WKTA (1330

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 broadcasting a

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format Format may refer to: Printing and visual media * Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements * Paper formats, or paper size standards * Newspaper format, the size of the paper page Computing * File format, particular way that informatio ...

weekdays 7 a.m.–7 p.m. and a

Latin pop Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...

and

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...

format weekdays 7 p.m.–7 a.m. and weekends full time.

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Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

, the station serves the

Chicago metropolitan area The Chicago metropolitan area, also referred to as Chicagoland, is the largest metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the Midwest, containing the City of Chicago along with its surrounding suburbs and satellite cities. ...

and is owned by Polnet Communications, Ltd. By day, WKTA transmits with 5,000 watts, but to protect other stations on 1330 AM from interference, it drops its power to 110 watts at night. It uses 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 six-

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 ...

. Programming is also heard on 80-watt

FM translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...

W240DE on 95.9

MHz 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 u ...

History

The station

signed on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...

the air in . 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 as ...

was WEAW.
1971 Broadcasting Yearbook
',

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), ...

, 1971. p. B-63. Retrieved January 19, 2019. The station was owned by North Shore Broadcasting, and the station's call letters stood for the name of its president, Edward A. Wheeler. The station's transmitter was located in Evanston and it ran 500 watts during daytime hours only. In 1956, the station's power was increased to 1,000 watts. By 1959, the station had begun airing brokered ethnic programming.Ghrist, John R. (1996). ''Valley Voices: A Radio History''. Crossroads Communications. p. 318-321. In 1962, the station's transmitter was moved to an unincorporated area between Northbrook and Wheeling, and its power was increased to 5,000 watts. By the early 1970s the station primarily aired brokered ethnic and religious programs. By early 1979, the station had begun airing a

Christian radio Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...

format. On June 1, 1979, the station's call sign was later changed to WPRZ, which stood for the word "Praise." On July 14, 1979, WPRZ presented the Christian contemporary festival "Alleluia", which featured

Chuck Girard Chuck Girard (born on August 27, 1943) is an American musician, considered a pioneer of Contemporary Christian music. He moved to Santa Rosa, California in his early teens, becoming a band member of the Castells and later the surf-rock band The ...

. The station was taken off the air in autumn of 1980. In late 1981, the license was sold to Lee Hague for $125,000. The following year the station was brought back on the air from a new site in the same area, with the WEAW callsign revived. The station aired

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 ...

music and religious programming.
Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1983
', Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1983. p. B-73. Retrieved January 19, 2019. By the mid-1980s the station was airing

Christian talk and teaching Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...

programs and uptempo

Christian contemporary music Contemporary Christian music (CCM), also known as Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music, is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith an ...

, with a certain amount of secular adult contemporary mixed in.
Chicago Radio Guide
'. Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. Retrieved September 10, 2018. Christian talk and teaching programs heard on WEAW included '' The Old-Time Gospel Hour'' with

Jerry Falwell Jerry Laymon Falwell Sr. (August 11, 1933 – May 15, 2007) was an American Baptist pastor, televangelist, and conservatism in the United States, conservative activist. He was the founding pastor of the Thomas Road Baptist Church, a megachurch ...

, ''Family Altar'' with

Lester Roloff Lester Leo Roloff (June 28, 1914 – November 2, 1982) was an American fundamentalist Independent Baptist preacher and the founder of teen homes across the American South. The operation of those teen homes (primarily his Rebekah Home for Gi ...

, and '' Insight for Living'' with

Chuck Swindoll Charles Rozell Swindoll (born October 18, 1934) is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living, headquartered in Frisco, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2 ...

. In 1986, the station was sold to Polnet Communications for $1.2 million. The station would air adult contemporary music, along with a large amount of ethnic programming.
Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1987
', Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1987. p. B-89. Retrieved January 19, 2019. In October 1987, the station's callsign was changed to WSSY. The station was branded "Sunny 1330". In 1989, WSSY began to air a

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

and heavy metal format branded "G-Force", though brokered ethnic and religious programming continued to air mornings and early afternoons. In 1990, the station's call letters were changed to WKTA. By early 1991, "G-Force" had ended, and the station aired brokered ethnic and religious programming. The hard rock and heavy metal format would again appear on WKTA as "Rebel Radio", a brokered format launched by G-Force alumni Scott Davidson. WKTA would become a flagship station for the hard rock network, which was syndicated to other stations in the midwest. In 2003, New Life Russian Radio began broadcasting from

Northbrook, Illinois Northbrook is a suburb of Chicago, located at the northern edge of Cook County, Illinois, United States, on the border of Lake County, Illinois, Lake County. It is part of a collection of upscale residential communities north of Chicago and belon ...

, on 1330 AM WKTA. "New Life" was replaced by "United 4 Good", which was replaced by "Resonance Radio" featuring call-in shows, international news, and Russian popular music. "Resonance Radio" aired some English language Sports Talk (locally produced during morning drive, and syndicated 'SB Nation Radio' during overnights). WKTA airs some automated

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 ...

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

when hour blocks are not purchased by outside programmers. The station had aired Russian language programming 'Reklama Radio' on weekdays. As of 2024, the Russian Language programming is named "Novoe Radio Chicago", airing weekdays 7 a.m.–7 p.m.
, Retrieved January 26, 2024.

FM translator

In addition to the main signal on 1330

, the WKTA signal is also heard on 95.9

, an

References

External links

{{Authority control Radio stations in Chicago, KTA Spanish-language radio stations in the United States Russian-language radio stations KTA Radio stations established in 1953 1953 establishments in Illinois