WDZ (AM)
Encyclopedia
WDZ is the oldest commercial radio station in Illinois
, and broadcasts to Decatur
on 1050 kHz. It broadcasts a sports-talk format.
in Tuscola, Illinois
. The original call sign was 9JR and the original intent of the station was to broadcast grain reports, making it the first radio station to do so. The station later started mixing some music in with the grain reports.
The radio station's power was increased to 1000 watt
s in 1939 with a new 252 feet (76.8 m) tower. During that time, WDZ used a remote broadcasts that was unique for a rural station. The station started the use of remote broadcasting equipment which included a truck called, the "WDZ 'White Relay Truck"', equipped with a 100-watt transmitter to relay broadcasts from area locations, and some two-watt, battery operated transmitters that could be worn on the backs of assistants when a program originated from remote sites. The station was on 1020 kHz in 1941, but changed to 1050 kHz, and has remained there since.
In 1949, the station moved from Tuscola to Decatur
.
The station's most recent music format was Urban AC branded as "Magic 1050." On March 31, 2008, the station switched to a sports radio
format as part of the Fox Sports Radio
network. Within a year the station switched programming from Fox Sports Radio
to ESPN Radio
.
WDZ and its sister stations 105.5 WCZQ
Monticello
and 95.5 WDZQ
, 1340 WSOY (AM)
, and 102.9 WSOY-FM
Decatur, were sold to Neuhoff Media in February 2009.
started his entertainment career on WDZ in 1929. He was hired after he came to WDZ to do an advertising spot for the furniture store where he worked.
He ran all aspects of the radio station from being the disc jockey
and music director
to doing janitorial work. He was known to read the comics
from the day's newspaper
using different voices and sound effects as much of his audience were children.
Smiley (real name Lester) got his nickname from a character in Mark Twain
’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
”, which he was reading on the air. He initially used "Smiley" as a name for a character in a new children's program he was creating for the station but it later became his nickname, as did the name "Frog". He then left the station to work with Gene Autry
on Chicago
's WLS
in December 1933.
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, and broadcasts to Decatur
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
on 1050 kHz. It broadcasts a sports-talk format.
History
WDZ started in the office of the James Bush grain elevatorGrain elevator
A grain elevator is a tower containing a bucket elevator, which scoops up, elevates, and then uses gravity to deposit grain in a silo or other storage facility...
in Tuscola, Illinois
Tuscola, Illinois
Tuscola is a city in Douglas County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,480 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Douglas County.-Geography:Tuscola is located at ....
. The original call sign was 9JR and the original intent of the station was to broadcast grain reports, making it the first radio station to do so. The station later started mixing some music in with the grain reports.
The radio station's power was increased to 1000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s in 1939 with a new 252 feet (76.8 m) tower. During that time, WDZ used a remote broadcasts that was unique for a rural station. The station started the use of remote broadcasting equipment which included a truck called, the "WDZ 'White Relay Truck"', equipped with a 100-watt transmitter to relay broadcasts from area locations, and some two-watt, battery operated transmitters that could be worn on the backs of assistants when a program originated from remote sites. The station was on 1020 kHz in 1941, but changed to 1050 kHz, and has remained there since.
In 1949, the station moved from Tuscola to Decatur
Decatur, Illinois
Decatur is the largest city and the county seat of Macon County in the U.S. state of Illinois. The city, sometimes called "the Soybean Capital of the World", was founded in 1823 and is located along the Sangamon River and Lake Decatur in Central Illinois. In 2000 the city population was 81,500,...
.
The station's most recent music format was Urban AC branded as "Magic 1050." On March 31, 2008, the station switched to a sports radio
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
format as part of the Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
network. Within a year the station switched programming from Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
to ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
.
WDZ and its sister stations 105.5 WCZQ
WCZQ
WCZQ is a Rhythmic Contemporary station serving Champaign, Illinois. WCZQ broadcasts at 105.5 MHz with an ERP of 6 kW and is licensed to Monticello, Illinois. They are owned by Joyner Radio. The station has been a Rhythmic since 2002....
Monticello
Monticello, Illinois
Monticello is a city in Piatt County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,138 at the 2000 census, and 5,374 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Piatt County.-Geography:Monticello is located at ....
and 95.5 WDZQ
WDZQ
WDZQ is a radio station broadcasting a country format. Licensed to Decatur, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Decatur IL area. The station is currently owned by Neuhoff Media, Inc. The station is known to locals as 95Q...
, 1340 WSOY (AM)
WSOY (AM)
WSOY 1340 AM is a radio station broadcasting a news talk format. Licensed to Decatur, Illinois, USA, the station is currently owned by Neuhoff Media LLC ....
, and 102.9 WSOY-FM
WSOY-FM
WSOY-FM, carrying the on-air branding of "Y103", is an adult-leaning Top 40 radio station licensed to Decatur, Illinois and serving that Arbitron market....
Decatur, were sold to Neuhoff Media in February 2009.
Smiley Burnette
Smiley BurnetteSmiley Burnette
Lester Alvin Burnett , better known as Smiley Burnette, was a popular American country music performer and a comedic actor in Western films and on radio and TV, playing sidekick to Gene Autry and other B-movie cowboys. He was also a prolific singer-songwriter who could play as many as 100 musical...
started his entertainment career on WDZ in 1929. He was hired after he came to WDZ to do an advertising spot for the furniture store where he worked.
He ran all aspects of the radio station from being the disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and music director
Music director
A music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
to doing janitorial work. He was known to read the comics
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
from the day's newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
using different voices and sound effects as much of his audience were children.
Smiley (real name Lester) got his nickname from a character in Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
’s “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County
"The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" is an 1865 short story by Mark Twain, his first great success as a writer, bringing him national attention. The story has also been published as "Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog" and "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County"...
”, which he was reading on the air. He initially used "Smiley" as a name for a character in a new children's program he was creating for the station but it later became his nickname, as did the name "Frog". He then left the station to work with Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
on Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
's WLS
WLS (AM)
WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
in December 1933.
External links
- ESPN 1050 The Fan — official web site
- WDZ history
- Smiley Burnette History — Smiley Burnette official web site