WPZA (107.9 MHz FM, Air1) 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 ...

broadcasting a

contemporary worship music Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a defined genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has developed over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are fr ...

format. It is licensed to

Canton, Illinois Canton is the largest city in Fulton County, Illinois, United States. The population was 14,704 at the 2010 census, down from 15,288 as of the 2000 census. The Canton Micropolitan Statistical Area covers all of Fulton County; it is in turn, part ...

and serves the Peoria radio market. The station is currently owned by

Educational Media Foundation Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville. EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest ...

History

WPZA was known as WBYS-FM for many years on 98.3 FM with an easy listening format. In August 1997, the station was upgraded to 25,000 watts and moved to 107.9 FM. This allowed the station to target the Peoria market, and in late 2004 switched to a Classic Hits format as "CD 107.9". WPZA is one of only 5 radio stations in the Peoria radio market with a Class B signal. In July, 2008, a tornado took down the original tower constructed in 1947 for sister station WBYS, and a new tower was constructed and registered in March, 2009. On December 27, 2010, WCDD changed the format to country, branded as "CD Country 107.9". On December 11, 2020, WCDD was sold to EMF (Educational Media Foundation) for $170,000, pending a flip to

Air1 Air1 is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), it primarily broadcasts contemporary worship music, and is a sister to the EMF's K-Love network. History In 1986, KLRD began broadcasting Christia ...

. The station signed off on March 31, 2021, at 6:00 PM CDT to make way for the switch to Air1, with "

A Boy Named Sue "A Boy Named Sue" is a song written by humorist, children's author, and poet Shel Silverstein and made popular by Johnny Cash. Cash recorded the song live in concert on February 24, 1969, at California's San Quentin State Prison for his ''At ...

" from

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

being the final song played on the format before signing off. On March 31, 2021, Illiana Communications, LLC closed the sale on WCDD to EMF,Indiana-Illinois Cluster Sold
/ref> who changed the call sign to WPZA. Meanwhile, the country format has now moved to

WBYS WBYS (1560 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed for Canton, Illinois. In September 2013, a 250-watt low-power FM translator (W229BZ) was leased and added as a simulcast of WBYS on the FM dial at 93.7 FM. The station broadcasts St. Louis Cardi ...

and rebranded as "94.1 BYS."

Sports coverage

From 2012 to 2014, WCDD served as the broadcast home of the Peoria Rivermen, during the team's years in both the AHL and SPHL. The team's broadcasts came internet-exclusive after the expiration of the 2-year deal with the station.

References

External links

* Canton, Illinois PZA Educational Media Foundation radio stations Air1 radio stations {{Illinois-radio-station-stub