WIXO (105.7
FM, "105.7 The X") 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 ...
in
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria ...
. It is owned by
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...
, which also owns several other radio stations in the market. Cumulus purchased WIXO and its sister stations from
Townsquare Media
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wi ...
. Originally on 99.9
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 ...
before 2006, it moved to 105.7, a much higher-power license that reaches a large portion of Central Illinois.
The name is based on several factors, one being the frequency (105.7) and the other being the fact that it recently relocated from 99.9 having been under the name 99X, and the "X" in the name had become an inherent part of the station. The "X" in the previous name had come from the call letters WIXO. The station features an
active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
music format. Also, on the original frequency, the slogan 99X Rocks! had been used and appeared on the station logo, and the phrase became commonly used as the station name. Thus, the new frequency uses the phrase "105.7 The X Rocks!", which can also be seen on the new logo.
105.7 before WIXO
WWTO & WWCT
The original 105.7 was operating as
Drake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault Enterprises (originally American Independent Radio Inc.) was a radio syndication company that specialized in automation on FM radio stations. The company was founded in the late-1960s by radio programmer and deejay Bill Drake (1937†...
programmed WWTO in the early 1970s.
"WWTO(FM) 105.7 Peoria, Illinois"
by Doug Quick. Retrieved 2006-11-19. In 1976, the station changed its callsign to WWCT and made its debut as an album 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 ...
station. Calling itself simply "106" or "WWCT" early on, by the 1990s it was using the nickname "''Rock 106''". Some of their well-known positioning statements included "Rockin' With The Best" and "The Home Of Rock n Roll." Much of their time was spent downtown on both Jefferson St. and 1111 Main St. They moved uptown in 1997 to War Memorial Dr. near Northwoods Mall.
In late 1998 Bruce Foster sold the station to Kelly Communications. Kelly took over immediately with an LMA and brought in satellite programming in lieu of local jocks. A ''Peoria Journal Star
The ''Journal Star'' is the major daily newspaper for Peoria, Illinois, and surrounding area. First owned locally, then employee-owned, it became a Copley Press entity in 1996. In 2007, the paper was sold to Fairport, New York-based GateHouse M ...
'' article talking about the station's DJs located in Dallas became fodder for competitor WGLO. In the summer of 1999, Kelly Communications decided to offer a lower price than what was originally negotiated in the sale, and Foster decided to back out of the deal. In what amounts to a legendary story, a group of jocks from the old WWCT days went to the transmitter site on a Friday afternoon and took back control of the station with the words "We're back, and we're pissed off!" Through the weekend a great number of former jocks, local leaders, and even competing radio station personnel took part in an anything-goes broadcast from the transmitter site in rural Tazewell County, Illinois
Tazewell County () is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 135,394. Its county seat and largest city is Pekin. It is pronounced with a short "a", to rhyme with "razz" rather than "raze."
...
.
It was known for its morning shows starting with Ken and Jim (a.k.a. Johnson and Tofte), Greg Dwyer and Bill Michaels, and Ray Lytle and Jon Lamb with Pete McMurray (aka Pete on the Street) who were proclaimed one of Americas best morning shows by ''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 ...
'' magazine. From 1991 to 1992, Rock 106 simulcast with sister Macomb station WJEQ as Rock 106 & 103. WJEQ split away from 106 in the Spring of 1992 calling itself Classic 103. Lytle and Lamb syndicated in 1994 to WQLZ
WQLZ (97.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an active rock format, licensed to Petersburg, Illinois, United States. The station serves the Springfield, IL area and is currently owned by Long Nine, Inc.
History
The station began broadcasting ...
in Springfield from the WWCT Studios. For a short time in the late 1990s, Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terre ...
was heard in the morning after previously airing on WFXF-FM, but the show moved to 102.3 FM in 1999.
In 2000 WWCT was bought by AAA Entertainment
AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to:
Airports
* Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA)
* Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA)
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
Radio Group, moved towards an active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
format, and was named "Rock 105.7" towards the end of the format on 105.7 in 2003.
WXMP
AAA replaced WWCT with "Mix 105.7" and the callsign WXMP, and marketed the station as a Bloomington-Normal station for some time despite the station being licensed to Peoria.
AAA Entertainment exited the Peoria market in September 2006 during a shakeup in Peoria radio ownership, selling 101.1 at Glasford, Illinois
Glasford is a village in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. The population was 1,022 at the 2010 census. Glasford is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
Glasford or Glasco as it was called in 1868, was named f ...
to Independence Media Holdings, who moved the WXMP callsign and format there, and selling 105.7 to Regent Communications
Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...
, owners of 99.9 WIXO at Bartonville, Illinois
Bartonville is a village in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,471 at the 2010 census. Bartonville is a suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Bartonville is located ...
.
WIXO
WIXO debuted as the first station on the 99.9 frequency for Bartonville, Illinois
Bartonville is a village in Peoria County, Illinois, United States. The population was 6,471 at the 2010 census. Bartonville is a suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Bartonville is located ...
in February, 1997, and was known as 99X, Peoria's Modern Rock Alternative. It featured the 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 ...
format. Original DJ's included Ian Chase, Jeff Williams, Stephanie Aaron, and Jay Wolfe.
The move from 99.9 to 105.7 allowed WIXO to be heard in an area around three times larger than it originally could.
WWCT
WWCT is an FM broadcasting station licensed to Bartonville, Illinois. Through most of its history, the WWCT callsign was associated with Peoria's 105.7 frequency allocation; the call sign and related format was moved to 96.5 (Farmington) in 2003 ...
, which was originally at 105.7 itself, moved from 96.5 to 99.9.
See also
*WWCT
WWCT is an FM broadcasting station licensed to Bartonville, Illinois. Through most of its history, the WWCT callsign was associated with Peoria's 105.7 frequency allocation; the call sign and related format was moved to 96.5 (Farmington) in 2003 ...
— former 105.7 and current 99.9
*WYLD-FM
WYLD-FM (98.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in New Orleans, Louisiana, and one of the highest-rated radio stations in the market. It airs an Urban Adult Contemporary radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices ...
— formerly used the WIXO callsign in
References
External links
*
JD the DJ: Airchecks
— includes rare airchecks from New Orleans' WIXO.
{{Cumulus Media
IXO
Active rock radio stations in the United States
Cumulus Media radio stations