WXCO (1230 AM) 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

progressive talk Progressive talk radio is a talk radio format devoted to expressing left-leaning, liberal or progressive viewpoints of news and issues as opposed to conservative talk radio. In the United States, the format has included syndicated and independe ...

format Format may refer to: Printing and visual media * Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements * Paper formats, or paper size standards * Newspaper format, the size of the paper page Computing * File format, particular way that informatio ...

, with programming from the statewide Civic Media Network. Licensed to

Wausau, Wisconsin Wausau ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city into east and west. The city's suburbs include Schofield, Weston, Mosinee, Maine, Rib Mountain, Kronenwetter, and ...

, United States, the station serves the Wausau-Stevens Point area.

History

The station's original call letters were WHVF (for owner, Hilding V. Foreen), signing on in 1953 with 250 watts of power, featuring a variety format with local personalities Buck Leverton, Hoots Roberts, Piano Roll Harold (Harold Golding), and Howie Stieber. The call letters remained in place until the Spring of 1966, when the current WXCO call letters were put in place by new owners, The Post Corporation. In 1973, the Station was sold to Seehafer Broadcasting, and an FM sister station, WYCO, was added in early 1985, which was later sold to NRG Media in 2006. In 2008, WXCO was sold to Sunrise Broadcasting, headed by Steven Resnick. WXCO was the Wausau area's first full-time country music station, known for many years as "The Home of The Country Gentlemen" using local personalities until early 1990, when they went to a satellite format from SMN (ABC Radio), continuing until September 1993, when they switched to a talk radio format, featuring Rush Limbaugh, Alan Colmes, Dr. Dean Edell, Gil Gross, Barry Farber, Michael Reagan, and ESPN Radio, Saturday & Sunday Evenings. WXCO adopted a sports-talk format in the early 2000s, featuring the expanded ESPN Radio line-up. In February 2010, Sunrise Broadcasting added an FM sister station, WDTX 100.5, simulcasting the ESPN format. In late March the ESPN format was carried exclusively on the FM, and WXCO then returned to a News-Talk format. In May 2013, the News-Talk format was replaced by an in-house Adult Standards format, In late December 2015, a traditional Oldies format known as "Cool Oldies 1230" replaced the "Sunny 1230" format. On November 25, 2019, WXCO changed their format from oldies to sports, branded as "Sports Fan 1230", assuming the format and branding from sister station WDTX (which began stunting towards a new format under new callsign WAVL that same day). On August 1, 2022, WXCO changed formats following a sale by Sunrise to

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

based Civic Media LLC returning a News/Talk format to the station featuring local and statewide programming from the Civic Media Network. This ownership and format change also creates a new sister station relationship with

Wisconsin Rapids Wisconsin Rapids is a city in and the county seat of Wood County, Wisconsin. The population was 18,877 at the 2020 census. The city also forms one of the core areas of the United States Census Bureau's Marshfield-Wisconsin Rapids Micropolit ...

based

WFHR WFHR (1320 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station broadcasting and local and statewide based progressive talk radio format, format. Licensed to Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, United States, the station serves the Wausau-Stevens Point area. WFHR fea ...

which shares Central Wisconsin specific news and programming with WXCO.

Previous logo

References

External links

* * XCO Progressive talk radio News and talk radio stations in the United States {{Wisconsin-radio-station-stub