WPIA
Encyclopedia
WPIA is a radio station
licensed to Eureka, Illinois
, between Peoria
and Bloomington, Illinois
. The station is owned and operated by Advanced Media Partners, LLC.
After a stint as WIVR, "98.5 The River", in the mid-1990s, the station was bought by the owners of WEEK-TV
, who turned it into "Oldies 98.5" with the callsign WEEK-FM, the only radio station owned by Granite Broadcasting. After 93.3 became WPBG
("Big Oldies 93.3"), putting it in direct competition with WEEK-FM, 98.5's ratings slid and Granite sold the radio station.
From around 1999 to 2004, the station was called WPPY, "98.5 The Party", first with the callsign WPPY, then adding a simulcast on 101.1 WRVP (now WHPI
), then swapping callsigns with 101.1 to become WRVP itself.
In March 2004, the station's callsign was changed to WPIA and it became Christian rock
station "Hope 98.5". Then-owners Regent Communications
(now the current owner of rival WZPW
) sold the station and 101.1 (now WHPI
) to Independence Media Holdings, who also bought 96.5 (now WZPN
) from another company and combined it with 98.5 to form "96.5 & 98.5 Kiss-FM" starting in September 2006. On July 2, 2007, 96.5 stopped simulcasting 98.5.
Independence Media Holdings sold WPIA, along with its other 3 Peoria-area stations (96.5 WZPN
Farmington, 99.9 WWCT
Bartonville and 101.1 WHPI
Glasford) to Michael S. Rea's Advanced Media Partners on November 15, 2010.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to Eureka, Illinois
Eureka, Illinois
Eureka is a city in Woodford County, Illinois, United States. The population was 5,295 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Woodford County. The city was founded in the year 1855. Eureka is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area....
, between Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
and Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
. The station is owned and operated by Advanced Media Partners, LLC.
History
The station originally went on the air as WCRI in 1989. It was owned by Woodford County Radio, Inc. WCRI programmed local news, farm news including grain and livestock prices, high school and Eureka College sports as well as a blend of 40s, 50s, and 60s music. Local librarians created and hosted a weekly five minute program "Queries, Quips and Quotes." The daily talk show "Woodford County Today" focused on community and area events. Students from the local grade school read the daily lunch menu. The station operated at 3,000 watts; the transmitter and antenna were located about a mile north of Eureka. The studios were at 103 North Major, across the street from the courthouse to the west and Eureka Hospital to the south. The station was sold in 1994 to the owner of WPOK, Pontiac, and his business partners.After a stint as WIVR, "98.5 The River", in the mid-1990s, the station was bought by the owners of WEEK-TV
WEEK-TV
WEEK-TV is the NBC-affiliated television station for West-Central Illinois licensed to Peoria. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 25 from a transmitter at studios on Springfield Road in East Peoria. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 10 and in high definition...
, who turned it into "Oldies 98.5" with the callsign WEEK-FM, the only radio station owned by Granite Broadcasting. After 93.3 became WPBG
WPBG
WPBG is an FM broadcasting station with a Classic Hits format. Licensed for Peoria, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Bloomington, Peoria, LaSalle-Peru area...
("Big Oldies 93.3"), putting it in direct competition with WEEK-FM, 98.5's ratings slid and Granite sold the radio station.
From around 1999 to 2004, the station was called WPPY, "98.5 The Party", first with the callsign WPPY, then adding a simulcast on 101.1 WRVP (now WHPI
WHPI
WHPI is a radio station for Glasford, Illinois in the Peoria, Illinois radio market. On September 26, 2010 the station began using the adult hits format Jack FM.-History:...
), then swapping callsigns with 101.1 to become WRVP itself.
In March 2004, the station's callsign was changed to WPIA and it became Christian rock
Christian 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...
station "Hope 98.5". Then-owners Regent Communications
Regent Communications
Townsquare Media is an American radio broadcaster, based in Greenwich, Connecticut., after it acquired sister companies Gap Broadcasting and GapWest Broadcasting, it owned 171 radio stations in 36 radio markets, with concentration in the Northeast, Midwest, Southwest, and Mountain...
(now the current owner of rival WZPW
WZPW
WZPW is a radio station in Central Illinois with a rhythmic contemporary music format. WZPW in Peoria, Illinois broadcasts at 92.3 MHz with an Effective radiated power of 19,500 watts and is owned by Townsquare Media....
) sold the station and 101.1 (now WHPI
WHPI
WHPI is a radio station for Glasford, Illinois in the Peoria, Illinois radio market. On September 26, 2010 the station began using the adult hits format Jack FM.-History:...
) to Independence Media Holdings, who also bought 96.5 (now WZPN
WZPN
WZPN is a sports talk FM broadcasting station licensed for Farmington, Illinois near Peoria, Illinois.-History:The radio station originally went on the air as WJPL with a rock format, then changed to Smooth Jazz 96.5 through the rest of the 90's...
) from another company and combined it with 98.5 to form "96.5 & 98.5 Kiss-FM" starting in September 2006. On July 2, 2007, 96.5 stopped simulcasting 98.5.
Independence Media Holdings sold WPIA, along with its other 3 Peoria-area stations (96.5 WZPN
WZPN
WZPN is a sports talk FM broadcasting station licensed for Farmington, Illinois near Peoria, Illinois.-History:The radio station originally went on the air as WJPL with a rock format, then changed to Smooth Jazz 96.5 through the rest of the 90's...
Farmington, 99.9 WWCT
WWCT
WWCT is an FM broadcasting station licensed for Bartonville, Illinois. Through most of its history, the WWCT callsign was associated with Peoria's 105.7 frequency allocation; the call sign and related format was moved to 96.5 in 2003, then 99.9 in 2006...
Bartonville and 101.1 WHPI
WHPI
WHPI is a radio station for Glasford, Illinois in the Peoria, Illinois radio market. On September 26, 2010 the station began using the adult hits format Jack FM.-History:...
Glasford) to Michael S. Rea's Advanced Media Partners on November 15, 2010.
External links
- KISS FM Peoria — official website