKG as midday host. Other personalities and programs during this era include, Patti Haze & Mary Pat LaRue, Pete McMurray, ''

Opie and Anthony ''Opie and Anthony'' was an American radio show hosted by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and Anthony Cumia that aired from March 1995 to July 2014, with comedian Jim Norton serving as third mic from 2001. The show originated in 1994 when Cumia took part in ...

'', Karen Hand and Dr. Kelly Johnson, Bill O'Reilly,

Jim Cramer James Joseph Cramer (born February 10, 1955) is an American television personality and author. He is the host of ''Mad Money'' on CNBC and an anchor on ''Squawk on the Street''. A former hedge fund manager, founder, and senior partner of Cramer ...

, Buzz Kilman, Wendy Snyder, Frankie "Hollywood" Rodriguez,

Bob Sirott Robert "Bob" Sirott (born August 9, 1949) is an American broadcaster. He is the morning host at WGN in Chicago. He is also a former television news anchor, most recently working in that role at Chicago's WFLD. Professional career Sirott began ...

, Marianne Murciano, ''

Little Steven's Underground Garage ''Underground Garage'' is the name shared by two related but different radio outlets, a syndicated show and a satellite radio station, both created and supervised by American musician Steven Van Zandt (best known as a guitarist in Bruce Springst ...

'', and ''The House of Blues Radio Hour'' with

Elwood Blues The Blues Brothers are an American blues and soul revivalist band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi as part of a musical sketch on ''Saturday Night Live''. Belushi and Aykroyd fronted the band, in character, respecti ...

. The rock music was removed from the station's schedule by early 2005. On October 25, 2005, the station was rebranded "

Free FM Free FM was a short-lived, mostly-talk-radio format and brand name for eleven FM CBS Radio stations in the United States, and was created because of Howard Stern's departure to Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006. Free FM was given its name ...

." Rosenthal, Phil.
Meet the new Howard Sterns
, ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''. October 26, 2005. Retrieved February 5, 2019. With Stern's departure from terrestrial radio on December 16, 2005, Infinity announced that effective January 3, 2006, WCKG would become the flagship station of ''

Rover's Morning Glory ''Rover's Morning Glory'' is a syndicated hot talk morning radio show originating from Cleveland rock station WMMS (100.7 FM). Hosted by radio personality Rover (Shane French), the show first began at cross-town rival WXTM (92.3 ...

''. Following months of poor ratings, ''Rover's Morning Glory'' was dropped on August 1, 2006, and was replaced by the New York-based ''Opie and Anthony Show''. WCKG was also the flagship station of the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

from 2006 until 2007.Bulls returning to ESPN 1000
, '' Daily Herald''. October 29, 2007. Retrieved February 5, 2019. With the demise of WCKG's talk format, the Bulls returned to all-sports AM 1000

WMVP WMVP (1000 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, carrying a sports format. Owned by Good Karma Brands, the station serves the Chicago metro area as the market affiliate of ESPN Radio, the flagship station of the Chica ...

. Steve Dahl's son, Matt Dahl, joined WCKG on March 5, 2007, and

Garry Meier Garry Meier (born December 2, 1949) is a Chicago-based radio personality who has been active in Chicago radio since 1973. Meier is well known for being part of the highly successful radio duos " Steve & Garry" and " Roe and Garry", but he also ho ...

joined the station on April 2, hosting late mornings. On May 2, 2007, the station's branding was changed from "Free FM" to "Chicago's FM Talk Station." It was later rebranded back to "The Package". By this time, the weekday lineup consisted of ''Opie and Anthony'', Meier, Stan Lawrence and Terry Armour, Steve and Matt Dahl, Glenn Beck, ''

Loveline ''Loveline'' is a syndicated radio call-in program in North America, offering medical and relationship advice to listeners, often with the assistance of guests, typically actors and musicians. Its host through most of its run was Dr. Drew Pins ...

'', and Bill O'Reilly. October 29, 2007, was the last day of the talk format on WCKG, as hosts and station staff said their goodbyes on-air. Steve Dahl's show continued to air on WCKG, with best-of clips airing for the rest of the day. His show moved to

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

104.3 WJMK on November 5. On November 2, CBS Radio gave stories to the media writers at the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

'' and ''

'' that the station would switch to an all-Christmas format that afternoon before the unveiling of its actual new format. However this was a ruse, designed to throw long-time ratings leader 93.9

WLIT-FM WLIT-FM (93.9 Hertz, MHz, "93.9 Lite FM") is a radio station in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex in the Chicago Loop, while th ...

off from its plans to start playing all-Christmas music beginning November 8. The trick worked, as WLIT switched to all-Christmas music on November 2, while WCKG continued to play the "Best of Dahl" until November 5. That day, WCKG began stunting by simulcasting several of Chicago's other CBS Radio stations. From 5:30 to 10 a.m., it carried Dahl's first show on WJMK.WCKG Becomes Fresh 105.9
, Format Change Archive. Retrieved February 14, 2019. From 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., it simulcast

AM 670 The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 670 kHz: 670 AM is a United States clear-channel frequency. WSCR Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map ...

WSCR WSCR (670 AM) – branded as 670 The Score – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to serve Chicago, Illinois, servicing the Chicago metropolitan area and much of surrounding Northern Illinois, Northwest Indiana and parts of the Milwa ...

; from 2 to 4 p.m., it simulcast 93.1

WXRT WXRT (93.1 FM), also known as XRT and 93-XRT is an adult album alternative (AAA) radio station in Chicago, Illinois. For many years, their slogan has been "Chicago's Finest Rock". "Chicago's Home For Music Lovers" has been used as its slogan si ...

, and from 4 to 5 p.m., it simulcast 780 WBBM.

Fresh 105.9

At 5 p.m., after the

CBS Radio News CBS News Radio, formerly known as CBS Radio News and historically known as the CBS Radio Network, is a radio network that provides news to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by Paramount Global. It ...

bell for the top of the hour newscast, WCKG became "Fresh 105.9" with a modern-based

adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

format that originally focused on soft rock songs from the 1990s to current product (with some select 80s songs). The first song played was "

Beautiful Day "Beautiful Day" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the first track on their tenth studio album, ''All That You Can't Leave Behind'' (2000), and was released as the album's lead single on 9 October 2000. The song was a commercial success, ...

" by U2. The station shared its branding with co-owned WWFS in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. The station's call sign was changed to WCFS-FM, for "Chicago's Fresh", on November 26, 2007. On February 25, 2008, morning personality Mike LeBaron and midday personality Lisa Greene signed on as the first DJ's on Chicago's "Fresh 105.9." In April 2008, Program Director Mike Peterson named Rick Hall as afternoon host. On October 6, 2009, Roxanne Steele began hosting afternoons on WCFS. Rosenthal, Phil.
Fresh 105.9 hires Roxanne Steele
, ''

''. October 1, 2009. Retrieved February 6, 2019. Rick Hall moved to mornings on a temporary basis after Mike LeBaron left the station. In November 2009, Steve Fisher debuted as the new morning host on WCFS. Upon Fisher's arrival, Rick Hall was moved to middays. However, in June 2010, new program director Jim Ryan told reporters that Hall had been released. Evening host Brooke Hunter was moved to middays. On March 30, 2010, it was announced that Bill Gamble left CBS Radio Chicago, where he was Program Director of WCFS-FM and

WUSN WUSN (99.5 FM) is a country radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Audacy, Inc. and branded as "US✶99", it is based at Two Prudential Plaza in the Loop, and transmits from atop the John Hancock Center with an HD Radio signal. History ...

WBBM simulcast

On the morning of August 1, 2011, WCFS began redirecting listeners to sister stations 96.3

WBBM-FM WBBM-FM (96.3 MHz) is a top 40 (CHR) radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It is known on the air as B96 and it is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 3,300 watts, broadcasting from a transmitter atop t ...

and 99.5 WUSN.Fresh 105.9 Becomes NewsRadio 105.9 WBBM
, ''Format Change Archive''. Retrieved February 7, 2019. It played an hour and a half of "end"-themed songs, concluding with " End of the Road" by

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan M ...

and the first six seconds of "

Don't You (Forget About Me) "Don't You (Forget About Me)" is a song by the Scottish rock band Simple Minds, released as a single in 1985. It was written and composed by the producer Keith Forsey and Steve Schiff, a guitarist and songwriter from the Nina Hagen band. Forsey ...

" by Simple Minds. Then at 8:10 a.m., WCFS replaced the "Fresh" AC format with an FM simulcast of co-owned all-news station 780 WBBM.Venta, Lance.
WBBM Chicago Adds Simulcast on 105.9 WCFS
, ''RadioInsight''. April 8, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2019. Until that date, WBBM had been carried on WCFS-HD2, effectively (besides the loss of WCFS's physical staff) making the move merely a swap of the formats for the HD1 and HD2 subchannels.Major Radio Groups Announce HD2 Formats
, ''All Access Music Group''. January 19, 2006. Retrieved March 10, 2019. The format change was seen as a counter to WBBM's new competitor, 101.1 WWWN, which switched to an all-news format on July 31, 2011, one day before WCFS's switch. The "Fresh" AC format was moved to WCFS-HD2 on August 1, rebranding as "The New Sound of Fresh 105.9 HD2." The move left 93.9 WLIT-FM as the only adult contemporary radio station at the time in Chicago. The switch also gave the NFL's

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

an FM outlet. WIQI's "FM News" format failed in the market and was replaced by a 90's-centric adult hits format on July 17, 2012. Though WCFS uses WBBM's on-air branding ("NewsRadio 780 and 105.9 FM, WBBM"), its official call sign remains WCFS, call letters only mentioned once per hour.

Arbitron Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...

's use of the

Portable People Meter The Portable People Meter (PPM), also known as the Nielsen Meter, was a system developed by Arbitron (now Nielsen Audio) to measure how many people are exposed or listening to individual radio stations and television stations, including cable tel ...

for Chicago radio ratings does not need call letter verification to give credit for listening to 105.9 FM. WBBM thus identifies both signals in a rushed form of

station identification Station identification (ident, network ID or channel ID or bumper) is the practice of radio and television stations and networks identifying themselves on-air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name (sometimes known, particularly in th ...

at :56 past the hour as "WBBM-HD Chicago, WCFS-FM-HD1 Elmwood Park-Chicago." The two stations have simulcast continuously since August 1, 2011, with one exception. During the 2015 baseball season, WBBM carried

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as part of the National League (NL) Central division. The club plays its home games at Wrigley Field, which is located ...

baseball exclusively over the AM 780 frequency during the 2015 season, while WCFS-FM 105.9 continued to carry the all-news format on its own during Cubs broadcasts. Feder, Robert.
Play ball! Cubs move to The Score
, RobertFeder.com. November 11, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2019. Starting with the 2016 season, the Cubs moved to co-owned 670 WSCR. WBBM and WCFS returned to a full-time simulcast at the end of the 2015 season. On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with

Entercom Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...

. The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.

HD Radio

WCFS-FM broadcasts in the

format. The HD2 subchannel carries a

sports gambling Sports betting is the activity of predicting sports results and placing a wager on the outcome. The frequency of sports bet upon varies by culture, with the vast majority of bets being placed on association football, American football, basket ...

format, branded as "The Bet".Entercom Places An HD Bet In Chicago
Radioinsight - March 22, 2021 The station's HD2 subchannel debuted in January 2006, and simulcast the all-news format of WBBM AM 780. After WBBM began simulcasting on the analog/HD1 in 2011, the HD2 subchannel continued to carry an automated version of WCFS's former AC format (which gradually shifted to

Hot AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet sto ...

) as "Fresh 105.9", leading to one of the few situations where the station's callsign meaning referred instead to an HD Radio subchannel. In February 2019, the "Fresh" format was replaced with an electronic dance music format, branded as "Energy." This format had aired on co-owned 96.3

-HD2 as "B96 Dance" from 2006 until February 2019, when it was replaced with " Channel Q".Channel Q Expands To Six More Markets
''RadioInsight''. February 26, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2019. On March 22, 2021, WCFS-HD2 switched to carrying a new national format covering legalized sports gaming, branded as "The Bet".

References

External links

* * {{Chicago Bears CFS-FM All-news radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1948 1948 establishments in Illinois Audacy, Inc. radio stations