WPNA-FM (103.1

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

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken *Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin screenwr ...

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 ...

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

. It is owned by The

Polish National Alliance The Polish National Alliance ( pol. ''Związek Narodowy Polski'', PNA) is the largest and one of the oldest Polish fraternal organizations in the United States. The original goal was to mobilize support among Polish Americans for the liberatio ...

, through licensee Alliance Radio, LLC. The station is licensed to

Highland Park, Illinois Highland Park is a suburban city located in the southeastern part of Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 30,176. Highland Park is one of several municipalities located o ...

and its transmitter is located in Arlington Heights.

History

Construction permit

The construction permit for the 103.1 FM frequency was issued to North Suburban Radio on November 23, 1960, bearing the WHPK callsign (soon changed to WNSH-FM). The station's transmitter would be located in

Deerfield, Illinois Deerfield is a north shore suburb of Chicago in Lake County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion extending into Cook County, Illinois. The population was 19,196 at the 2020 census. Deerfield is home to the headquarters of Walgreens Boo ...

with an ERP of 1,000 watts at a

HAAT Haat or hat, even haat bazaar, is an open-air market that serves as a trading venue for local people in rural areas and towns of Indian subcontinent, especially in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. Haat bazaars are conducted on a regular ba ...

of 120 feet. By the time the station came on the air, its call sign was changed to WEEF-FM.

MOR era

The station began broadcasting August 15, 1963, simulcasting with AM 1430

WEEF WEEF (1430 AM) is a radio station licensed to Deerfield, Illinois. The station broadcasts a multicultural ethnic format and is owned by Polnet Communications, Ltd. History MOR era WEEF began broadcasting on August 15, 1963. The station was orig ...

.Ghrist, John R. (1996). ''Valley Voices: A Radio History''. Crossroads Communications. p. 337-339. WEEF's call sign stood for "Eli E. Fink", the station's original owner.
Chicagoland Radio Waves
', MediaTies. Summer 1988/Spring-Summer 1989. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Changing hands
, ''

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 ...

''. January 8, 1968. p. 44. Retrieved January 11, 2019. Both stations aired a middle-of-the-road (MOR) format.Duston, Anne.
Vet Windy City MOR Station to Progressive
, ''

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 ...

''. July 29, 1972. pp. 16, 35. Retrieved January 10, 2019. In December 1967, both stations were sold to Unique Radio for $350,000.

Progressive rock era

In July 1972, both stations changed formats to

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

. Among the air personalities during this time were Ed Walker, Dale Scott, Lori Rhinegold, Paul Knutson, and Mike Megaris. Both stations were sold to Vanguard Communications for $290,000 in spring of 1973, and the station's call sign was changed to WVVX-FM. In 1975, the station's ERP was increased to 3,000 watts and its HAAT was increased to 150 feet.

Brokered programming

By 1977, the station had adopted a brokered ethnic format, airing a high amount of

German language German ( ) is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language mainly spoken in Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and Official language, official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Ita ...

programming.
1977 Broadcasting Yearbook
',

, 1977. p. C-64. Retrieved January 11, 2019. In autumn 1977, the station was sold to Universal Broadcasting for $183,750.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1981
',

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 ...

, 1981. p. C-71. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Kening, Dan.
Narrowcasters
, ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

''. June 4, 1991. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Hart, Marla.
Heavy Metal In a Heady Mix
, ''

''. May 3, 1992. Retrieved January 11, 2019. By 1979 the station was primarily airing

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

music, along with some religious and ethnic programming.Stations, everywhere: a listeners' guide to the AM and FM bands
, ''

Chicago Tribune Magazine The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television are ...

''. March 4, 1979. p. 37. Retrieved January 11, 2019. In 1982, the station's transmitter was moved to Highland Park, Illinois and its HAAT was increased to 245 feet. Throughout the 1980s and until 1998, the station aired brokered ethnic programming, along with a few religious programs.
Chicago Radio Guide
'. Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. p. 3. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Format Changes
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 10, No. 5. February 3, 1993. p. 1. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 15, No. 5. February 4, 1998. p. 1. Retrieved January 11, 2019. On May 11, 1985, the station began airing the heavy metal/

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

program ''Real Precious Metal'' overnights. The station continued airing ''Real Precious Metal'' until 1993, when the program moved to 107.9 WYSY. In 1992, the station was sold to Douglas Broadcasting for $3.7 million.

Big City Radio ownership

In 1997, WVVX was sold to Big City Radio for $9.5 million.Hart, Marla.
Changing channels: WVVX is WXXY. Why? Because...
, ''

''. March 22, 1998. Retrieved January 11, 2019. Big City Radio also purchased co-channel WJDK 103.1 in Morris, Illinois (now WCSJ-FM). In February 1998, the station's call sign was changed to WXXY, and the two stations adopted a

rhythmic oldies Rhythmic oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, R&B, disco, or dance genres of music. Playlists can span from the 1960s through the 2000s and, depending on market conditions, may be designed for African-American or Hispanic a ...

format known as "Chicago's Heart and Soul." WXXY The Eighties Channel logo

In 1999, the station's transmitter was moved to its current location in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and its ERP was increased to 6,000 watts at a HAAT of 100 meters. Citing difficulties in competing with

WUBT WUBT (101.1 FM, "101.1 The Beat") is an American urban contemporary radio station broadcasting in the Nashville, Tennessee market, under ownership of iHeartMedia. Though the station is licensed to Russellville, Kentucky, its studios are locate ...

"103.5 The Beat", which had recently switched to a rhythmic oldies format, the station changed formats on August 6, 1999.Big City /Chicago Drops 'Soul' For '80s
, ''

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 ...

''. August 13, 1999. pp. 3 & 20. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 16, No. 32. August 11, 1999. p. 1. Retrieved January 11, 2019. WXXY and WYXX adopted an '80s hits format as "The Eighties Channel," with the station patterned on high-energy CHR stations of the 1980s. The first song was "

Video Killed the Radio Star "Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley in 1979. It was recorded concurrently by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (with Thomas Dolby on keyboards) for their album '' English Garden'' an ...

" by

The Buggles The Buggles were an English new wave band formed in London in 1977 by singer and bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes. They are best known for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star", which topped the UK Singles Chart ...

. The station featured longtime Chicago area radio personalities including Robert Murphy, Fred Winston, and Mark Zander.

Spanish language era

In November 2000, Chicago's 94.7 FM adopted a 1980s music format as

WZZN WZZN (97.7 MHz, "97.7 The Zone") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Union Grove, Alabama, and serving the Huntsville media market. The station is owned by Neighbors Broadcast Company, LLC, and airs a sports radio format, affiliated ...

"The Zone", which prompted WXXY to change formats. On January 29, 2001, after playing "

Never Say Goodbye Never Say Goodbye may refer to: Films * ''Never Say Goodbye'' (1946 film), a romantic comedy directed by James V. Kern, and starring Errol Flynn and Eleanor Parker * ''Never Say Goodbye'' (1956 film), US drama film directed by Jerry Hopper and ...

" by

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

, WXXY/WYXX adopted a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

hits format, branded as "Viva 103.1".Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 18, No. 05. January 31, 2001. p. 2. Retrieved January 11, 2019. The station's simulcast with 103.1 WYXX in Morris was ended by January 2003, with WYXX adopting a

Dance Hits Dance/Mix Show Airplay (formerly Hot Dance Airplay) is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. History The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic ...

format as "Party 103.1".Formats You'll Flip Over
, ''

''. January 17, 2003. p. 21. Retrieved January 12, 2019. On January 12, 2003, WXXY began to be simulcast on AM 1200

WLXX WLXX (101.5 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Richmond, Kentucky, and serving the Lexington metropolitan area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. It subscribes to the nationally syndicated ''JACK FM'' radio service, using ...

. On January 16, 2003, WXXY's call sign was changed to WVIV-FM, while 1200 WLXX's call sign was changed to WVIV. The simulcast on AM 1200 ended in October 2003. In summer 2003, the station was sold to

Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation Uforia Audio Network () is the radio broadcasting and music events division of TelevisaUnivision USA. Formerly known as Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation and Univision Radio, it is the eighth-largest radio broadcaster in the United States, and ...

for $32.9 million. Shortly thereafter, Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation purchased adult-contemporary station

WJTW WJTW (1480 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Bridgeport, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by Marshall M. Bandy, through licensee Bridgeport, Inc. History On April 15, 1998, longtime-owner of Bridgeport Broadcasting Company, th ...

93.5 ("Star 93.5") in Joliet and it began simulcasting WVIV-FM, with its call sign being changed to WVIX. In July 2005, WVIV-FM/WVIX flipped formats to

Hurban Hurban is a radio programming format from radio chain giant Clear Channel Communications and Senior VP Alfredo Alonso. Hurban radio stations target young Hispanics in the United States, primarily consisting of reggaeton, Latin trap, Latin rap, ...

as "La Kalle".Univision rebranding WVIV in Chicago
, ''Radio & Television Business Report''. November 30, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2019. In 2009, the WVIV-FM/WVIX simulcast adopted a

Spanish oldies Latin ballad ( es, balada romántica) is a sentimental ballad derived from bolero that originated in the early 1960s in Los Angeles, California and Southern California. Some of the best known artists of the Latin ballad are Julio Iglesias, Moceda ...

format branded "Recuerdo 103.1/93.5". Feder, Robert.
FM news war could break out with Newsradio simulcast
, ''

Time Out Chicago ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition beca ...

''. June 29, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2019. On July 1, 2011, the WVIV-FM/WVIX simulcast changed their format back to Hurban, branded as "La Kalle 103.1/93.5" after the format moved from

WPPN WPPN is an FM radio Radio station, station licensed to Des Plaines, Illinois, Des Plaines, Illinois that targets the Chicago metropolitan area. WPPN broadcasts on 106.7 Megahertz, MHz with a Latin pop, Spanish AC format. The station's studios are ...

106.7 FM, which flipped to Spanish AC as "Pasion 106.7". On December 12, 2011, the WVIV-FM/WVIX simulcast was rebranded as "Maxima 103.1/93.5", as its format shifted towards Spanish CHR.Mixed Results for Hispanic Radio as Overall Dollars Tumble in Chicago
, Hispanic Market Overview. January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2019. The station's branding would later be changed to "Latino Mix 103.1/93.5".Venta, Lance.
Univision Sells Chicago FM
, ''Radio Insight''. May 25, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2019. On May 25, 2017, Univision announced that 103.1 would break off the simulcast and be sold to

for $5.5 million.Jacobson, Adam.
Univision Spins A Suburban Chicago FM
, ''Radio & Television Business Report''. May 25, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2019. A condition of the sale was 93.5 WVIX completing its move to the Oakbrook Terrace Tower, where it would operate with an ERP of 3.5 kW at an HAAT of 133 meters. On June 16, 2017, WVIV-FM and WVIX swapped calls.

WPNA-FM

The acquisition by The Polish National Alliance was consummated on August 31, 2017, and the station changed its call sign from WVIX to WPNA-FM. The station began airing a mix of

and international contemporary hits.About
WPNA. Retrieved January 12, 2019.

References

External links

* *
WXXY (The Eighties Channel) Tribute Page
{{Kenosha-Waukegan Radio Polish-language radio stations in the United States PNA-FM Radio stations established in 1963 1963 establishments in Illinois Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States