WONU
Encyclopedia
WONU is a FM Station broadcasting on 89.7 MHz in Kankakee, Illinois
south of the Chicago
metropolitan area. It is a non-profit, listener supported station owned and operated by Olivet Nazarene University
from Bourbonnais, Illinois
.
in January 1967. Before that time the station was on a closed loop and available only on campus. In 1988, the radio station saw an upgrade with the construction of the existing 421' tower structure on campus, and new transmitter
with an upgrade to 35,000 watt
s (35kw). This expanded the signal into south Chicago and northwest Indiana and during ideal weather conditions the signal can be heard well into Michigan. The WONU studio is located in an old Hardee's burger establishment.
. Through this purchase and the money raised for the expansion, WONU will be pursing its expansion into HD Radio
. HD Radio has been planned and explored for three years at the station, and over those years the equipment had been upgraded to support the new format. The HD Radio feed will carry the regular Shine.FM broadcast, Shine Worship on HD2 and Shine Rock on HD3. This new station as well as their new HD Radio feed is scheduled to go live in the first quarter of 2011.
On December 28, 2010, WONU began a simulcast broadcast in Lowell, IN at 88.5 FM on WTMK-FM and in Crown Point, IN at 95.9 FM on translator station W240BJ. They were purchased from the Calvary Radio Network. WONU plans to move the signal to Wanatah, IN later in 2010 in order to gain coverage in new areas for the station, especially Valparaiso, IN. The 95.9 signal will soon begin broadcasting the Shine Worship format channel, later in 2010.
The expansion was planned in part because in 2008 many listeners reported static in the signal. It was found to be due to a new Chicago Public Radio
station operating in Chesterton, Indiana on frequency 89.5 under the call sign WBEW. Due to the distance between Northwest Indiana and Bourbonnais as well as the close frequencies of 89.5 and 89.7, interference was degrading the already weakened WONU signal.
List of Station Managers
This is an incomplete list, you can help by expanding it!
.
area and the church is featured on the station throughout the following week.
, it is sometimes used as a teaching station. The Bourbonnais studio contains a radio classroom with 20 computer stations configured specifically to teach radio. Olivet's communication department employs a full-time radio professor to teach the classes.
version of WONU.
Kankakee, Illinois
Kankakee is a city in Kankakee County, Illinois, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 25,561, and 26,840 as of a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Kankakee County...
south of the 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...
metropolitan area. It is a non-profit, listener supported station owned and operated by Olivet Nazarene University
Olivet Nazarene University
Olivet Nazarene University is a Christian institution of higher education located in the Kankakee, Illinois village of Bourbonnais. Named for Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907...
from Bourbonnais, Illinois
Bourbonnais, Illinois
Bourbonnais is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,256 at the 2000 census, but it was estimated to have grown to 19,119 in 2009...
.
History
WONU first broadcast on the 89.7 frequencyFrequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
in January 1967. Before that time the station was on a closed loop and available only on campus. In 1988, the radio station saw an upgrade with the construction of the existing 421' tower structure on campus, and new transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
with an upgrade to 35,000 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 (35kw). This expanded the signal into south Chicago and northwest Indiana and during ideal weather conditions the signal can be heard well into Michigan. The WONU studio is located in an old Hardee's burger establishment.
Shine.fm Expansion
In August of 2010, station manager Justin Knight officially announced the expansion of WONU to a new station. WONU purchased the new station with though donations and listener support. It will be based out of Morris, IL and operate at 89.3 on FMFM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
. Through this purchase and the money raised for the expansion, WONU will be pursing its expansion into HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
. HD Radio has been planned and explored for three years at the station, and over those years the equipment had been upgraded to support the new format. The HD Radio feed will carry the regular Shine.FM broadcast, Shine Worship on HD2 and Shine Rock on HD3. This new station as well as their new HD Radio feed is scheduled to go live in the first quarter of 2011.
On December 28, 2010, WONU began a simulcast broadcast in Lowell, IN at 88.5 FM on WTMK-FM and in Crown Point, IN at 95.9 FM on translator station W240BJ. They were purchased from the Calvary Radio Network. WONU plans to move the signal to Wanatah, IN later in 2010 in order to gain coverage in new areas for the station, especially Valparaiso, IN. The 95.9 signal will soon begin broadcasting the Shine Worship format channel, later in 2010.
The expansion was planned in part because in 2008 many listeners reported static in the signal. It was found to be due to a new Chicago Public Radio
Chicago Public Radio
WBEZ is a noncommercial, public radio station broadcasting from Chicago, Illinois. Financed primarily by listener contributions, the station is affiliated with both National Public Radio and Public Radio International; they also broadcast content from American Public Media...
station operating in Chesterton, Indiana on frequency 89.5 under the call sign WBEW. Due to the distance between Northwest Indiana and Bourbonnais as well as the close frequencies of 89.5 and 89.7, interference was degrading the already weakened WONU signal.
List of Station Managers
This is an incomplete list, you can help by expanding it!
- Bill DeWees (1991 - 2005)
- Justin Knight (2005–present)
Rise & Shine Morning Show
The longest running show on the station has been "The Rise and Shine Morning Show". Seth (Tower) Hurd hosts the show along with co-host and newsman Rob Rodewald and Bekah Harrison, the morning show producer. The Rise and Shine Morning Show airs weekdays from 6-to-9 a.m.Weekend programming
The Sunday morning Shine Worship program is hosted by Jeff DeRuiter from the Church of the Week, followed by a broadcast of the College Church of the Nazarene worship service in Bourbonnais, IllinoisBourbonnais, Illinois
Bourbonnais is a village in Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. The population was 15,256 at the 2000 census, but it was estimated to have grown to 19,119 in 2009...
.
Concerts
WONU promotes and hosts Contemporary Christian concerts in the Kankakee area and on the Olivet Nazarene University campus. In addition to Christian music, WONU hosts types of performances such as Christian comedians.Church of the Week
Every Sunday, WONU broadcasts Church of the Week from a church in its broadcast range. Justin Knight and Jeff DeRuiter host the Worship Now program from the church's lobbyLobby (room)
A lobby is a room in a building which is used for entry from the outside. Sometimes referred to as a foyer or an entrance hall.Many office buildings, hotels and skyscrapers go to great lengths to decorate their lobbies to create the right impression....
area and the church is featured on the station throughout the following week.
Teaching
Because WONU is owned by Olivet Nazarene UniversityOlivet Nazarene University
Olivet Nazarene University is a Christian institution of higher education located in the Kankakee, Illinois village of Bourbonnais. Named for Olivet, Illinois, ONU was originally established as a grammar school in east-central Illinois in 1907...
, it is sometimes used as a teaching station. The Bourbonnais studio contains a radio classroom with 20 computer stations configured specifically to teach radio. Olivet's communication department employs a full-time radio professor to teach the classes.
ShineRock
WONU streams ShineRock from ShineRock.fm and broadcasts on a closed-circuit basis to the Olivet Nazarene University campus. Primarily a student-run station, ShineRock is broadcast from a studio in WONU's Bourbonnais facility. ShineRock is a harder, Christian rockChristian rock
Christian rock is a form of rock music played by individuals and bands whose members are Christians and who often focus the lyrics on matters concerned with the Christian faith. The extent to which their lyrics are explicitly Christian varies between bands...
version of WONU.