WONC (89.1 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 radi ...

broadcasting an

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-orien ...

format. Licensed to

Naperville, Illinois Naperville ( ) is a city in DuPage County, Illinois, DuPage and Will County, Illinois, Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is in the Chicago metro area, west of the city. Naperville was founded in 1831 by Joseph Naper. The city was ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, the station serves the Chicago area. The station is currently owned by

North Central College North Central College is a private college in Naperville, Illinois. It is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and has nearly 70 areas of study in undergraduate majors, minors, and programs through 19 academic departments organized in thre ...

History

The station has been in operation since July 1, 1968, and currently broadcasts from studios in a renovated house at 232 E. Chicago Ave. in Naperville. Before 1997, WONC's studios were located on the fourth floor of the Old Main campus building at 30 N. Brainard St. The broadcast tower is located at 1805 High Grove Lane on the western edge of Naperville. On September 1, 1980, John V. Madormo succeeded Jon Yoder as the faculty advisor and general manager of WONC. Formerly a producer for Chicago's WGN radio, Madormo's experience led WONC to being recognized as one of the premier college radio stations in the country. The station won 20 Marconi awards during his tenure; no other college station won more. Over the years, WONC has been a participating station in the IBS (Intercollegiate Broadcasting System) awards and has won several awards. WONC was named the 2015 Abraham and Borst Best College Station in the Nation and the 2015 IBS Best College station (Under 10,000 enrollment). WONC celebrated its 50th anniversary May 11, 2018, with a party at the radio station that culminated with dozens of alumni attending and local press coverage by the '' Daily Herald'' and NCTV17. The party also served as a send-off for Madormo, who went on to retire after the 2017-18 academic year, having spent 38 of WONC's 50 years as general manager. Madormo was succeeded by North Central/WONC alum Zachary DeWitz.

Format

The format has been

(commonly known within the radio business as AOR) since approximately 1987 and uses the slogan "Pure Rock FM89." From the station's inception to the 1980s, it was a more typical college free-form station. An

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 was aired for a time prior to the switch to the current format. The station provides coverage of North Central College's football games, men's and women's basketball games, and select baseball and softball games. Each October, the station hosts the John Drury High School Radio Awards, honoring the legendary Chicago newscaster. High school radio stations from around the country are invited to the North Central College campus, and students, advisors, and stations are recognized in 17 categories, including Best DJ, Best Newscast, Best PSA, Broadcaster of the Year, and Best High School Radio Station.

References

External links

* {{coord, 41.776110, -88.194736, display=title ONC Mass media in Naperville, Illinois ONC Radio stations established in 1968 1968 establishments in Illinois