WECL (92.9 FM, "The X") is an

active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...

formatted

broadcast Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...

licensed to

Lake Hallie, Wisconsin Lake Hallie is a village in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Eau Claire metropolitan area. It was incorporated from part of the town of Hallie on February 18, 2003. The 2020 census put the village's population at 7 ...

, serving the

Eau Claire Eau Claire (French for "clear water", ''pl.'' ''eaux claires'') is the name of a number of locations and features in North America. The name is pronounced as if it were spelled "O'Clare". Place names (Canada) Communities *Eau Claire, Calgary, a n ...

Chippewa Falls Chippewa Falls () is a city located on the Chippewa River in Chippewa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 14,731 in the 2020 census. Incorporated as a city in 1869, it is the county seat of Chippewa County. The city's name orig ...

area. WECL is owned and operated by

Mid-West Family Broadcasting Mid-West Family Broadcasting is an independently owned broadcasting company based in Madison, Wisconsin. The company owns and manages radio stations in Madison, Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich ...

History

The station originally aired an

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 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

format. When it was purchased by Midwest Family Communications that owned

WIAL WIAL (94.1 FM) is a radio station in the Eau Claire area of Wisconsin, with its studio/offices located in Altoona, Wisconsin. Its transmitter is located in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. History The station began in 1948 as an easy listening station w ...

and

WEAQ WEAQ (1150 AM) is a radio station in the Eau Claire area of Wisconsin, with its studio and offices located in Altoona, Wisconsin. Its transmitter is located in Lake Hallie, Wisconsin. History The station was originally WCHF on 1050 kHz, sw ...

, it switched to an oldies format, becoming "Oldies 92.9" on January 1, 1995. The station also moved from the near the Menards Shopping Center on the northwest side of Eau Claire to Tower Drive on the northeast side. The station slogan was later changed to "Cool 92.9" WECL, WIAL and WEAQ were sold to Central Communications (consisting of

WAXX WAXX (104.5 FM) is a radio station in the Eau Claire area of Wisconsin, with its studio/offices located in Altoona, Wisconsin. Its transmitter is located in Fairchild, Wisconsin, sharing the tower with WEAU. History The station was origina ...

and

WAYY WAYY (790 AM) is a commercial radio station in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It broadcasts a sports radio format and is owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting. Programming is mostly from Infinity Sports Network. It also carries Milwaukee Brewers ba ...

) in 1996, and moved into the Central studios in

Altoona, Wisconsin Altoona ( ) is a city in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 8,292 at the 2020 census with an estimated population in 2022 of 9,149. The city is a railroad terminal on the Union Pacific Railroad. History The settleme ...

. The five stations, plus new sister station WDRK, were sold to Maverick Media, LLC in 2003. WECL switched to a classic rock format branded as "Classic Rock 92.9 ECL" on March 1, 2004. The station adopted the moniker "92.9 The Big Cheese - The Station That Rocks" in September 2005, and a new mouse logo shortly thereafter. In September 2012, the moniker was revised to "92.9 The Big Cheese Rocks" and a new logo was unveiled on November 30 of that year. WECL and its Eau Claire sister stations were sold to Mid-West Family Broadcasting for $15.5 million, taking effect on October 1, 2013. Two days after the sale closed, on October 3, 2013, at 11:58 p.m., after playing ''

Again Again may refer to: Entertainment * ''Again'' (video game), a 2009 adventure game for the Nintendo DS * '' Again!!'' manga * ''Again!'', a 2011 children's book by Emily Gravett * ''Again'' (film), a 2015 Japanese film Music * Again (band), a ...

'' by

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AiC) is an American rock band formed in Seattle in 1987. Since 2006, the band's lineup has comprised vocalist/guitarists Jerry Cantrell and William DuVall, bassist Mike Inez, and drummer Sean Kinney. Voca ...

, WECL began stunting with nonstop

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. It was formed in Los Angeles in 1981 by vocalist and guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

songs, beginning with '' Fade to Black''. Three days later, on October 7, at 12:00 a.m., after playing '' The Unforgiven II'', WECL switched to an Active Rock format as "92-9 The X". The first song played on "The X" was ''

American Idiot ''American Idiot'' is the seventh studio album by the American rock band Green Day, released on September 21, 2004, by Reprise Records. The album was produced by Rob Cavallo in collaboration with the group. Recording sessions for ''American ...

'' by

Green Day Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...

Previous logos

References

External links

92.9 The X Online
* {{Active Rock Radio Stations in Wisconsin

ECL ECL may refer to: Science and technology * Electrochemiluminescence * Enhanced chemiluminescence * Emitter-coupled logic * Enterochromaffin-like cell Computing * ECL programming language, an extensible programming language * ECL (data-centric ...

Radio stations established in 1993 1993 establishments in Wisconsin