WLIT-FM (93.9

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 ...

, "93.9 Lite FM") is a radio station in

Chicago 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 ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. Owned by

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

, it broadcasts 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. Its studios are located at the

Illinois Center Illinois Center is a mixed-use urban development in downtown Chicago, Illinois, USA, lying east of Michigan Avenue. It is notable in that the streets running through it have three levels. Elsewhere in Chicago, some streets have two levels, w ...

complex in the

Chicago Loop The Loop is Chicago's central business district and one of the city's 77 municipally recognized Community areas in Chicago, community areas. Located at the center of downtown Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan, it is the second-largest busi ...

, while the station transmitter is on top of the

Willis Tower The Willis Tower, formerly and still commonly referred to as the Sears Tower, is a 110-storey, story, skyscraper in the Chicago Loop, Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois, United States. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer F ...

History

WEBH

This station signed on the air as WEBH-FM on April 7, 1958;History Cards for WLIT-FM
fcc.gov. Retrieved September 8, 2018. the call letters stood for the

Edgewater Beach Hotel The Edgewater Beach Hotel was a resort hotel complex on Lake Michigan in the far-north neighborhood community of Edgewater in Chicago, Illinois, designed by Benjamin H. Marshall and Charles E. Fox. The first multi-story building was built ...

, the location of its original studios and transmitter site.Holland, Marsha.
Radio Broadcasting at the Edgewater Beach Hotel after 1928 - Part 2
, ''Edgewater Scrapbook''. Vol. 28, No. 1. Winter 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2018. The station was owned by the Buddy Black Broadcasting Co. WEBH-FM aired

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

music, along with popular

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

on weekday evenings, a classical music block on Sundays afternoons, and Sunday morning

religious programming Religious broadcasting, sometimes referred to as faith-based broadcasts, is the dissemination of television and/or radio content that intentionally has religious ideas, religious experience, or religious practice as its core focus. In some coun ...

. In 1968, the station's transmitter was moved to Riverside Plaza, and its studios were moved to the

Congress Plaza Hotel The Congress Plaza Hotel is a hotel on Michigan Avenue in Chicago, across from Grant Park. Opened by R.H. Southgate just before the 1893 World’s Fair, the hotel has hosted numerous US Presidents and a wide range of political and cultural eve ...

. In 1969, the station was sold to Rich Communications Corp. for $325,000.

WWEL

In January 1970, the station's call sign was changed to WWEL. WWEL broadcast a beautiful music format.
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-62. Retrieved September 8, 2018. The EL in WWEL's call sign was chosen to describe its Easy Listening format. In 1971, the station's transmitter was moved to the

John Hancock Center 875 North Michigan Avenue (officially known until 2018 as the John Hancock Center and still commonly referred to under that name) is a 100- story, supertall skyscraper located in Chicago, Illinois. Located in the Magnificent Mile district, the ...

, and it was sold to Sudbrink Broadcasting. The station's studios were moved to the John Hancock Center the following year.

WLAK

In February 1972, the station's call sign was changed to WLAK. This time the call letters referred to

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

where Chicago is the largest port. WLAK adopted the beautiful music format produced and distributed by Stereo Radio Productions, as did the other Sudbrink FM stations. WLAK did well in the ratings throughout the 1970s, and was the top rated FM station in 1975.Duncan, James H.
Chicago: 12+ Metro Share
, ''An American Radio Trilogy 1975 to 2004''. Volume 1: The Markets. Duncan's American Radio. Retrieved December 17, 2019. In 1974, the station's transmitter and studios were moved to the

Sears Tower The Willis Tower, formerly and still commonly referred to as the Sears Tower, is a 110- story, skyscraper in the Loop community area of Chicago in Illinois, United States. Designed by architect Bruce Graham and engineer Fazlur Rahman Khan ...

. In 1978, WLAK was sold to

Storer Broadcasting Storer Communications, known from 1927 to 1952 as the Fort Industry Company and from 1952 to 1983 as Storer Broadcasting, was an American media company that owned television and radio stations and cable television systems. Founded by George Butle ...

for $4.25 million. That December, Storer announced that it would exit radio to focus on its television stations and cable systems. While the company's other radio stations were sold in 1979,

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC) regulations of the time required Storer to retain WLAK for three years. Storer sold WLAK to

Viacom International Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...

for $8 million in 1981. In March 1982, WLAK's format began to shift towards

soft 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 ...

. Zorn, Eric. "Love is in the air — and it's on WLAK", ''

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 ...

''. May 21, 1984. pp F1, F2. More soft vocals were added to the

playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player, either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs that can be played once or in a loop. ...

, while the share of instrumentals was reduced.It's Beautiful: Bonneville's Verdery Trying New Approach to Vocal Music
, ''

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 ...

''. February 19, 1983. pp. 15, 62. Retrieved September 10, 2018. Core artists included

Neil Diamond Neil Leslie Diamond (born January 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. He has sold more than 130 million records worldwide, making him one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling musicians of all time. He has written and ...

Barbra Streisand Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand ( ; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress, songwriter, producer, and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success across multiple fields of entertainment, being the ...

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of the Motown group Commodores; writing and recor ...

, and softer selections by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

. On August 8, 1983, it completed its transition to soft AC. Zorn, Eric. "Love is in the air at 'new' WLAK", ''

''. August 6, 1983. p. 11. The instrumentals were cut entirely, and the station was branded as "Love Songs".
Chicago Radio Guide
'. Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. p. 3. Retrieved September 10, 2018. It featured

love songs A love song is a song about love, falling in love, broken heart, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sa ...

from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, from artists such as

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick ( ; born Marie Dionne Warrick; December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. During her career, Warwick has won many awards, including six Grammy Awards. She has been inducted into the Hollywood Wa ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

, and

Gordon Lightfoot Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer-songwriter who achieved worldwide success and helped define the singer-songwriter era of the 1970s. Widely considered one of Canada's greatest songwriters, ...

. Later, its slogan was "Songs to Sing Along With," as it continued to air a soft AC format.
Chicagoland Radio Waves
', MediaTies. Summer 1988. Retrieved September 10, 2018.

WLIT-FM

WLAK changed call letters on January 16, 1989, to WLIT-FM, and rebranded as "Lite FM", using the slogan "Lite Favorites".Call Sign History
fcc.gov. Retrieved September 8, 2018.

Viacom Viacom, an abbreviation of Video and Audio Communications, may refer to: * Viacom (1952–2005), a former American media conglomerate * Viacom (2005–2019), a former company spun off from the original Viacom * Viacom18, a joint venture between Pa ...

sold its radio stations to Chancellor Broadcasting in 1997. In 1999, Chancellor restructured as AMFM Inc. In 2000, WLIT's ownership changed to

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

after Clear Channel's merger with AMFM. Over time, the station evolved to a mainstream

format. WLIT became Chicago's only adult contemporary station on August 1, 2011, when former rival 105.9

WCFS-FM WCFS-FM (105.9 MHz) – branded ''Newsradio 105.9 WBBM'' – is a commercial all-news radio station licensed to the Chicago suburb of Elmwood Park, Illinois. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station services the Chicago metropolitan area, operating ...

flipped to a

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

all-news radio All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to the discussion and broadcast of news. All-news radio is available in both local and radio syndication, syndicated forms, and is carried on both major US satellite radio networks. All-news sta ...

780 WBBM. This marked the first time in years Chicago only had one AC radio station.

On June 17, 2013, at 9 am, Clear Channel re-launched WLIT as "93.9 My FM" and retired the ''Lite FM'' brand in Chicago after 24 years. The first song on "My FM" was " Teenage Dream" by

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. She is one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music artists in hist ...

. The station's playlist was adjusted to be more current/recurrent-based. On December 1, 2017, during its annual

Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of Music genre, genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas and holiday season, Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or in the case of Christmas ...

programming, WLIT returned to the Lite FM branding. The station also dropped its carriage of the syndicated '' On with Mario Lopez'' evening show, replacing it with the syndicated call-in and dedications show ''

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ; ) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved by Samson, a Nazirite who possesses great strength and serves as t ...

''. In December 2018,

Robert Feder Robert Feder (born May 17, 1956) is an American media blogger who was the television and radio columnist for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1980 until 2008, a blogger for Vocalo.org from 2009 until 2010, and a blogger for ''Time Out Chicago'' fr ...

reported that WLIT planned to flip to a

format. It would begin using the slogan "Relaxing Favorites" after the conclusion of its Christmas programming. WLIT has been constantly ranked number one in Chicago, according to

Nielsen Audio Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...

. On May 16, 2025, WLIT dropped its “Relaxing Favorites” slogan in favor for “More Music, More Variety”, returning to its previous AC format.

HD programming

In February 2006, WLIT began broadcasting in

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...

. WLIT's HD2 subchannel was originally a simulcast of the now-defunct "Real Oldies" AM 1690

WRLL WRLL (1450 AM) is a Spanish variety radio station licensed to Cicero, Illinois, and serving the Chicago market. The station is owned by Midway Broadcasting. History In 2006, WVON WVON (1690 AM "The Voice of the Nation", originally "Voi ...

(now

WVON WVON (1690 AM "The Voice of the Nation", originally "Voice of the Negro") is a radio station serving the Chicago market, which airs an African-American-oriented talk format. WVON is operated by Midway Broadcasting Corporation via a local mark ...

). It later changed to a mix of

disco music Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightlife, particularly in African-American, Italian-American, Gay and Latino communities. Its sound features four-on-the-floor ...

and 1970s/1980s

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 ...

called "Flashback". In August 2009, the format changed again, this time to a gold-based AC format known as "Chicago's Classic Lite", and later branded as "Delilah". On February 1, 2016, WLIT's HD2 adopted a

Regional Mexican Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by ...

format branded "Poder 97.5" (Power 97.5), which was rebroadcast at 97.5 MHz through

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 ...

W248BB. On May 6, 2019, WLIT-HD2 dropped the "Poder 97.5" Regional Mexican format and switched to iHeart's "The Breeze" soft adult contemporary format. The 97.5 translator flipped to

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 ...

, as an affiliate of

K-Love K-Love (stylized as K-LOVE) is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry, it primarily broadcasts contemporary Christian music. As of June 2019, the network's progr ...

. As of December 2019, K-Love broke away from the WCKL-FM simulcast and started simulcasting

Air1 Air1 is an American Christian radio network owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry. It primarily broadcasts contemporary worship music, and is a sister to the EMF's K-Love network. History On July 15, ...

from WCKL-HD2. In early 2022, the HD2 subchannel ceased operations.

Christmas music

From November through Christmas Day every year, WLIT switches to all

, resuming its regular branding and Soft AC sound on December 26. It is traditionally one of the earlier stations to adopt an all-Christmas format, traditionally doing so between November 1 and November 5, compared to the November 10 standard iHeart uses for most of its other stations. Its Christmas mix, featuring approximately 250 songs, weighs heavily toward standards, especially in early November, so as to give listeners a greater emphasis on the familiar.

Personalities

In December 2000, the station began airing the nationally syndicated

program on weekday evenings. It is produced by

Premiere Networks Premiere Networks, Inc. (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. It is th ...

, which is co-owned with WLIT. WLIT cancelled Delilah's program in November 2007, but it returned in October 2008.Delilah Loses Son; Then Loses WLIT-FM
, ''Chicagoland Radio and Media''. March 13, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2018. Delilah's program was taken off WLIT again in March 2012, but was brought back in December 2017, after the station returned to its "Lite FM" branding. Delilah is currently heard Sunday through Friday evenings. WLIT also carries the

Ellen K Ellen K. (born September 19, 1962) is an American radio personality in the Los Angeles, California market and a television host. She is the host of the Ellen K Radio Show on KOST 103.5 FM, and the nationally syndicated weekend program ''Ellen K We ...

Weekend Show from co-owned

KOST KOST (103.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, United States. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music in early November and ending a few days after Chris ...

Los Angeles on Saturday mornings. As with Delilah, Ellen K is syndicated by Premiere Networks.

Melissa Forman Melissa Forman is an American television and radio personality. She grew up in Northbrook, Illinois, where she attended Glenbrook North High School. She went on to graduate college from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. In 2008 Mel ...

joined WLIT as morning host in 2001, remaining until 2006, but returning 14 months later. Rosenthal, Phil.
Melissa Forman out at WLIT-FM -- again
, ''

''. August 13, 2009. Retrieved September 10, 2018.

Feder, Robert Robert Feder (born May 17, 1956) is an American media blogger who was the television and radio columnist for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1980 until 2008, a blogger for Vocalo.org from 2009 until 2010, and a blogger for ''Time Out Chicago'' fr ...

.
Melissa Forman going 'home again' to Lite FM morning show
, Robert Feder. May 21, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018. Forman was again let go in 2009, and began co-hosting "You & Me This Morning" on

WCIU-TV WCIU-TV (channel 26) is an independent television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is the flagship television property of locally based Weigel Broadcasting, which has owned the station since its inception, and is sister to two ...

, but was again hired as morning host on WLIT in May 2018.Melissa Forman Returns To WLIT (93.9 Lite FM)/Chicago
, ''All Access Music Group''. May 21, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2018. WLIT's midday DJ is Robin Rock, Mick Lee is heard in afternoon

drive time Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...

and Theresa Lucas overnight.

References

External links

* * {{iHeartMedia 1958 establishments in Illinois IHeartMedia radio stations Radio stations established in 1958 LIT-FM Adult contemporary radio stations in the United States