WPPN is an

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting using frequency modulation (FM). Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to provide high fidelity sound over broadcast radio. FM broadcasting is cap ...

station licensed to

Des Plaines Des Plaines is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 60,675. The city is a suburb of Chicago and is located just north of O'Hare International Airport. It is situated on and is named after the ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

that targets the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also colloquially referred to as Chicagoland, is a metropolitan area in the Midwestern United States. Encompassing 10,286 sq mi (28,120 km2), the metropolitan area includes the city of Chicago, its suburbs and hi ...

. WPPN broadcasts on 106.7

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

with a Spanish AC format. The station's studios are located at 625 North Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago, and its transmitter is located in Arlington Heights. Due to WPPN's 50,000-watt signal and north suburban location, it can be heard through much of the Rockford area and southeastern Wisconsin.

History

Request Radio

The station began broadcasting December 3, 1971, holding the call sign WYEN.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2000
',

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 ...

, 2000. p. D-137. Retrieved January 14, 2019. The station was owned by Walt-West Enterprises. WYEN aired an all-request format branded "Request Radio", playing music requested by listeners. Hall, Claude.
WYEN Goes All Request
, ''

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 ...

''. September 23, 1972. p. 16. Retrieved January 14, 2019.Stations, everywhere: a listeners' guide to the AM and FM bands
, ''

Chicago Tribune Magazine 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 are ...

'', March 4, 1979. p. 37. Retrieved January 14, 2019. Contemporary and middle of the road music was played on the station.
Broadcasting Yearbook 1975
',

Broadcasting Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...

, 1975. p. C-56. Retrieved January 14, 2019. "Request Radio" continued airing on the station through the mid–1980s.
Chicago Radio Guide
'. Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. Retrieved January 14, 2019. In 1986, the station was sold to Flint Metro Mass Media for $8 million.

Z Rock

On September 1, 1986 the station's call sign was changed to WZRC, and the station adopted a

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

/ heavy metal format, becoming the first affiliate of the syndicated

Z Rock Z Rock was a nationally syndicated radio network based in Dallas, Texas, United States that, from the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s, played heavy metal and hard rock music. The format was one of several 24-hour satellite-delivered music for ...

network.

The Wave

In October 1987, the station's call sign was changed to WTWV, and the station adopted a

new-age New Age is a range of spiritual or religious practices and beliefs which rapidly grew in Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise definition difficult. Although many scholars conside ...

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

soft 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 as "The Wave".Freeman, Kim.
Vox Jox
, ''

''. October 24, 1987. p. 15. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1989
',

, 1989. p. C-56. Retrieved January 14, 2019. Zorn, Eric.
Dawn of a New Age has Metal Maniacs Banging Heads
, ''

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 ...

''. November 25, 1987. Retrieved January 14, 2019. The station was an affiliate of the

Satellite Music Network Satellite Music Network was the first satellite delivered network to provide complete live 24-hour-a-day music programming to local stations, under several different formats. History Affiliate stations, mostly in small and medium markets, co ...

, with programming originating on

KTWV KTWV (94.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, and broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs an urban adult contemporary radio format. KTWV has studios on ...

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' ...

WYLL

In 1989, the station was sold to

Salem Communications Salem Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SALM; formerly Salem Communications Corporation) is an American radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher formerly based in Camarillo, California (moved most operations to Ir ...

for $9,250,000, and the station adopted a

Christian contemporary music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...

format, with its call sign being changed to

WYLL WYLL (1160 AM) is a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Salem Media Group and airs a Christian talk and teaching radio format. The studios and offices are located in Elk Grove Village. Its daytime transmitter and two- ...

.Kampert, Patrick.
Bid For Redemption
, ''

''. September 3, 1991. Retrieved January 14, 2019. However, the format was short-lived, as Salem gradually replaced the Christian contemporary music with

Christian talk Christian radio is a Christian media radio format that focus on programming with a Christian message. Many such broadcasters play contemporary Christian music, though many programs include sermons, radio dramas, as well as news and talk program ...

programming. By 1991, Christian contemporary music was mostly relegated to weekends. Christian talk and teaching programs heard on WYLL included shows hosted by

Alistair Begg Alistair Begg (born May 22, 1952) is the senior pastor of Cleveland's Parkside Church (located in Bainbridge Township, Geauga County, Ohio), a position he has held since 1983. He is the voice behind the Truth For Life Christian radio preaching a ...

Chuck Swindoll Charles Rozell Swindoll (born October 18, 1934) is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. He founded ''Insight for Living'', headquartered in Frisco, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more t ...

Adrian Rogers Adrian Pierce Rogers (September 12, 1931 – November 15, 2005) was an American Southern Baptist pastor and conservative author. He served three terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention (1979–1980 and 1986–1988). Rogers was born ...

, Chuck Smith,

Beverly LaHaye Beverly LaHaye (born April 30, 1929) is an American Christian conservative activist and author who founded Concerned Women for America (CWA) in San Diego, California in 1979. She was the wife of Tim LaHaye, the evangelical Christian minister and p ...

Jay Sekulow Jay Alan Sekulow (; born June 10, 1956) is an American lawyer, radio, television talk show host and politically conservative media personality. He has been chief counsel of the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) since 1991. As a member of Pr ...

James Dobson James Clayton Dobson Jr. (born April 21, 1936) is an American evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder of Focus on the Family (FOTF), which he led from 1977 until 2010. In the 1980s he was ranked as one of the most influentia ...

Hank Hanegraaff Hendrik "Hank" Hanegraaff (born 1950), also known as the "Bible Answer Man", is an American Christian author and radio talk-show host. Formerly an evangelical Protestant, he joined the Eastern Orthodox Church in 2017. He is an outspoken figure wi ...

Janet Parshall Janet Parshall is a nationally syndicated radio talk show host known for the Christian program ''In the Market with Janet Parshall'', which is broadcast on the Moody Radio network on over 700 stations. She was also the host for the 2004 documentar ...

, and

Sandy Rios Sandy Rios is an American Family Association member, governmental affairs director, a Fox News Channel contributor, and a talk radio host. She is chairman of the North Korean Freedom Coalition, a coalition that advocates for the citizens of ...

.''The Shepherd's Guide''. Spring 1994-Spring 1995. p. 97-99. As a Christian talk and teaching station, WYLL was branded "Your Station For Life" and later "Chicago's Word". In 2000, Salem acquired

WXRT WXRT (93.1 FM), also known as XRT and 93-XRT is an adult album alternative (AAA) radio station in Chicago, Illinois. For many years, their slogan has been "Chicago's Finest Rock". "Chicago's Home For Music Lovers" has been used as its slogan si ...

1160 (formerly known as WJJD) for $29 million. In February 2001, Salem moved the Christian talk programming of WYLL to 1160, along with the WYLL call letters.Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 18, No. 06. February 7, 2001. p. 1. Retrieved January 14, 2019.

The Fish

With the move of WYLL to 1160, 106.7's call sign was temporarily changed to WYLL-FM. In early March 2001, the station adopted Christian contemporary format branded "106.7 The Fish", with the slogan "Safe for the Whole Family". The station was launched with "40 days and 40 nights" of commercial free music. Shortly thereafter, the station's call sign was changed to WZFS. "The Fish" branding, a reference to the

ichthys The ichthys or ichthus (), from the Koine Greek, Greek (, 1st cent. AD Koine Greek pronunciation: , "fish") is (in its modern rendition) a symbol consisting of two intersecting arcs, the ends of the right side extending beyond the meeting point ...

used in the station's logo, was also used by Salem for Christian contemporary stations in other markets, such as

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, on

WFSH-FM WFSH-FM (104.7 MHz) is a radio station licensed to Athens, Georgia, and serving Metro Atlanta. The station is owned by Salem Media Group and it airs a Christian contemporary radio format. It is branded as ''The Fish 104.7'' and describes itself ...

104.7, and

, on 95.9

KFSH-FM KFSH-FM (95.9 MHz, "95.9 The Fish") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to La Mirada, California and serves Orange County and southern Los Angeles County. The station is owned by Salem Media Group and has broadcast a contemporary Chri ...

. In 2004, Salem agreed to trade WZFS and KSFB 100.7 (now

KVVZ KVVZ (100.7 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to San Rafael, California, and serving the San Francisco area. The station is owned by TelevisaUnivision, through licensee Univision Radio Bay Area, Inc. It simulcasts a Spanish Contemp ...

) in the San Francisco area to Univision in exchange for KOBT 100.7 in the

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

area (now

KKHT-FM KKHT-FM (100.7 MHz "100.7 The Word") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Lumberton, Texas, and serving Greater Houston as well as the Golden Triangle. It is owned by Salem Media of Illinois, LLC, a subsidiary of the Salem Media Group, ...

), KHCK 1480 in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

(now

KNGO KNGO (1480 AM) is a commercial Vietnamese full service radio station licensed to serve Dallas, Texas, and covering the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It calls itself "Viet Radio" and simulcasts its programming with KGOW (1560 AM) in Bellaire, Tex ...

), KOSL-FM 94.3 in

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

(now KGRB), and 560

WIND Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...

in Chicago.

Spanish language formats

On November 1, 2004, Univision launched 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 ...

-language

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 on the station, branded "Pasion 106.7". The station's call sign was changed to WPPN shortly thereafter. In October 2005, Univision tweaked the music blend of WPPN, but left the name and the personalities of "Pasion" in place, with the station shifting to a Spanish

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 ...

/ adult hits format. On January 28, 2009, sister station

WVIV-FM WVIV-FM (Latino Mix 93.5) is a Spanish radio station licensed to Lemont, Illinois, serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It is part of the family of Univisión Radio, a division of Univisión Communications. The station's studios are located ...

changed its format to Spanish oldies and WPPN adopted a Spanish CHR/

Hurban Hurban is a radio programming format from radio chain giant Clear Channel Communications and Senior VP Alfredo Alonso. Hurban radio stations target young Hispanics in the United States, primarily consisting of reggaeton, Latin trap, Latin rap, ...

format as "La Kalle."Univision Radio Chicago Changes Station Formats
, ''Chicagoland Radio and Media''. July 5, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2019. On July 1, 2011, WPPN changed their format back to Spanish adult contemporary, and re-branded as "Pasion 106.7", while the previous "La Kalle" format moved to

103.1 FM/ WVIX 93.5 FM.Univision rebranding WVIV in Chicago
, ''Radio & Television Business Report''. November 30, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2019. Feder, Robert.
FM news war could break out with Newsradio simulcast
, ''

Time Out Chicago ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 328 cities in 58 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition beca ...

''. June 29, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2019. In March 2014, WPPN rebranded as "Amor 106.7".Venta, Lance.
WPPN Turns its Pasion to Amor
, ''Radio Insight''. Retrieved January 15, 2019.

References

External links

WPPN Website
* {{coord, 42.137, N, 87.983, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title PPN Univision Radio Network stations Radio stations established in 1971 1971 establishments in Illinois