WSBC (1240

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 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 ...

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 ...

. It broadcasts

brokered programming Brokered programming (also known as time-buy and blocktime) is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot com ...

, mostly ethnic and religious. It is owned by Heartland Signal LLC. WSBC transmits with 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. Its

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 ...

site is on North Milwaukee Avenue at West Catalpa Avenue in Chicago. It shares its

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 ...

with

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

WCPT (820 AM). WSBC features programming aimed at ethnic communities including

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n, Ukrainian, Latino,

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

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n and Irish. Hosts buy time on the station and may offer their services or seek donations during their shows.

History

Early years

WSBC was first licensed on June 26, 1925,FCC History Cards for WSBC
fcc.gov. Retrieved September 19, 2019."Radio Programs"
''Radio Progress''. August 15, 1925. p. 40. Retrieved September 19, 2019."Corrected List of Broadcasting Stations"
''Radio Age''. August 1925. p. 102. Retrieved September 19, 2019. to the World Battery Company at 1219 South Wabash Avenue, transmitting on 1430 kHz. Its call sign stood for "World Storage Battery Company"."What those letters on the dial mean"
''

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. 16. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
Chicagoland Radio Waves
', MediaTies. Summer 1988. Retrieved September 20, 2019. In 1926, its frequency was changed to 1040 kHz and in 1927 it was changed to 1290 kHz. Following the establishment of the

Federal Radio Commission The Federal Radio Commission (FRC) was a government agency that regulated United States radio communication from its creation in 1927 until 1934, when it was succeeded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FRC was established by ...

(FRC), stations were initially issued a series of temporary authorizations starting on May 3, 1927. In addition, they were informed that if they wanted to continue operating, they needed to file a formal license application by January 15, 1928, as the first step in determining whether they met the new "public interest, convenience, or necessity" standard. On May 25, 1928, the FRC issued

General Order 32 The Federal Radio Commission's (FRC) General Order 32, dated May 25, 1928, notified 164 of the over 600 existing U.S. radio stations that their applications for continued operation would be denied unless they showed that they met the FRC's "public ...

, which notified 164 stations, including WSBC, that "From an examination of your application for future license it does not find that public interest, convenience, or necessity would be served by granting it.""Appendix F (2): Letter to and list of stations included in General Order No. 32, issued May 25, 1928"
''Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928 to September 30, 1928'', pages 146-149. However, the station successfully convinced the commission that it should remain licensed. On November 11, 1928, the FRC implemented a major reallocation of station transmitting frequencies, as part of a reorganization resulting from its implementation of

General Order 40 The Federal Radio Commission's (FRC) General Order 40, dated August 30, 1928, described the standards for a sweeping reorganization of radio broadcasting in the United States. This order grouped the AM radio band transmitting frequencies into thre ...

. WSBC was assigned to 1210 kHz, sharing time with WCRW and

WEDC WEDC was an AM radio station that operated on 1240 kHz in the Chicago market. It shared this frequency with WCRW and WSBC. The three stations operated as "shared-time stations" for most of their existence, a not uncommon arrangement ...

. Its studios and transmitter were located at the New Southern Hotel (later known as the Hotel Crillon) at 13th and Michigan Avenue. Since the station began broadcasting, it has featured a wide variety of ethnic programming. The

Sousa Archives and Center for American Music The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music (SACAM) documents Music of the United States, American music through historical artifacts and Archive, archival records in multiple formats. The center is part of the University of Illinois at Urb ...

holds the Frank Scheibenreif Slovak, Czech, and Romi Sound Recording Collection, ca. 1930-1950. This collection includes 1,001 recordings, including 753 78-R.P.M., 140 45-R.P.M., and 108 LPs; and one book documenting Eastern Europe music prior to World War II, principally from Czechoslovakia and used by Scheibenreif for the WSBC show, "Slovak American Radio Review." WSBC hired the nation's first full-time African-American radio announcer, Jack Cooper, who on November 3, 1929, began hosting '' The All-Negro Hour'', a vaudevillesque entertainment program. On April 1, 1933, Gene Dyer purchased WSBC from C.J. Gordon, who had operated it since August 1932. At the time, Dyer also owned WGES in Chicago. In 1936, the station's studios and transmitter were moved to the West Town State Bank Building at 2400 W. Madison. Its frequency was changed to 1240 kHz in March 1941, as a result of the

North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA, ; ) refers to a series of international treaties that defined technical standards for AM band (mediumwave) radio stations. These agreements also addressed how frequency assignments were d ...

. In 1944, WSBC was sold to the J. Miller Advertising Agency for $100,000. In 1954, the station was sold to Louis Lee for $180,000. In 1976, control of the station was passed to Louis Lee's son, Danny Lee.Wyman, Bill.
WXRT: Sold Down the River?
, ''

Chicago Reader The ''Chicago Reader'', or ''Reader'' (stylized as ЯEADER), is an American alternative newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. The ''Reader'' has been ...

''. March 9, 1995. Retrieved September 20, 2019.

1990s to today

In 1996, WSBC's owners purchased WCRW for $564,375, plus $160,000 for a non-compete agreement. WEDC ceased broadcasting in 1997. WSBC began broadcasting from WEDC's transmitter site and it began full-time operations. In 1998, the station was sold to

Newsweb Corporation Newsweb Corporation is a printer of ethnic and alternative newspapers in the United States, based in Chicago, Illinois. The company also owns AM 750 WNDZ. Newsweb was founded in 1971 by Chicago entrepreneur, political activist, and philanthropis ...

for $5,550,000. Some of the station's programs were simulcast on 1470 WCFJ in

Chicago Heights, Illinois Chicago Heights is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 27,480 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A south suburb of Chicago, it is part of the Chicago metropolitan area. Its nicknames include "The Cro ...

.Format Changes & Updates
, ''The M Street Journal''. Vol. 15, No. 33. August 19, 1998. p. 2. Retrieved August 25, 2020. In June 1998, WSBC began airing

LesBiGay Radio LesBiGay Radio was a radio show catering to the LGBT population of Chicago, Illinois. A contraction of lesbian, bisexual, and gay, the radio program was founded in June 1994 by Alan Amberg, and broadcast until April 2001, just shy of its 7th an ...

weekday evenings. The program was heard on WSBC until April 2001, and was simulcast on WCFJ.

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 ...

. "Mancow might leave Windy City for Frisco", ''

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 ...

''. July 17, 2001. p. 49. In 2024, Newsweb transferred WSBC and WCPT to Heartland Signal for $1.

References

External links

FCC History Cards for WSBC
(covering 1925-1980) {{Chicago Radio SBC Radio stations established in 1925 1925 establishments in Illinois Brokered programming