WPEO-FM (98.3 MHz) is an FM radio station

licensed A license (or licence) 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 party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

to Farmer City, Illinois. It is owned by Smash Hit Media, Inc., and it

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/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, simult ...

s a

Christian talk and teaching Christian radio is a Christian media radio format that focus on programming with a Christian message. Many such broadcasters play contemporary Christian music, though many programs include sermons, radio dramas, as well as news and talk pro ...

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 was compelle ...

with co-owned

WPEO WPEO (1020 kHz) is a daytime-only AM radio station licensed to Peoria, Illinois. It is owned by WPEO Radio Foundation, Inc., and it simulcasts a Christian talk and teaching radio format with co-owned WPEO-FM 98.3 FM in Farmer City, Illinois ...

1020 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1020 kHz: 1020 AM is a clear-channel U.S. frequency. KDKA Pittsburgh and KVNT Eagle River, Alaska, share Class A status of 1020 AM. In Argentina * LRA58 in Rio Mayo, Chubut * LRJ ...

Peoria, Illinois Peoria ( ) is the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, United States, and the largest city on the Illinois River. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 113,150. It is the principal city of the Peoria Metropolitan Area in Centr ...

. The

radio studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large en ...

s and offices are just south of Illinois Central College in

East Peoria, Illinois East Peoria is a city in Tazewell County, Illinois, United States. The population was 23,402 at the 2010 census. East Peoria is a suburb of Peoria and is part of the Peoria, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area, located across the Illinois Ri ...

. WPEO-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ...

(ERP) of 5,200

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of 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 quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

s. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to ...

is in Saybrook, Illinois, giving it coverage of an area of

Central Illinois Central Illinois is a region of the U.S. state of Illinois that consists of the entire central third of the state, divided from north to south. Also known as the ''Heart of Illinois'', it is characterized by small towns and mid-sized cities. Agr ...

between

Champaign Champaign ( ) is a city in Champaign County, Illinois, United States. The population was 88,302 at the 2020 census. It is the tenth-most populous municipality in Illinois and the fourth most populous city in Illinois outside the Chicago metropo ...

and Bloomington.

History

The station began operations in 1983 as WZRO "5 County Country", then changed to WEZO, and changed to WWHP as "The Whip". It played a variety of music genres, primarily Americana roots, classic country, blues, and bluegrass. The station claimed to be located, "somewhere between Memphis and Chicago." After a change in ownership in early 2014, the station changed formats to classic hits. On November 23, 2015, WWHP became "NewsTalk 98.3" with a local morning and afternoon drive. Former Cities 92.9 morning host Ian Bayne took over the station as program director and general manager and hosted the morning show from 6-9 am, installing national Breitbart editor Mike Flynn from 3-6 pm. Other programming included Laura Ingraham, Dana Loesch, Jerry Doyle, and Lars Larson. On May 30, 2016, WWHP changed their format to classic rock. On January 24, 2018, the station changed its call sign to WEXG and rebranded as "The Edge". On October 6, 2020, WEXG changed its format from classic rock to a simulcast of Christian radio-formatted

1020 AM Peoria, branded as "The Word", and adopted new WPEO-FM call letters the next day. Smash Hit then sold the station to WPEO owners Pinebrook Foundation, Inc. for $159,900.

References

External links

*
Ian Bayne's website
{{Religious Radio Stations in Illinois 1984 establishments in Illinois DeWitt County, Illinois Radio stations established in 1984 PEO-FM PEO-FM