WPNA-FM (103.1

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 ...

) 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 ...

FM radio station licensed to

Niles, Illinois Niles is a village in Cook County, Illinois, United States, located in the townships of Maine Township, Cook County, Illinois, Maine and Niles Township, Cook County, Illinois, Niles, directly neighboring Chicago's far northwest border. Per the 2 ...

, and serving 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. ...

. It is owned by The Polish National Alliance, through licensee Alliance Radio, LLC. It airs a mix of Polish and International contemporary Hits. WPNA-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 ha ...

(ERP) of 6,000 watts. The

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 atop the Bank One Building in Evanston.

History

MOR era

The

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

for the 103.1 FM frequency was issued to North Suburban Radio on November 23, 1960, bearing the WHPK

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 ...

(soon changed to WNSH-FM). The station's transmitter was located in

Deerfield, Illinois Deerfield is a village in Lake County, Illinois, Lake and Cook County, Illinois, Cook counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. A northern Chicago metropolitan area, suburb of Chicago, Deerfield is located on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore, ...

with an ERP of 1,000 watts at a

HAAT Haat Bazaar () is an open-air market that serves as a trading venue for local people in rural areas and towns mainly in Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India. Haat bazaars are conducted on a regular basis, usually once, twice or thrice a week, a ...

of . By the time the station came on the air, its call sign was changed to WEEF-FM. The station began broadcasting August 15, 1963,
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-64. Retrieved January 11, 2019. simulcasting with AM 1430 WEEF.Ghrist, John R. (1996). ''Valley Voices: A Radio History''. Crossroads Communications. p. 337-339. WEEF's call sign stood for "Eli E. Fink", the station's original owner.
Chicagoland Radio Waves
', MediaTies. Summer 1988/Spring-Summer 1989. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Changing hands
, ''

''. January 8, 1968. p. 44. Retrieved January 11, 2019. Both stations aired a middle-of-the-road (MOR) format.Duston, Anne.
Vet Windy City MOR Station to Progressive
, ''

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 ...

''. July 29, 1972. pp. 16, 35. Retrieved January 10, 2019. In December 1967, both stations were sold to Unique Radio for $350,000.

Progressive rock era

In July 1972, both stations changed formats to

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...

. Among the air personalities during this time were Ed Walker, Dale Scott, Lori Rhinegold, Paul Knutson, and Mike Megaris. Both stations were sold to Vanguard Communications for $290,000 in spring of 1973, and the station's call sign was changed to WVVX-FM. In 1975, the station's ERP was increased to 3,000 watts and its HAAT was increased to .

Brokered programming

By 1977, the station had adopted a brokered ethnic format, airing a high amount of

German language German (, ) is a West Germanic language in the Indo-European language family, mainly spoken in Western Europe, Western and Central Europe. It is the majority and Official language, official (or co-official) language in Germany, Austria, Switze ...

programming.
1977 Broadcasting Yearbook
',

, 1977. p. C-64. Retrieved January 11, 2019. In autumn 1977, the station was sold to Universal Broadcasting for $183,750.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1981
',

Broadcasting & Cable ''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 ...

, 1981. p. C-71. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Kening, Dan.
Narrowcasters
, ''

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 ...

''. June 4, 1991. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Hart, Marla.
Heavy Metal In a Heady Mix
, ''

''. May 3, 1992. Retrieved January 11, 2019. By 1979 the station was primarily airing

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 ...

music, along with some religious and ethnic programming.Stations, everywhere: a listeners' guide to the AM and FM bands
, ''

Chicago Tribune Magazine 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 radio and WGN tele ...

''. March 4, 1979. p. 37. Retrieved January 11, 2019. In 1982, the station's transmitter was moved to

Highland Park, Illinois Highland Park is a suburban city located in southeastern Lake County, Illinois, United States, about north of downtown Chicago. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 30,176. Highland Park is one of several municipali ...

, and its HAAT was increased to . Throughout the 1980s and until 1998, the station aired brokered ethnic programming, along with a few religious programs.
Chicago Radio Guide
'. Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. p. 3. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Format Changes
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 10, No. 5. February 3, 1993. p. 1. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 15, No. 5. February 4, 1998. p. 1. Retrieved January 11, 2019. On May 11, 1985, the station began airing the heavy metal/

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 ...

program ''Real Precious Metal'' overnights. The station continued airing ''Real Precious Metal'' until 1993, when the program moved to 107.9 WYSY. In 1992, the station was sold to Douglas Broadcasting for $3.7 million.

Big City Radio ownership

In 1997, WVVX was sold to Big City Radio for $9.5 million.Hart, Marla.
Changing channels: WVVX is WXXY. Why? Because...
, ''

''. March 22, 1998. Retrieved January 11, 2019. Big City Radio also purchased another station on 103.1, WJDK in Morris, Illinois (now WCSJ-FM). In February 1998, the station's call sign was changed to WXXY, and the two stations adopted a

rhythmic oldies Rhythmic oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, R&B, disco, or dance genres of music. The playlists spans from the 1960s through the 2000s. They depend on market conditions and may be designed for African-American or Hispani ...

format known as "Chicago's Heart and Soul". WXXY The Eighties Channel logo

In 1999, the station's transmitter was moved to its current location in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and its ERP was increased to 6,000 watts at a HAAT of . Citing difficulties in competing with

WUBT WUBT (101.1 FM, "101.1 The Beat") is an American mainstream urban radio station broadcasting in the Nashville, Tennessee market, under ownership of iHeartMedia. Though the station is licensed to Russellville, Kentucky, its studios are located ...

"103.5 The Beat", which had recently switched to a rhythmic oldies format, the station changed formats on August 6, 1999.Big City /Chicago Drops 'Soul' For '80s
, ''

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 ...

''. August 13, 1999. pp. 3 & 20. Retrieved January 11, 2019.Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 16, No. 32. August 11, 1999. p. 1. Retrieved January 11, 2019. WXXY and WYXX adopted an 1980s hits format as "The Eighties Channel", with the station patterned on high-energy CHR stations of the 1980s. The first song was "

Video Killed the Radio Star "Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley in 1979. It was recorded concurrently by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (with Thomas Dolby on keyboards) for their album '' English Garden'' and ...

" by

The Buggles The Buggles are an English New wave music, new wave band formed in London in 1977 by singer and bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes. They are best known for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star", which topped the UK ...

. The station featured longtime Chicago area radio personalities including Robert Murphy, Fred Winston, and Mark Zander.

Spanish language era

In November 2000, Chicago's 94.7 FM adopted a 1980s music format as WZZN "The Zone", which prompted WXXY to change formats. On January 29, 2001, after playing " Never Say Goodbye" by

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

, WXXY/WYXX adopted a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

hits format, branded as "Viva 103.1".Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 18, No. 05. January 31, 2001. p. 2. Retrieved January 11, 2019. The station's simulcast with 103.1 WYXX in Morris was ended by January 2003, with WYXX adopting a dance hits format as "Party 103.1".Formats You'll Flip Over
, ''

''. January 17, 2003. p. 21. Retrieved January 12, 2019. On January 12, 2003, WXXY began to be simulcast on AM 1200

WLXX WLXX (101.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Richmond, Kentucky, and serving the Lexington, Kentucky, Lexington metropolitan area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media, and is silent. Beforehand, i ...

. On January 16, WXXY's call sign was changed to WVIV-FM, while 1200 WLXX's call sign was changed to WVIV. The simulcast on AM 1200 ended in October 2003. In summer 2003, the station was sold to Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation for $32.9 million. Shortly thereafter, Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation purchased adult-contemporary station WJTW 93.5 ("Star 93.5") in Joliet and it began simulcasting WVIV-FM, with its call sign being changed to WVIX. In July 2005, WVIV-FM/WVIX flipped formats to

Hurban Hurban is a radio programming format from radio chain giant iHeartMedia and Senior VP Alfredo Alonso. Hurban radio stations target young Hispanics in the United States, primarily consisting of reggaeton, Latin trap, Latin rap, and Latin dance. ...

as "La Kalle".Univision rebranding WVIV in Chicago
, ''Radio & Television Business Report''. November 30, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2019. In 2009, the WVIV-FM/WVIX simulcast adopted a Spanish oldies format branded "Recuerdo 103.1/93.5". Feder, Robert.
FM news war could break out with Newsradio simulcast
, ''

Time Out Chicago ''Time Out'' is a global magazine published by Time Out Group. ''Time Out'' started as a London-only publication in 1968 and has expanded its editorial recommendations to 333 cities in 59 countries worldwide. In 2012, the London edition became ...

''. June 29, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2019. On July 1, 2011, the WVIV-FM/WVIX simulcast changed their format back to Hurban, branded as "La Kalle 103.1/93.5" after the format moved from

WPPN WPPN (106.7 FM) is a radio station licensed to Des Plaines, Illinois, that targets the Chicago metropolitan area. WPPN broadcasts a Spanish AC format. WPPN is owned by TelevisaUnivision through its Uforia Audio Network subsidiary. The station ...

106.7 FM, which flipped to Spanish AC as "Pasion 106.7". On December 12, 2011, the WVIV-FM/WVIX simulcast was rebranded as "Maxima 103.1/93.5", as its format shifted towards Spanish CHR.Mixed Results for Hispanic Radio as Overall Dollars Tumble in Chicago
, Hispanic Market Overview. January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2019. The station's branding would later be changed to "Latino Mix 103.1/93.5".Venta, Lance.
Univision Sells Chicago FM
, ''Radio Insight''. May 25, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2019. On May 25, 2017, Univision announced that 103.1 would break off the simulcast and be sold to Polish National Alliance for $5.5 million.Jacobson, Adam.
Univision Spins A Suburban Chicago FM
, ''Radio & Television Business Report''. May 25, 2017. Retrieved January 12, 2019. A condition of the sale was 93.5 WVIX completing its move to the Oakbrook Terrace Tower, where it would operate with an ERP of 3.5 kW at an HAAT of 133 meters. On June 16, WVIV-FM and WVIX swapped calls.

WPNA-FM

The acquisition by The Polish National Alliance was consummated on August 31, and the station changed its call sign from WVIX to WPNA-FM. The station began airing a mix of Polish and international contemporary hits.About
WPNA. Retrieved January 12, 2019. Effective June 21, 2023, the station's community of license was changed from Highland Park to Niles. It has a construction permit to move its transmitter site to the Park Tower in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood.

References

External links

*' *
WXXY (The Eighties Channel) Tribute Page
{{Kenosha-Waukegan Radio 1963 establishments in Illinois Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Highland Park, Illinois Niles, Illinois Polish-language radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1963 PNA-FM