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 ...
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 ...
in
Central Illinois
Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central third of the state, divided from north to south. Also known as the ''Heart of Illinois'', it is characterized by small towns and mid-sized cities. Agri ...
with 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, ...
. WIBL is
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
Fairbury, Illinois
Fairbury is a city in Livingston County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,757 at the 2010 census.
Fairbury is located on U.S. Route 24 11 miles east of Chenoa and six miles west of Forrest. It was founded in 1857. The town has a la ...
radio market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
. It is owned by Pilot Media, which is a
subsidiary
A subsidiary, subsidiary company or daughter company is a company owned or controlled by another company, which is called the parent company or holding company. Two or more subsidiaries that either belong to the same parent company or having a s ...
of Great Plains Media. Great Plains' CEO is Jerry Zimmer, a longtime partner in the Zimmer Radio Group based in
Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citie ...
. WIBL features "20 Songs in A Row" music sweeps at various times each day, resulting in approximately 70 minutes of music without commercials.
WIBL 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 14,000
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, broadcasting from a
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 ...
on South Pine Street in
Lexington, Illinois
Lexington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,090 at the 2020 census. There are two theories regarding the etymology of the city name. One says it was named for the Battle of Lexington, where General Gridley' ...
. For a clearer signal in Bloomington-Normal, a 250-watt
FM translator
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
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 ...
in . It was known as WBZM, 107.7 The Buzz. WBZM was owned by Crowmwell Broadcasting, and was operated out of the company's Peoria cluster. It had an
Alternative Rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
Bob and Tom Show
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
*Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname) ...
" in the morning. The
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 were all the same as on 99X, which was, at the time,
WIXO
WIXO (105.7 FM, "105.7 The X") is a radio station in Peoria, Illinois. It is owned by Cumulus Media, which also owns several other radio stations in the market. Cumulus purchased WIXO and its sister stations from Townsquare Media. Originally o ...
on its original Bartonville frequency of 99.9.
When Cromwell sold the Peoria cluster in 2001, WBZM was not included in the sale. Operations were moved to Cromwell's Decatur cluster and WBZM quickly went on the sale block. At the end of 2001, AAA Entertainment purchased the signal and began simulcasting 96.7
WIHN
WIHN (96.7 FM) is a commercial radio station in Normal, Illinois, United States, and serving the Bloomington-Normal radio market. It broadcasts an active rock radio format known as ''Rock 96.7''. It is owned by Elizabeth Neuhoff's Neuhoff Co ...
Normal, then later 99.5
WDQZ
WZIM (99.5 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Lexington, Illinois, and serving the Bloomington-Normal radio market. The station is owned and operated by Pilot Media, and calls itself "Magic 99.5." It broadcasts an adult contemp ...
Lexington.
On March 28, 2003, AAA debuted WYST, an AC station branded as "Star 107.7". In June 2003 the station's signal was upgraded and moved from Fairbury to
Lexington, Illinois
Lexington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States. The population was 2,090 at the 2020 census. There are two theories regarding the etymology of the city name. One says it was named for the Battle of Lexington, where General Gridley' ...
.
In February 2007, the format was modified to R&B/Soul with the slogan "The Heart and Soul of the Twin Cities", which had more of a rhythmic lean than competitor 100.7 WVMG.
In April 2007 the station began a
local marketing agreement
In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it is a sort of lease or tim ...
(LMA) with Great Plains Media. No immediate format change was made.
On June 29, 2007, at Noon, just several days after the closing the sale on WYST, Great Plains Media flipped the format to Country as "107.7 The Bull." The station is the first to take on heritage
WBWN
WBWN (104.1 FM, "B104") is a radio station licensed to the community of Le Roy, Illinois, and serving the greater Bloomington, Illinois, area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media.