WIVQ (103.3 FM) is a

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 serve

Spring Valley, Illinois Spring Valley is a city situated on the Illinois River in Bureau County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,582 at the 2020 census, up from 5,558 in 2010. It is part of the Ottawa Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography Spring Vall ...

, United States, serving the La Salle-

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

area. The station is owned by

Shaw Media Shaw Media was the television broadcasting division of Shaw Communications. Shaw Media owned the Global Television Network, which broadcasts nationally via 13 television stations, as well as 19 specialty channels including Slice (TV channel), Sli ...

, through licensee Shaw Local Radio Co, after being previously owned by Studstill Media/Mendota Broadcasting Inc. until April 2023. WIVQ broadcasts a

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

format Format may refer to: Printing and visual media * Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements * Paper formats, or paper size standards * Newspaper format, the size of the paper page Computing * File format, particular way that informatio ...

as a simulcast with sister station WSTQ. The station was assigned the WIVQ call sign by the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

on February 26,

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

History

WIVQ signed on in April 1994 as WAIV, carrying a

talk radio 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 the spring of 1997, the station was sold along with co-owned WLRZ (now WBZG) from Crest Broadcasting to "The Radio Group" also known as Mendota Broadcasting. In July 1997, the station switched from all-talk to

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 ...

, using ABC Radio's

Starstation Hits & Favorites, also known as ABC AC, was a 24-hour music format produced by Cumulus Media Networks (now Westwood One (current), Westwood One). ABC AC combined a highly researched Adult Contemporary music mix targeted to women aged 25–49. Cit ...

format. It kept the AC format until March 6, 2000, at 9p.m., when it began simulcasting a top 40 format with WSTQ. On January 24, 2023, it was announced that Studstill Media had sold WIVQ, along with its sister stations, to

Crystal Lake, Illinois Crystal Lake is a city in McHenry County in the U.S. state of Illinois. Named after a lake southwest of the city's downtown, Crystal Lake is 45 miles northwest of Chicago. The population is 40,269 as of the 2020 Census, a 1.2% decrease from 201 ...

, for a total of $1.8 million. The sale was under FCC review for just under two months before being finalized on March 23, 2023. Shaw Local Radio officially assumed ownership of WIVQ and its sister stations on April 3, 2023.

References

External links

WIVQ official website
* IVQ Bureau County, Illinois Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States LaSalle County, Illinois Radio stations established in 1994 1994 establishments in Illinois {{Illinois-radio-station-stub