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WGLT is a
public radio Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...
station owned by
Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
and broadcasting on 89.1 MHz at
Normal, Illinois Normal is a town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town's population was 52,736. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal Metropolitan Statist ...
. It broadcasts primarily local news and NPR programs, plus music in the evenings and on weekends. The station's studio is in the Old Union building on the campus of Illinois State University. Its callsign comes from the motto of
Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
: "Gladly we Learn and Teach", originally "and gladly wold he lerne and gladly teche", from line 309 of ''
The Canterbury Tales ''The Canterbury Tales'' ( enm, Tales of Caunterbury) is a collection of twenty-four stories that runs to over 17,000 lines written in Middle English by Geoffrey Chaucer between 1387 and 1400. It is widely regarded as Chaucer's '' magnum opus ...
''.


History

WGLT signed on the air on February 6, 1966, with only 10
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...
s of power and a studio in Cook Hall. It was originally student-run and heard only in the
dorm A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
s. WGLT increased power to 2,300 watts and became a full-powered NPR station in July 1976, and increased power to 25,000 watts
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 h ...
and adopted jazz as its daytime format in August 1992. On August 5, 2013, WGLT dropped jazz programming from its daytime schedule to concentrate on news/talk full time. Its marquee daily newsmagazine show is "Sound Ideas," airing every weekday. In April 2019, Illinois State University and Bradley University signed an agreement in which WGLT assumed operations of WCBU in Peoria starting June 1, 2019. WGLT's translator signal at 103.5 FM in Peoria, which had simulcast WGLT's signal, will simulcast WCBU-HD2's classical music format.WGLT To Assume Operations At Peoria Public Radio Station WCBU
/ref> Over the decades, WGLT News has been honored with scores of regional and national awards for excellence by the Associated Press, Kaleidoscope, Public Radio News Directors, Inc and the prestigious Edward R. Murrow awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association.


Programs

WGLT's flagship local news program is "Sound Ideas," which airs weekdays at 5 p.m. "Sound Ideas" features interviews with newsmakers and artists. WGLT was among the first small NPR member-stations to launch a daily news podcast, called "WGLT's The Leadoff." It's available on all major podcast platforms. WGLT's music service is "Highway 309." The eclectic format encompasses WGLT's deep history with blues and folk while including pop, soul, gospel, Americana, and country, and seasoned with a dash of adult rock. It's available as a music stream 24/7 or weekends on-air at 89.1 FM.


References


External links


WGLT
— official site * {{Authority control GLT Illinois State University WGLT NPR member stations GLT Radio stations established in 1966 1966 establishments in Illinois