WFMB-FM (104.5
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 ...
) is a
commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television)
** Radio advertisement
** Television advertisement
* (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
FM 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
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the capital of the U.S. state of Illinois and the county seat and largest city of Sangamon County. The city's population was 114,394 at the 2020 census, which makes it the state's seventh most-populous city, the second largest o ...
. It broadcasts a
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
radio format
A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
and is owned by Neuhoff Corp., through licensee Neuhoff Media Springfield, LLC.
WFMB-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 43,000
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. The
radio studio
A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...
s and
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 ...
are on South 4th Street in
Southern View, Illinois
Southern View is a village in Sangamon County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,642 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Southern View is located at (39.756260, -89.650 ...
, using a Springfield address.
History
The station
signed on
Signing may refer to:
* Using sign language
* Signature
A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...
the air in .
The original
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 ...
was simply WFMB. The "-FM"
suffix
In linguistics, a suffix is an affix which is placed after the stem of a word. Common examples are case endings, which indicate the grammatical case of nouns, adjectives, and verb endings, which form the conjugation of verbs. Suffixes can carry ...
was added in 1991 just before its AM counterpart took the WFMB call letters. The station's studios and transmitter were located at the First National Bank Building at 5th and Adams.
[History Cards for WFMB-FM](_blank)
fcc.gov. Retrieved October 6, 2018. The station was owned by Capital Broadcasting.
In 1972, the station's studios and transmitter were moved to the Myers Brothers Building.
In 1980, the station was sold to Springfield Advertising Co. for $1,275,000.
In 1981, the station moved to its current location on the 3000 block of South 4th Street.
In 1989, the station was sold to Neuhoff Broadcasting, along with AM 1450
WCVS, for $4,250,000. In 1996, the station was sold to Patterson Broadcasting. After a series of acquisitions, Patterson Broadcasting became part of
Clear Channel Communications
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
.
[ Taylor, Chuck.]
Vox Jox
, ''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 18, 1996. p. 79. Retrieved October 7, 2018.[Rhodes, Dusty.]
Radio daze: Mid-West switches formats, personalities; former owner reclaims Clear Channel stations
, ''Illinois Times
''Illinois Times'' is a weekly free newspaper (distributed every Thursday) based in Springfield, Illinois.
Founded in 1975, the newspaper was acquired in 1977 by Fletcher Farrar Sr., a Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon is an American landmark and ...
''. May 2, 2007. Retrieved October 7, 2018. In 2007, as Clear Channel was selling most of its stations in smaller markets, Neuhoff bought back the Springfield stations the company had sold, including WFMB-FM.
The station has long aired a country music format.
1974 Broadcasting Yearbook
'. 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 ...
. 1974. p. B-68. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1984
'. Broadcasting/Cablecasting. 1984. p. B-84. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1994
'. Broadcasting & Cable
''Broadcasting & Cable'' (or ''Broadcasting+Cable'') is a weekly telecommunications industry trade magazine published by Future US. Previous names included ''Broadcasting-Telecasting'', ''Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising'', and ''Broadcast ...
. 1994. p. B-119. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2005
'. Broadcasting & Cable
''Broadcasting & Cable'' (or ''Broadcasting+Cable'') is a weekly telecommunications industry trade magazine published by Future US. Previous names included ''Broadcasting-Telecasting'', ''Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising'', and ''Broadcast ...
. 2005. p. D-188. Retrieved October 7, 2018. It was originally
automated
Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...
and added live
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
s in the 1980s.
References
External links
WFMB's website*
{{coord, 39, 45, 36, N, 89, 39, 5, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
Country radio stations in the United States
FMB-FM
Radio stations established in 1965
1965 establishments in Illinois