WYKT (105.5 FM, "The Ticket") is a radio station in northeastern Illinois. It is licensed to Wilmington, Illinois and is a

Fox Sports Radio Fox Sports Radio is an American sports radio network. Based in Los Angeles, California, the network is operated and managed by Premiere Networks in a content partnership with Fox Corporation's Fox Sports division and iHeartMedia, parent company ...

affiliate. It has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...

of 1,300 watts at 147 meters

height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site is above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...

History

The station began broadcasting on September 29, 1980, and held the call sign WLMT.
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-75. Retrieved July 18, 2018. The station was originally owned by Viking Broadcasting Corporation, and had an ERP of 3 kw at an

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 275 feet. WLMT initially aired a

MOR Mor or MOR may refer to: Names and titles * Mór (given name), a list of people named Mór or Mor * Mor (surname), a list of people named Mor or Mór * Mor (honorific), or Mar, in Syriac Radio and television * Middle of the road (music) genre * ...

format, later switching to a

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

format.
Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1982
', Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1982. p. C-77. Retrieved July 17, 2018. In 1982, the station was sold to DBC Broadcasting for $160,000. On November 1, 1982, the station's call sign was changed to WDND by then-owner Donald T. Burgeson. WDND aired 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.
Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1984
', Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1984. p. B-85. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
Chicagoland Radio Waves
', MediaTies. Summer 1988. Retrieved July 17, 2018. In 1994, the station was sold to L.B.R. Enterprises for $257,000. In February 1995, the station's format was changed from

to Triple-A.Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M-Street Journal''. Vol. 12 No. 8. February 22, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved July 17, 2018. In April 1995, the station's call sign was changed to WYKT. The station was branded "The Kat". In July 1995, the station picked up the WDRE Underground Network at night, while continuing to air its local Triple-A format during the day. In 1998, the station was sold to

STARadio Corporation STARadio is a radio broadcast company that owns several radio stations throughout the United States in the cities of Quincy and Kankakee, IL as well as stations in Great Falls, Montana. Radio stations *KGRC *KINX *KZZK *WCOY *WKAN *WQCY *WTAD *WY ...

. WYKT would continue airing a Triple-A format until 2003.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2002-2003
',

, 2002. p. D-148. Retrieved July 17, 2018. On August 18, 2003, WYKT adopted 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 branded as "The Pickle", playing music from 1964 to 1983. In October 2007, WYKT began airing a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

format and was branded as "My 105.5". "My 105.5" carried ''

American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...

'', along with local personalities. In September 2009, the station switched to a

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

format, and was again branded "The Kat", with the slogan "The Southland's Rock and Roll Animal".Rocker 'The Kat 105.5' To Flip To All-Sports '105.5 The Ticket'
, ''Chicagoland Radio and Media'', June 19, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2018. The station's format would gradually shift to

active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...

. On July 10, 2014, the station's format was switched to sports, as "105.5 The Ticket". "The Ticket" was initially a

CBS Sports Radio CBS Sports Radio is a sports radio network that debuted with hourly sports news updates on September 4, 2012, and with 24/7 programming on January 2, 2013. CBS Sports Radio is owned by Paramount Global and distributed by Westwood One. Programmin ...

affiliate, but by 2018, it would become an affiliate of

References

External links

WYKT's official website
* {{Sports Radio Stations in Illinois YKT Will County, Illinois Kankakee County, Illinois Radio stations established in 1980 1980 establishments in Illinois Fox Sports Radio stations