WNTD (950 AM) is a

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 A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) 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 part ...

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 ...

. It is owned by

Relevant Radio Relevant Radio (corporate name Relevant Radio, Inc.) is a radio network in the United States, mainly broadcasting talk radio and religious programming involving the Catholic Church. Relevant Radio broadcasts "talk radio for Catholic life" over a ...

, Inc.,

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) ...

ing a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

talk and teaching

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, ...

with

WKBM WKBM (930 kHz) is an American AM radio station broadcasting a Catholic radio format. It is licensed to Sandwich, Illinois, and largely simulcasts with sister station WNTD 950 AM Chicago. They are owned by Relevant Radio, based in Linco ...

(930 AM) in

Sandwich, Illinois Sandwich is a city in DeKalb County, Illinois, DeKalb and Kendall County, Illinois, Kendall counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Its population was 7,421 at the 2010 census and 7,221 at the 2020 census. History The town's history is tied to ...

. The stations' programming comes from the Relevant Radio network. By day, WNTD is powered at 1,000

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 non-directional. The daytime

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

is on S. Western Avenue near 15th Street 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 ...

. At night, while increasing its power to 5,000 watts, it also switches to a separate transmitter 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 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 ...

. That

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

site is off East 142nd Street near South Manistee Avenue in

Burnham, Illinois Burnham is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,046 at the 2020 census. Burnham has a Chicago ZIP code (60633) and was named for Telford Burnham, who drew its plat. There are two sections of Burnham. The wes ...

History

WAAF

The station was licensed by the Department of Commerce on April 7, 1922. 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 WAAF. It was one of the first radio stations in Chicago and was owned by the '' Chicago Daily Drover's Journal'', with its transmitter and studios at the

Union Stock Yards The Union Stock Yard & Transit Co., or The Yards, was the meatpacking district in Chicago for more than a century, starting in 1865. The district was formed by a group of railroad companies that acquired marshland and turned it into a vast cen ...

.AM Histories
, ''

Broadcasting - Telecasting ''Broadcasting & Cable'' (''B&C'', or ''Broadcasting+Cable'') was a telecommunications industry monthly trade magazine and, later, news website published by Future US. Founded in 1931 as ''Broadcasting'', subsequent mergers, acquisitions and in ...

''. October 25, 1948. p. 14. Retrieved August 27, 2018.History Cards for WNTD
fcc.gov. Retrieved August 27, 2018. The station originally broadcast at 620 and later 830 kHz. By 1923, the station's frequency had been changed to 1050 kHz. By 1925 the station was broadcasting at 1080 kHz, running 200 watts.
Radio Progress
'. August 15, 1925. p. 38. Retrieved August 29, 2018. By 1927, the station's power had been increased to 500 watts, and the station's frequency was changed to 770 kHz. In 1928, the station's frequency was changed to 920 kHz. The station operated during daytime hours only. The station's programming was initially devoted to trade news, but in 1929, its programming was broadened.1922 - Year Radio's Population Soared
, ''

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), ...

''. May 14, 1962. p. 96. Retrieved August 27, 2018. The station would air a variety of music programs, along with news, live market reports, and a variety of other programs. The station's transmitter and studios were destroyed in the 1934 Stock Yards fire. The station broadcast live coverage of the fire until smoke and heat forced them to leave the building. The station's studios were moved to the

Palmer House Palmer House may refer to: In the United Kingdom * Palmer House, Great Torrington, an 18th-century house in Devon In the United States Items in this section are alphabetized by state, then city. * Palmer House (Blackton, Arkansas), listed on th ...

following the fire. In 1936, the station's power was increased to 1,000 watts. In 1941, the station's frequency was changed to 950 kHz. In the 1940s, the station aired

orchestral music An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, a ...

and

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 ...

. In 1948, the station's studios were moved to the LaSalle-Wacker Building. In 1955, the station began airing "Juke Box Matinee", hosted by Hal Fredericks, in association with the Recorded Music Service Association and the Chicago Juke Box Operators' Association.Chi Music Trade Promotes 'Juke Matinee' on WAAF
, ''

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 ...

''. May 7, 1955. p. 27. Retrieved September 11, 2018. The show featured a monthly "Hunch Tune", which would be promoted on the show and featured as the No. 1 selection in

juke box A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that plays a user-selected song from a self-contained media library. Traditional jukeboxes contain records, compact discs, or digital files, and allow user ...

es.RMSA-WAAF Set 'Juke Box Matinee'
, ''

''. May 14, 1955. p. 84. Retrieved September 11, 2018. The first "Hunch Tune" was "Rollin' Stone" by

Eddie Fontaine Eddie Fontaine (March 6, 1927 – April 13, 1992) was an American actor and singer, best known for television roles in the 1960s and 1970s. Biography Born Edward Reardon in Springfield, Massachusetts, Fontaine signed as a vocalist with RCA in ...

. In 1956, the station adopted a

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 ...

format.Paige, Earl.
WAAF: Stock in Yards & Jazz
, ''

''. November 19, 1966. p. 36. Retrieved August 27, 2018. Personalities heard on the station during its jazz years included Marty Faye,

Daddy-O Daylie Holmes Daylie (May 15, 1920 – February 6, 2003) was a radio jock on radio stations in the 1940s and 1950s who rhymed, rapped, and played bebop and was one of the early pioneers of black-appeal radio. His upbeat patter and rhyming delivery from t ...

, Olympic gold medalist

Jesse Owens James Cleveland "Jesse" Owens (September 12, 1913 – March 31, 1980) was an American track and field athlete who made history at the Athletics at the 1936 Summer Olympics, 1936 Olympic Games by becoming the first person to win four gold meda ...

, and Dick Buckley.

WGRT

In 1967, the station was sold to a corporation formed by Ralph Atlass, for $900,000. The station's call sign was changed to WGRT ("W-Great!") and it adopted a

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in African-American culture, African-American African-American neighborhood, communities throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Catchy rhythms, stressed by handclaps ...

format. Daddy-O Daylie continued as a DJ on WGRT, hosting a morning jazz program.Daylie Gets Jazz Program With Media Reps Support
, '' Jet''. February 25, 1971. p. 57. Retrieved August 30, 2018.WGRT Specialists' Philosophy
, ''

''. February 24, 1968. p. 24. Retrieved August 30, 2018. Daylie's jazz program was initially two hours long, but was reduced to an hour and a half, and eventually a half hour in 1971. In 1971, the station's transmitter was moved to the Midland Warehouses on Western Avenue in Chicago.

WJPC

On May 29, 1973, the station was purchased by

Johnson Publishing Company Johnson Publishing Company, Inc. (JPC) was an American publishing company founded in November 1942 by African-American businessman John H. Johnson. It was headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. JPC was privately held and run by Johnson until his de ...

for $1,800,000.Duncan, James H.
Major Station Transactions:1970 to 2003
, ''An American Radio Trilogy 1975 to 2004''. Volume 1: The Markets. Duncan's American Radio. Retrieved August 27, 2018.One Big Change Deserves Another
, ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...

''. December 1973. p. 10. Retrieved August 27, 2018. On November 1, 1973, the station's call sign was changed to WJPC. The station aired an

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...

format. Disc jockeys included

Tom Joyner Thomas Joyner (born November 23, 1949) is an American radio personality, host, philanthropist and former musician. Joyner is the former host of the nationally syndicated '' The Tom Joyner Morning Show'', and also founder of Reach Media Inc., the ...

and LaDonna Tittle. Daddy-O Daylie hosted a Sunday jazz program. In 1980, the station began nighttime operations, running 5,000 watts using a directional array.Backstage
, ''

''. May 1980. p. 22. Retrieved August 29, 2018. In the late 1980s and early 90s the station simulcast the soft urban contemporary format of its sister station 106.3

WLNR WDLX (930 AM and 104.1 FM) and WGHB (1250 AM and 92.7 FM) are radio stations broadcasting a sports format. The WDLX/WGHB simulcast is currently owned by Pirate Media Group, LLC. Licensed to Washington, North Carolina, United States, WDLX ser ...

Lansing, Illinois Lansing is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States. Lansing is a south suburb of Chicago. The population was 29,076 at the 2020 census. History The first family to settle in Lansing was that of August Hildebrandt in 1843. Henry, Georg ...

, and was branded "Soft Touch".
Chicagoland Radio Waves
', MediaTies. Summer 1988 & Spring/Summer 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2018. At noon on July 15, 1992, the station began airing an all-

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

format.

106 Jamz

In 1994, Johnson Publishing sold the station, along with 106.3 WJPC-FM, to Broadcasting Partners for $8 million. In June 1994, the station became "106 Jamz", airing an urban contemporary format as a simulcast of WJPC-FM. The station's call sign was changed to WEJM later that year, with its FM simulcast partner taking the call sign WEJM-FM. In spring of 1997, the station was sold to Douglas Broadcasting for $7.5 million. In June 1997, its FM sister station left the simulcast, adopting an

urban gospel Urban/contemporary gospel, also known as urban gospel music, urban gospel pop, or just simply urban gospel, is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genr ...

format as 106.3 WYBA.

One-on-One Sports

On August 28, 1997, WEJM's format was changed to

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

, as a One-on-One Sports affiliate.Hirsley, Michael.
Sports Radio Network Muscles Into Mix
, ''

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 ...

''. August 29, 1997. Retrieved January 23, 2019. Around this time, the station was purchased by One-on-One for $10 million. In November 1997, the station's call sign was changed to WIDB. One-On-One was headquartered in suburban Northbrook. The One-on-One Sports affiliation moved to WJKL on March 1, 1999, though the One-on-One Sports format continued to simulcast on WIDB until May 1999.Kirk, Jim.
One-on-one Sports Soon Zero For One On AM
''Chicago Tribune.'' February 24, 1999. Retrieved August 28, 2018.Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 16 No. 20. May 19, 1999. p. 2. Retrieved August 28, 2018.

WNTD

In 1999, the station was sold to Radio Unica for $16,750,000. In May 1999, the station began airing a Spanish-language

news-talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews wi ...

format as Radio Unica. The station's callsign was changed to WNTD that month. Personalities heard on Radio Unica included

Paul Bouche Paul Bouche is an American television host, comedian, media personality and television producer. He is the host, creator and producer of a variety of television and radio programs as well as the face and producer of a YouTube Channel. He is Chi ...

and Dra. Isabel, among others.Radio Unica 2002 Programming Line-up.
''HispanicAd.com''. December 09, 2001. Retrieved August 28, 2018. Ricardo Brown was news director. In 2004,

Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Multicultural Broadcasting is a media company based in New York City founded by Chinese-American businessman Arthur Liu. It caters mostly to the Asian American community and owns television and radio stations in several of the top markets in mu ...

acquired Radio Unica's 15 radio stations for $150 million. WNTD was the original affiliate of

Air America Radio Air America (formerly Air America Radio and Air America Media) was an American radio network specializing in progressive talk radio. It was on the air from March 2004 to January 2010. The network was founded as a left–wing alternative to coun ...

in Chicago.Left wingin' it
, ''

''. March 31, 2004. Retrieved August 27, 2018. Program hosts included

Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American politician, comedian, and actor who served from 2009 to 2018 as a United States senator from Minnesota. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he worked as an ...

Randi Rhodes Randi Joyce Robertson (née Bueten; born January 28, 1958), better known by her Stage name#Reasons for use, air name Randi Rhodes, is an American progressivism, progressive political commentator, activist and talk radio host. ''The Randi Rhode ...

Janeane Garofalo Janeane Garofalo ( ; born September 28, 1964) is an American comedian, actress, and former co-host on Air America Radio's '' The Majority Report''. The accolades she has received include nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards and a Screen Act ...

Rachel Maddow Rachel Anne Maddow ( ; born April 1, 1973) is an American television news program host and liberal political commentator. She hosts '' The Rachel Maddow Show'', a weekly television show on MSNBC, and serves as the cable network's special event ...

Lizz Winstead Lizz Winstead (born July 5, 1961) is an American comedian, radio and television personality, abortion rights activist, and podcast host. A native of Minnesota, Winstead is the co-creator of ''The Daily Show'' along with Madeleine Smithberg, ...

and

Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D is also a me ...

. The network launched on March 31, 2004. However, these programs ended after two weeks, on April 14, due to a payment dispute between

, then owner of WNTD, and Air America Radio. On April 15, a judge ruled that Air America had fully paid for airtime on WNTD and ordered Multicultural to broadcast Air America on the station. However, Air America would only continue on the station through the end of the month. WNTD would return to airing a Spanish language format. In 2007, the station was sold to Sovereign City Radio for $15 million.

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 ...

.
Split Personality
, ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

''. October 24, 2007. Retrieved August 28, 2018. In October 2007, Relevant Radio began to air from 6a.m. to 6p.m. weekdays, while brokered Spanish language programming aired the remainder of the time. From August 2009, until August 14, 2010, WNTD carried "Avenue 950", programmed by Sovereign City Radio Services, which featured an eclectic mix of jazz,

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

, standards, and

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 ...

from 6p.m. to 5a.m.Timeless Cool/Avenue 950 Is Moving Away
, ''Chicagoland Radio and Media''. August 14, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2018. Relevant Radio continued to air during the remainder of the station's schedule. On August 15, 2010, the station began airing Relevant Radio full time. In 2014, the station was sold to Starboard Media Foundation, Inc. for $14.4 million. The transaction was consummated on May 2, 2014.Application Search Details
fcc.gov. Retrieved August 29, 2018.

References

External links

{{Relevant Radio NTD Radio stations established in 1922 1922 establishments in Illinois Catholic radio stations Relevant Radio stations NTD