WIND (560

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...

) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

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

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and broadcasting a conservative talk

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

. It is owned by the

Salem Media Group Salem Media Group, Inc. (formerly Salem Communications Corporation) is an American radio broadcaster, internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher based in Irving, Texas, targeting audiences interested in Christian values and wh ...

with studios on NW Point Boulevard in

Elk Grove Village Elk Grove Village is a village in Cook and DuPage counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Per the 2020 census, the population was 32,812. Located northwest of Chicago along the Golden Corridor, the Village of Elk Grove Village was incorpor ...

. WIND transmits with 5,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s, using a

directional antenna A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna that radiates or receives greater radio wave power in specific directions. Directional antennas can radiate radio waves in beams, when greater concentration of radiation in a certain directio ...

with a four-

tower array A tower array is an arrangement of multiple radio towers which are mast radiators in a phased array. They were originally developed as ground-based tracking radars. Tower arrays can consist of free-standing or guyed towers or a mix of them. Tower ...

, in

Griffith, Indiana Griffith is a town in North and St. John townships in Lake County, Indiana, United States. It is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area. The population was 16,420 in 2020. The town's population is currently declining at a rate of 0.69% annuall ...

, near the

Little Calumet River The Calumet River is a system of industrialized rivers and canals in the region between the South Side, Chicago, south side of Chicago, Illinois, and the city of Gary, Indiana. Historically, the Little Calumet River and the Grand Calumet River ...

. Due to its location near the bottom of the AM dial, transmitter power, and the surrounding region's flat land, WIND's daytime signal covers much of Northeast Illinois,

Northwest Indiana Northwest Indiana, nicknamed "The Region" after the Calumet Region, is an unofficial region of Northern Indiana, northern Indiana, United States that is located at the northwestern corner of the state. Though there is no official definition of th ...

and Southeastern

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

. Its nighttime pattern concentrates its signal in the Chicago and

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

areas.

Programming

WIND carries the

Salem Radio Network Salem Radio Network is a United States–based radio network that specializes in syndicated Christian political talk, music, and conservative secular news/talk programming. It is a division of the Salem Media Group. Network information Salem ...

line up of hosts, including Dennis Prager,

Hugh Hewitt Hugh Hewitt (born February 22, 1956) is an American conservative political commentator, radio talk show host with the Salem Radio Network, attorney, academic, and author. He writes about law, society, politics, and media bias in the United States ...

, Mike Gallagher, Sebastian Gorka,

Jay Sekulow Jay Alan Sekulow (; born June 10, 1956) is an American lawyer, radio, television talk show host and politically conservative media personality. He has been chief counsel of the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ) since 1991. As a member of P ...

and

Charlie Kirk Charles James Kirk (born October 14, 1993) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political activist, author and Right-wing populism, right-wing populist media personality. With Bill Montgomery (activist), Bill Montgome ...

.Program Guide: Tuesday
WIND. Retrieved March 31, 2019. From Premiere Networks, WIND also carries The Sean Hannity Show. WIND airs two local shows on weekdays, ''Chicago's Morning Answer'' with Amy Jacobson and Dan Proft, and Shaun Thompson in afternoons. Most hours begin with an update from Townhall News. Much of the weekend is devoted to specialty talk shows on money, health and real estate, some of which is paid

brokered programming Brokered programming (also known as time-buy and blocktime) is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot com ...

. WIND is the

flagship station In broadcasting, a flagship (also known as a flagship station or key station) is the broadcast station which originates a television network, or a particular radio or television program that plays a key role in the branding of and consumer loyal ...

for Carl Amari and Lisa Wolf's nationally syndicated nostalgia & showbiz program "Hollywood 360" which airs Saturday evenings. "Beyond The Beltway" with Bruce DuMont was also heard on Sunday evenings until January 19, 2025.

Northern Illinois Huskies football The Northern Illinois Huskies football team are a college football program representing Northern Illinois University (NIU) in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of college football. NIU football plays ...

games air in the fall.

History

Early history

The station began broadcasting on August 16, 1927, holding the call sign WJKS, and was originally licensed to

Gary, Indiana Gary ( ) is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The population was 69,093 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it Indiana's List of municipalities in Indiana, eleventh-most populous city. The city has been historical ...

.
Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission to the Congress of the United States for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1927
'.

Federal Radio Commission The Federal Radio Commission (FRC) was a government agency that regulated United States radio communication from its creation in 1927 until 1934, when it was succeeded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FRC was established by ...

United States Government Printing Office The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO), formerly the United States Government Printing Office, is an agency of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal gove ...

. 1927. Retrieved March 23, 2019. It initially operated at 1290 kHz, and shared time with

WSBC WSBC (1240 Hertz, kHz) is a commercial radio, commercial AM broadcasting, AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It broadcasts brokered programming, mostly ethnic and religious. It is owned by Heartland Signal LLC. WSBC transmits with 1,000 wa ...

. Its studio and transmitter were located in the Gay Mill Ballroom, in Gary's Miller Beach neighborhood. The station was owned by the ballroom's owners, Thomas Johnson and Frances Kennedy. In 1928, its frequency was changed to 1360 kHz, where it shared time with WGES. Ralph Atlass purchased a 50% stake in the station in 1931. In 1932, WJKS's studios were moved to the Gary State Bank Building. The station moved to its present 560 kHz frequency in 1933, after Chicago stations WIBO and WPCC, which had been operating at 560 kHz, were shut down. The station began full-time operations, and ran 1,000 watts. Its call sign was changed to WIND the same year. In 1934, the station's daytime power was increased to 2,500 watts and in 1935 its daytime power was increased to 5,000 watts. Its nighttime power was increased to 5,000 watts in 1941. From the 1930s until 1985, WIND played "

The Whiffenpoof Song The Yale Whiffenpoofs is a collegiate a cappella singing group at Yale University. Established in 1909, it is the oldest such group in the United States. Best known for "The Whiffenpoof Song",The Rev. James M. Howard, Yale Class of 1909"An Authe ...

" every night at 2 a.m. In the fall of 1937, the station was one of several Chicago radio stations to donate airtime to

Chicago Public Schools Chicago Public Schools (CPS), officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, in Chicago, Illinois, is the List of the largest school districts in the United States by enrollment, fourth-large ...

for a pioneering program in which the school district provided

elementary school A primary school (in Ireland, India, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, South Africa, and Singapore), elementary school, or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary ...

students with

distance education Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance; today, it usually involves online ...

amid a

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

outbreak-related school closure. In 1944, WIND's studios were moved to Chicago's Carbide & Carbon Building, and in 1947 its studios were moved to the South tower of the

Wrigley Building The Wrigley Building is a skyscraper located at 400–410 North Michigan Avenue on Chicago's Near North Side. It is located on the Magnificent Mile directly across Michigan Avenue from the Tribune Tower. Its two towers in an elaborate style ...

. In 1946, Ralph Atlass sold his stake in WIND to newspaper publisher John S. Knight for $800,000.Knight Buys 42% WIND Stock From R. L. Atlass for $800,000
, ''

Broadcasting 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), ...

''. February 4, 1946. pp. 17, 74. Retrieved March 25, 2019. Atlass remained station manager of WIND.

Popular music era

Eddie Hubbard began hosting a

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

program called the ''ABC Club'' in 1945.Disk Jockey Hooper Ratings
, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''. Special Disk Jockey Supplement. October 2, 1948. p. 74. Retrieved March 24, 2019. By the late 1940s, much of the station's schedule was devoted to contemporary music. Weber, Clark (2008). ''Clark Weber's Rock and Roll Radio: The Fun Years 1955-1975''. Chicago's Books Press. p. 37. WIND was Chicago's leading hit music station in the 1950s. Howard Miller was WIND's program director from 1945 to 1949.Chicago's Top DJ: 18th Year at WIND
, ''

''. April 11, 1964. pp. 12, 82. Retrieved March 24, 2019.DJ Miller Denies WIND's Charge
, ''

''. May 18, 1968. p. 26. Retrieved March 24, 2019. In 1950, Miller started a longtime run as Chicago's top rated morning DJ. Miller would remain Chicago's top rated radio personality until leaving the station in 1968. Other WIND personalities during its music years included Jim Lounsbury, Linn Burton,Smith, Wes.
A Chicago Voice Breaks With WIND Sign-Off
, ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

''. December 13, 1985. Retrieved March 30, 2019. Jay Trompeter, Bernie Allen, Lee Rogers, Dick Williamson, Perry Marshall, Bruce Lee, Kassidy, Joel Sebastian, Robert W. Morgan, Chuck Benson and Kurt Russell, Ron Britain, Bob Del Giorno, and Connie Szerszen.
WIND's Top 56 of 74
'. WIND. 1974. Retrieved March 30, 2019. From 1945 to 1957, WIND held the exclusive local rights to broadcast

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

baseball. Sportscasters on WIND during this period included Bert Wilson, Milo Hamilton, and Jack Quinlan. In 1956, the station was sold to

Westinghouse Broadcasting The Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndi ...

for $5.3 million, which at the time was a record amount for a radio station. At the time of the purchase, WIND had no news department, though the station subscribed to

wire service A news agency is an organization that gathers news reports and sells them to subscribing news organizations, such as newspapers, magazines and All-news radio, radio and News broadcasting, television Broadcasting, broadcasters. A news agency ma ...

s. Westinghouse established a news department at the station, and it aired 5 minute newscasts every hour. Earl Finckle was the station's meteorologist for a period. In the 1960s, WIND shifted to a middle of the road, pop contemporary/

pop standards Traditional pop (also known as vocal pop or pre-rock and roll pop) is Western pop music that generally pre-dates the advent of rock and roll in the mid-1950s. The most popular and enduring songs from this era of music are known as pop standards ...

format.Stations By Format
, ''

''. October 16, 1965. p. 62. Retrieved March 31, 2019.Stations By Format
, ''

''. November 19, 1966. p. 38. Retrieved March 31, 2019. In 1967, the station began adding some harder tracks to its playlist. Phil Nolan became general manager of WIND in 1969. In 1971, WIND evolved into an

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...

-heavy

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, playing hits from 1955 to present day.Paige, Earl.
At WIND, It's Music, Talk of Today
, ''

''. March 6, 1971. pp. 34, 36. Retrieved March 30, 2019.Paige, Earl.
Moomey's 'Absolute Hits' Formula
, ''

''. January 1, 1972. p. 10. Retrieved March 30, 2019. In addition to the music played on the station, WIND aired ''Contact'', a nighttime talk show hosted by Dave Baum. Larry "The Legend" Johnson hosted overnights.

Ed Schwartz Ed Schwartz (May 5, 1946 – February 4, 2009) was a Chicago media personality who hosted local late-night radio programs from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He was nicknamed "Chicago Ed." Early life and education A native of the Southeast S ...

served as a substitute host for Johnson, before replacing him as overnight host in 1973.Dahl, Bill.
Eddie Schwartz
, ''Radio Chicago''. Spring 1991. p. 32-33. Retrieved March 30, 2019. Schwartz had previously held several behind-the-scenes positions at WIND. Schwartz continued as overnight host on WIND until 1981, when he moved to 720 WGN. In 1973, WIND won the

George Foster Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in ...

for their series "From 18th Street: Destination Peking".

First talk era

In September 1978, WIND switched to a news/talk format. Local personalities included Clark Weber, Eddie Schwartz, Dave Baum,

Steve King Steven Arnold King (born May 28, 1949) is an American former politician and businessman who served as a U.S. representative from Iowa from 2003 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, he represented Iowa's 5th congressional district un ...

, and

Jimmy Piersall James Anthony Piersall (November 14, 1929 – June 3, 2017) was an American baseball center fielder who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for five teams, from 1950 through 1967. Piersall was best known for his well-publicized b ...

.
Chicago Radio Guide
'. Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. Retrieved March 31, 2019. Syndicated personalities heard on WIND included British-American talk show host

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

and Dr. Toni Grant. The ''

Larry King Show ''The Larry King Show'' was an American overnight radio talk show hosted by Larry King. It was broadcast nationally over the Mutual Broadcasting System from January 1978 to May 1994. A typical program consisted of King interviewing a guest, the ...

'' was heard overnight.

Spanish era

In 1985, Westinghouse announced that they would sell WIND to Tichenor Radio for $6.85 million. On December 12, 1985, at 1:03 p.m., on the same day of the closing of the sale to Tichenor, WIND officially signed off the air by playing "The Whiffenpoof Song" and "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written by American lawyer Francis Scott Key on September 14, 1814, after he witnessed the bombardment of Fort ...

". Soon thereafter, WIND signed back on the air, with a

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

format. The station aired Mexican

mariachi Mariachi (, , ) is a genre of regional Mexican music dating back to at least the 18th century, evolving over time in the countryside of various regions of western Mexico. The usual mariachi group today consists of as many as eight violins, two ...

and ranchera music and was branded "La Tremenda".
Chicagoland Radio Waves
', MediaTies. Summer 1988/Spring-Summer 1989. Retrieved March 31, 2019. By the late 1990s, the station was airing a Spanish talk/romantica format.Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 16 No. 3. January 20, 1999. p. 2. Retrieved March 31, 2019. In 1997, Tichenor Media merged with Heftel Broadcasting to form the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, which merged with

Univision Communications TelevisaUnivision (formerly known as Univision Communications) is a Mexican-American mass media, media company headquartered in Miami and Mexico City that owns American Spanish language broadcast network Univision and free-to-air channels in Mex ...

in 2004. In October 2003, the station's talk programming moved to AM 1200 WRTO, and it began airing a Spanish adult contemporary format.

Second talk era

In 2004, Univision Radio announced a multi-station swap with

Salem Communications Salem Media Group, Inc. (formerly Salem Communications Corporation) is an American radio broadcaster, internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher based in Irving, Texas, targeting audiences interested in Christian values and wha ...

.Univision Radio and Salem Communications to Exchange Radio Assets
,

Business Wire Business Wire is an American company that disseminates full-text press releases from thousands of companies and organizations worldwide to news media, financial markets, disclosure systems, investors, information web sites, databases, bloggers, ...

. October 4, 2004. Retrieved March 31, 2019.Univision Radio and Salem Communications to exchange assets
, ''

Dallas Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...

''. October 5, 2004. Retrieved March 31, 2019. This resulted in Salem acquiring WIND, while Univision Radio received 106.7 WZFS (now WPPN). On November 1, 2004, WIND once again became an

English-language English is a West Germanic language that developed in early medieval England and has since become a English as a lingua franca, global lingua franca. The namesake of the language is the Angles (tribe), Angles, one of the Germanic peoples th ...

talk station.WIND changes direction as news/talk alternative
, ''

Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

''. November 5, 2004. Retrieved March 31, 2019. Its original line-up included Bill Bennett, Laura Ingraham, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved,

Michael Savage Michael Alan Weiner (born March 31, 1942) known by his professional name Michael Savage, is an American author, political commentator, activist, and former radio host. Savage is best known as the host of '' The Savage Nation'', a nationally ...

, and Mike Gallagher. In July 2005, WIND entered into an agreement with the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...

to carry

Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The university operates a number of athletic fac ...

football and men's basketball games, as well as the coaches shows, through the Illini Sports Radio Network.Fighting Illini Basketball & Football Broadcasts Returning To WSCR-AM
, ''Chicagoland Radio and Media''. April 17, 2013. Retrieved March 31, 2019. Those broadcasts continued through the 2013 football season, with the Illini moving back to their longtime Chicago affiliate,

WSCR WSCR (670 AM radio, AM) – branded 670 The Score – is a Commercial radio, commercial sports radio station, licensed to Chicago, Illinois, which serves the Chicago metropolitan area. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WSCR is a clear-channel station wit ...

. WIND was formerly the alternate station of the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (N ...

and the

Northwestern Wildcats The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and one of two private universities in the conference, the other ...

in the case of scheduling conflicts at their flagship, WGN.Ecker, Danny.
NIU football jumps down the radio dial to WIND-AM
, ''

Crain's Chicago Business ''Crain's Chicago Business'' is a weekly business newspaper in Chicago, IL. It is owned by Detroit-based Crain Communications. History The first issue of ''Crain's Chicago Business'' is dated April 17, 1978. In 1977, when Crain Communicati ...

''. August 11, 2014. Retrieved March 31, 2019. On January 21, 2013, WIND rebranded as AM 560 The Answer, to follow suit with other Salem Communications-owned stations. In 2014, WIND became the Chicago radio home for

References

External links

WIND
official radio station website {{Salem Communications

IND Ind or IND may refer to: General * Independent (politician), a politician not affiliated to any political party * Independent station, used within television program listings and the television industry for a station that is not affiliated with ...

Westinghouse Broadcasting Conservative talk radio News and talk radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1927 Salem Media Group radio stations 1927 establishments in Indiana