WCAZ

WCAZ
Carthage, Illinois;
Frequency	1510 kHz
Programming
Format	Farm/country
Affiliations	Real Country (Westwood One)
Ownership
Owner	Hancock County Broadcasting, LLC
History
First air date	1947; 77 years ago
Former call signs	WKAI (1947–1984); WLRB (1984–2016); WYEC (2016–2018);
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	60017
Class	D
Power	330 watts (daytime)
Translator(s)	99.1 W256DZ (Carthage)
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	wcazradio.com

WCAZ (1510 kHz) is a farm/country formatted AM radio station, licensed to Carthage, Illinois. Because the station shares the same frequency as clear-channel station WLAC in Nashville, Tennessee, WCAZ broadcasts only during the daytime. However, its FM translator, W256DZ on 99.1 MHz, also provides nighttime operation.

History

Establishment in Macomb

This station was first licensed in 1947, as WKAI in Macomb, Illinois. However, the station has traditionally traced its history to the original WCAZ, which was first licensed in Carthage in 1922.

On June 1, 1984, WKAI's call letters were changed to WLRB.^[2] For a time, WLRB carried the Music of Your Life radio network, but Jones Radio Networks divested it in favor of its own Jones Standards format. As Dial Global acquired Jones, the "Jones Standards" network was dissolved and "America's Best Music" took its place. WLRB later switched to talk programming.

WLRB was owned by Prairie Radio Communications/WPW Broadcasting, Inc. until January 2009, when it was bought by Nancy Foster's Colchester Radio, Inc. to become part of Prestige Communications.^[3]^[4]

Effective November 30, 2015, WLRB and five sister stations were sold to Fletcher Ford's Virden Broadcasting Corporation at a purchase price of $725,000. The station changed its call sign to WYEC on August 31, 2016.^[2]

Move to Carthage as WCAZ

On April 21, 2017, the license and call letters of the original WCAZ (AM 990) in Carthage were cancelled and the station deleted by the Federal Communications Commission, due to an unpaid fine, that had been levied a decade earlier for failure to file a timely license renewal application.^[5] This station continued to make regular broadcasts as "WCAZ", thus technically becoming an unlicensed pirate radio station, until it ended operations on December 31, 2017.

A group effort was organized to restore a local station in Carthage.^[6] Effective September 24, 2018, WYEC and its translator W226CH were sold by Virden Broadcasting to Hancock County Broadcasting, LLC for $75,000. The new owners changed the station's call sign to WCAZ,^[2] and flipped the format from talk to full-service classic country on the same day. The station was relocated to Carthage, with its daytime power of 1,000 watts reduced to 330 watts, and the critical hours operation at 250 watts eliminated.^[7] Translator W226CH was also moved to Carthage, and in 2020 transferred to 99.1 MHz, resulting in a call sign change to W256DZ.

In May 2022, this new WCAZ held a 100-year anniversary celebration, tracing its history back to the May 15, 1922 initial license date of the original WCAZ.^[8]

References

^ "Facility Technical Data for WCAZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Call Sign History" (Facility ID Number: 60017), FCC.gov.
^ Ford, Bill (July 17, 2009). "Local radio stations sold". Macomb Journal. Macomb, Illinois: Gatehouse Media.
^ Colchester Radio, Inc. (January 6, 2009). "Consummation Notice (FCC File No. BALH-20080717ABN)". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
^ Re: WCAZ(AM), Carthage, IL", Official FCC correspondence: Certified letter, dated April 21, 2017, sent to Robin R. Dunham by James D. Bradshaw, Deputy Chief, Audio Division, Media Bureau.
^ "New WYEC Owners To Resurrect WCAZ Brand" August 28, 2018 (radioinsight.com)
^ "BP-20190705AAE: Permit to reduce daytime power, change hours facility using new taller tower", November 20, 2019. (FCC.gov)
^ "WCAZ to celebrate 100 years on May 14" Hancock County (Illinois) Journal-Pilot, May 3, 2022.

External links

Facility details for Facility ID 60017 (WCAZ) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
WCAZ in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
FCC History Cards for WCAZ (covering 1946-1980 as WKAI)
Facility details for Facility ID 140186 (W256DZ) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
W256DZ on Radio-Locator

40°24′31″N 91°10′13″W / 40.40861°N 91.17028°W / 40.40861; -91.17028

[1] "Facility Technical Data for WCAZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.

[CallSignHistory-2] "Call Sign History" (Facility ID Number: 60017), FCC.gov.

[3] Ford, Bill (July 17, 2009). "Local radio stations sold". Macomb Journal. Macomb, Illinois: Gatehouse Media.

[fcc905-abn-4] Colchester Radio, Inc. (January 6, 2009). "Consummation Notice (FCC File No. BALH-20080717ABN)". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved July 25, 2009.

[5] Re: WCAZ(AM), Carthage, IL", Official FCC correspondence: Certified letter, dated April 21, 2017, sent to Robin R. Dunham by James D. Bradshaw, Deputy Chief, Audio Division, Media Bureau.

[6] "New WYEC Owners To Resurrect WCAZ Brand" August 28, 2018 (radioinsight.com)

[7] "BP-20190705AAE: Permit to reduce daytime power, change hours facility using new taller tower", November 20, 2019. (FCC.gov)

[8] "WCAZ to celebrate 100 years on May 14" Hancock County (Illinois) Journal-Pilot, May 3, 2022.

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v t e Daytime-only radio stations in Illinois
Stations	WCAZ - Carthage WCIL - Carbondale WCKG - Elmhurst WCRA - Effingham WHOW - Clinton WIBK- Watseka WLDS - Jacksonville WLIQ - Quincy WPEO - Peoria WRIK - Brookport WSMI - Litchfield WTIM - Assumption WVEL - Pekin WWHN - Joliet WXES - Chicago
Defunct	WAIT - Crystal Lake WGLC - Mendota WLBH - Mattoon WPOK - Pontiac WQQW - Highland
See also: Clear channel radio stations and Why AM Radio Stations Must Reduce Power, Change Operations, or Cease Operations at Night

v t e Country radio stations in the state of Illinois
By AM frequency	750 910 920 980 1060 1230 1240 1330 1350 1360 1440 1510 1520 1530 1540 1550 1570
By FM frequency	92.1 92.1 92.9 93.7 94.1 94.3 94.3 94.9 95.1 95.3 95.7 95.7 95.9 96.3 96.5 96.9 97.3 97.3 97.5 97.7 98.3 98.3 98.5 99.1 99.3 99.5 99.5 99.9 100.1 100.3 100.3 100.5 100.9 101.3 101.7 101.7 101.9 102.1 102.1 102.3 102.3 102.3 102.3 102.5 102.7 103.7 103.7 104.1 104.5 104.9 105.5 105.9 105.9 106.1 106.5 107.3 107.7 107.9
By callsign	KSGM – Chester WAAG – Galesburg WAKO - Lawrenceville WALS – Oglesby WAUR - Somonauk WBBA-FM – Pittsfield WBWN – Le Roy WCAZ – Macomb WCCI – Savanna WCCQ – Crest Hill WCOY – Quincy WCRC – Effingham WDDD-FM – Johnston City WDUK – Havana WDWS-FM - Arcola WDZQ – Decatur WEBQ – Harrisburg WFMB-FM – Springfield WFPS – Freeport WFRL – Freeport WFYR – Elmwood WGEL – Greenville WGKC – Mahomet WGLC-FM – Mendota WHCO – Sparta WHET – West Frankfort WHPO – Hoopeston WIBH – Anna WIBK - Watseka WIBL – Fairbury WIBV – Mount Vernon WIXY – Champaign WJBC-FM – Pontiac WJDK-FM – Seneca WJRE – Galva WJVO – South Jacksonville WKJT – Teutopolis WLCN – Atlanta WLFZ – Springfield WLIQ – Quincy WLLR-FM – Davenport, Iowa WLUV – Loves Park WLWF – Marseilles WMCI – Mattoon WMCL – McLeansboro WMIX-FM – Mount Vernon WMKR – Pana WMOK – Metropolis WNLF - Macomb WOKZ – Fairfield WOOZ-FM – Harrisburg WRAM – Monmouth WRCV – Dixon WRIK – Brookport WRMJ – Aledo WRMS-FM – Beardstown WRUL – Carmi WRTB – Winnebago WRVY-FM – Henry WSEI – Olney WSIQ - Salem WSMI – Litchfield WSMI-FM – Litchfield WSVZ – Tower Hill WUSN – Chicago WXCL – Pekin WXLC - Waukegan WXNU – Saint Anne WXXQ – Freeport WYOT – Rochelle WYUR – Gilman WYXY – Savoy WZUS – Macon WZZT - Morrison
Defunct	WQQW - Highland (1510 AM)
See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Illinois