WKIO (107.9 FM, "Classic Hits 107.9") is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

broadcasting a

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...

format.

Licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

to Arcola, Illinois, the station is owned by ''

The News-Gazette ''The News-Gazette'' may refer to: * ''The News-Gazette'' (Champaign–Urbana), a daily newspaper serving the Champaign–Urbana Metropolitan Area and Danville, Illinois * ''The News-Gazette'' (Winchester, Indiana), a daily newspaper based in W ...

'', and serves the Champaign-Urbana metropolitan area. On weekday mornings, WKIO carries the syndicated "

Bob & Tom Show ''The Bob & Tom Show'' is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995. Originally syndicated by Premier ...

" from

WFBQ WFBQ (94.7 FM, "Q95") is a radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, owned by iHeartMedia. The studios are located at 6161 Fall Creek Road on the northeast side of Indianapolis. The transmitter and antenna are located on the northwe ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

History

On , the station

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...

the air. The original

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

was WZNX. It changed its call sign to WKJR on November 1, 1994. On May 5, 1997, the station again changed its call sign to WXET before finally changing them to WUIL on May 7, 2008, upon its switch to a

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...

format from

hot 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, quiet ...

. Pendleton Broadcasting inked a LMA deal with owner Champaign Partners to operate Top 40/Rhythmic WUIL (107.9 JAMZ). The long-term deal started May 1, 2009 and carries an option to buy the station from Champaign Partners for $1.5 million. In June 2010, WUIL was sold to the News-Gazette, which also owns

WDWS WDWS (1400 AM) is a commercial radio station in Champaign, Illinois, calling itself "Newstalk Radio 1400 & 93.9FM DWS." It airs a News/Talk radio format and is owned by ''The News-Gazette'', the primary daily newspaper in the Champaign-Urbana M ...

and

WHMS WHMS-FM (97.5 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Champaign, Illinois. It broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for part of November and December. WHMS-FM calls itself "Lite Rock 97.5" and is owned b ...

. The station relaunched as "U-Rock 107.9", playing various rock formats. The switch was made with station General Manager Mike Haile's introduction of "Ladies and Gentlemen...rock and roll." The station had a popular contest where it allowsed listeners to submit and air their "Perfect Ten" rock songs. The station then played these selections on Thursdays. In March 2013, WUIL applied to change its call sign to WKIO, signaling a format change. On March 26, 2013, WUIL changed formats from rock to classic hits, branded as "Classic Hits 107.9" under the new WKIO call sign.URock Champaign-Urban Shifts to Classic Hits
Radioinsight - March 26, 2013

Former U-Rock air staff

* Orion Buckingham * Dave Loane * Brian Moline * Mark Reynolds * Lee Marcus * Ethan VanDeveer * Patti Good

References

External links

* {{Classic Hits Radio Stations in Illinois

KIO KIO (KDE Input/Output) is a system library incorporated into KDE Frameworks 5 and KDE Software Compilation 4. It provides access to files, web sites and other resources through a single consistent API. Applications, such as Konqueror and Dolp ...

Radio stations established in 1991 Champaign County, Illinois Douglas County, Illinois