WVLI (92.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an

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 ...

format. The station is licensed to

Kankakee, Illinois Kankakee is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 24,052. Kankakee is a principal city of the Kankakee-Bourbonnais-Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area. It serves as an ...

, United States. During its days as WKIF, it also broadcast Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, Notre Dame Football and other sporting events. WVLI is owned by Milner Media Partners, LLC.

History

WLRT

The station began broadcasting September 21, 1986, holding the call sign WLRT.Ghrist, John R. (1996). ''Valley Voices: A Radio History''. Crossroads Communications. p. 300. The station aired a

lite rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

format. In 1993, the station adopted a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

format and was branded "T93". In 1998, the station was sold to Big City Radio, which also purchased WCBR-FM in Arlington Heights (also on 92.7) at the same time. When Big City Radio took control of the two stations, they stunted with a simulcast of their

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

sister station 107.1

KLYY KLYY (97.5 MHz, "José 97.5") is a commercial FM radio station located in Riverside, California, broadcasting to the Inland Empire, Greater Los Angeles areas. KLYY airs a Spanish adult hits music format. It operates from studios in Los Angeles w ...

, which aired a

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

format. The station's call sign was changed to WBRO shortly thereafter.

92 Kiss FM

On November 14, 1998, at Noon, WBRO and WCBR launched their new format, CHR as "92.7 Kiss FM", with the first song being "

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

" by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...

. Feder, Robert.
'Kiss FM' set to debut 'in your face' attitude
, ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

''. November 12, 1998. Retrieved December 9, 2018.WCBR Becomes 92.7 Kiss FM
, ''Format Change Archive''. November 14, 1998. Retrieved December 9, 2018. In late December 1998, the station's call sign was changed to WKIF, while WCBR's call sign was changed to WKIE. Big City Radio also purchased WDEK 92.5 in

DeKalb, Illinois DeKalb ( ) is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, United States. The population was 43,862 according to the 2010 census, up from 39,018 at the 2000 census. The city is named after decorated Franconian- French war hero Johann de Kalb, who died ...

, which was airing a locally programmed CHR format at the time, and switched it to a simulcast of WKIF and WKIE in early 1999. Not long after, the moniker was adjusted to "92 Kiss FM".

Melissa Forman Melissa Forman grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, where she attended Glenbrook North High School. She went on to graduate college from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. In 2008 Melissa received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from Glenb ...

hosted mornings on 92 Kiss FM, before moving to 93.9

WLIT-FM WLIT-FM (93.9 Hertz, MHz, "93.9 Lite FM") is a radio station in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex in the Chicago Loop, while th ...

in 2001. Rosenthal, Phil.
Melissa Forman out at WLIT-FM -- again
, ''

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 ...

''. August 13, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2018.

Energy 92.7&5

On January 12, 2001, Clear Channel's WUBT changed formats from

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 ...

to CHR as

WKSC-FM WKSC-FM (103.5 MHz) – branded "103.5 Kiss FM" – is a commercial Top 40 (CHR) radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a Top 40 (CHR) format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex on ...

"Kiss 103.5".M Street Bazaar... People, Products, and Programming
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 18, No. 03. January 17, 2001. p. 8. Retrieved December 9, 2018. At that time, Clear Channel filed suit against Big City Radio, alleging the "

Kiss FM Kiss FM, Kiss Radio or variants may refer to: Asia-Oceania * Various Kiss FM-branded stations in the Philippines ** 95.1 Kiss FM, Lucena, Quezon ** 102.3 Kiss FM, Tagbilaran, Bohol * Kiss92 FM, Singapore * KISS 969, Sri Lanka * Kiss Radio Taiwan ...

" branding used by WKIF and its simulcasts violated its national trademark.Ross, Sean
Shebel Energizes WKIE With Dance
, ''

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 ...

''. February 17, 2001. p. 63-64. Retrieved December 9, 2018. However, Big City Radio had already planned on changing the formats of these stations. On January 26, 2001, 92 Kiss-FM signed off, and the three stations adopted 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 d ...

format as "Energy 92.7&5".Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 18, No. 05. January 31, 2001. p. 1-2. Retrieved December 9, 2018. The station's airstaff remained intact. The new format was designed by 92 Kiss FM's program director, Chris Shebel, who has stated that the dance hits format is something he had dreamed of doing for a long time.

Onda 92

In late 2002, Big City Radio, became

insolvent In accounting, insolvency is the state of being unable to pay the debts, by a person or company (debtor), at maturity; those in a state of insolvency are said to be ''insolvent''. There are two forms: cash-flow insolvency and balance-sheet inso ...

and began the process of selling all of its radio stations. In early 2003, WKIF, WKIE, and WDEK were sold to

Spanish Broadcasting System Spanish Broadcasting System, Inc. (SBS) is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States. SBS is also invested in television and internet properties, deriving the majority of its income from advertising through i ...

for $22 million. On January 6, 2003, the three stations 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 ...

contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present. Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is o ...

format as "Onda 92".
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2003-2004
',

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 ...

, 2003-2004. p. D-141. Retrieved December 9, 2018.

Newsweb ownership

In 2004, Spanish Broadcasting System sold WKIF, WKIE, and WDEK to

Newsweb Corporation Newsweb Corporation is a printer of ethnic and alternative newspapers in the United States, based in Chicago, Illinois. The company also owns several radio stations in the Chicago area. Newsweb was founded in 1971 by Chicago entrepreneur, political ...

for $28 million.Lazaroff, Leon.
Democratic donor plans to purchase 3 stations
, ''

'', July 27, 2004. Retrieved December 9, 2018. WKIF was broken off the simulcast and became a full time affiliate of

CNN Headline News HLN is an American basic cable network. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, the network primarily carries true crime programming. The channel was originally launched on January 1, 1982 by Turner Broadcasting as CNN2 (later renamed Headline News ...

,Reasons To Be Cheerful Pt. III: 'JBTV'
, ''Illinois Entertainer''. January 30, 2009. Retrieved December 9, 2018. while WKIE and WDEK began simulcasting its new adult hits sister station 99.9 WRZA in

Park Forest, Illinois Park Forest is a village located south of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, with a small southern portion in Will County, Illinois, United States. The village was originally designed as a planned community for veterans returning from World War II. ...

as "

Nine FM Nine FM was the branding of several adult hits radio stations in the Chicago area, DeKalb, Illinois, and Kankakee, Illinois owned by media company Newsweb Corp. These stations included; * WRZA 99.9, Park Forest, Illinois Park Forest is a vil ...

", with the slogan "We Play Anything".Kampert, Patrick.
Nine FM rolls out 'anything' format on 3 frequencies
, ''

'', December 02, 2004. Retrieved December 9, 2018. In October 2008, the Nine FM simulcast on WKIE, WDEK, and WRZA was replaced with progressive talk, but on December 19, 2008, Nine FM was brought back on WKIF.

The Valley

In 2012, the station was sold to Milner Broadcasting for $1 million. In August 2012, WKIF changed their format to oldies, simulcasting

WVLI WVLI (92.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an oldies format. The station is licensed to Kankakee, Illinois, United States. During its days as WKIF, it also broadcast Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, Notre Dame Football and other sporting ...

95.1 FM Kankakee, branded as "The Valley". On December 27, 2012, WVLI 95.1 (now WFAV) dropped the simulcast of 92.7 and made its anticipated switch to CHR simulcasting

WFAV WFAV (95.1 FM) is a radio station licensed to Kankakee, Illinois. WFAV has 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 ...

103.7 in Gilman, Illinois. On December 29, 2012, WKIF and WVLI swapped call letters, putting WKIF on 95.1 and WVLI on 92.7. In 2018, Milner Broadcasting was sold to the newly formed Milner Media Partners.Provost, Lee.
New ownership for WVLI, WFAV
, '' Daily Journal'', April 21, 2018. Retrieved December 9, 2018.

References

External links

* * {{Oldies Radio Stations in Illinois VLI Oldies radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1986 1986 establishments in the United States