WVBP

WOAM
Broadcast areaPeoria metropolitan area
Frequency1350 kHz
Branding92.9/107.5 The Vibe
Programming
LanguageEnglish
FormatUrban adult contemporary
Ownership
OwnerSpoon River Media LLC
History
First air date
April 27, 1947 (1947-04-27)[1][2]
Former call signs
  • WEEK (1947–1960)
  • WAAP (1960–1965)
  • WXCL (1965–1994)
  • WOAM (1994–1999)[3]
  • WTAZ (1999–2001)[3]
  • WOAM (2001–2026)[3]
Call sign meaning
"Vibe Peoria"
Technical information[4]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID33878
ClassB
Power1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
40°35′41.1″N 89°35′40.4″W / 40.594750°N 89.594556°W / 40.594750; -89.594556
Translators
  • 92.9 W225DC (Peoria)
  • 107.5 W298BH (Peoria)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitevibepeoria.com

WVBP[5] (1350 kHz) is a AM radio station licensed for Peoria, Illinois, that broadcasts an urban adult contemporary format.

History

The station signed on as WEEK April 27, 1947.[1][2] Peoria's TV channel 25 was started by the owners of 1350, and to this day channel 25 retains the callsign WEEK-TV, but 1350 itself has since switched callsigns several times.

Other call letters have included WAAP, WXCL,[2] and WTAZ.[3]

The station was most successful as WXCL with a country music format adopted in 1965. Eventually WXCL was simulcast on 104.9, a station in Pekin, Illinois, that changed its callsign to WXCL-FM.

Personalities when the station was country music station WXCL included Don Elliot, Lee Ranson, Chuck Urban, Bill Bro, Paul Jackson, (Part Timer Arlen Horn), and Jim Crowley, Steve Young, Doug Adams, Tweed Scott, and Dave Hinkley.

Bob Kelly bought the station in 1986.[2]

In 1994 the simulcast was dropped, with WXCL-FM 104.9 keeping the callsign and country format, and 1350 becoming WOAM with the Music of Your Life format. Veteran Peoria native/broadcaster Cliff Shell hosted a highly rated morning drive show for its first two years. WOAM also became the highest rated AM station in Peoria during its second year on the air. In 1999 the station flipped to talk as (then) sister station WTAZ in Morton, Illinois) was moved from 102.3 FM to 1350 AM. In September 2001 the WTAZ call letters[3] and format were dropped and WOAM returned using the Timeless Classics syndicated adult standards format. In 2007 WOAM switched to Dial Global's Adult Standards syndicated format. By the time WOAM first went dark, its only local show was morning show Breakfast with Royce and Roger.[2]

On October 2, 2008, WOAM, along with sister station 94.3 WPMJ in Chillicothe, Illinois, went dark. Company owner Bob Kelly said he was still seeking funding and expects the stations to be off the air for "probably" 6 to 12 months,[2] but that he did not intend to declare bankruptcy.[6] WOAM resumed operations in September 2009,[7] but was approved to go silent again in January 2010.[8]

After briefly returning to the air in early 2011 with automated broadcasts, it was purchased by Nelson Broadcasting, Inc.[9] With the transfer of ownership, WOAM returned to the air in late July 2011,[10] with the morning Breakfast with Royce and Roger returning in early August 2011.[11] Staffing cuts ended Breakfast with Royce and Roger again at the end of September 2012.[12]

WOAM's license was assigned to American Education Foundation, Inc. effective January 1, 2013, for no consideration.

American Educational Foundation applied in November 2024 to modify its facilities to change the community of license from Peoria to Tremont in Tazewell County, and to switch to a non-directional antenna broadcasting 260 watts during the day and 21 watts at night. The application was granted on May 8, 2025.[13]

In September 2025, an application was filed with the FCC to sell the station along with FM translators W225DC and W298BH to Spoon River Media LLC,[14] for $65,000. The application was approved on December 3, 2025[14] and Spoon River Media took over the station on January 12, 2026.[15]

On January 19, 2026, WOAM changed formats from adult standards/MOR to urban adult contemporary, branded as "92.9/107.5 The Vibe", and simulcasting on translators 92.9 W225DC and 107.5 W298BH in Peoria.[16] The station also applied to change its callsign to WVBP effective January 27, 2026.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b "WEEK Peoria, Ill. Begins Broadcasting on 1350 kc" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 5, 1947. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Tarter, Steve (October 2, 2008). "WOAM 1350 and WPMJ-FM 94.3 go off the air". Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  4. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WOAM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  5. ^ a b "Form 380 - Change Request". Federal Communications Commission. January 23, 2026. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  6. ^ Seyler, Dave (October 8, 2008). "Kelly Communications still above water". Radio Business Report. 25 (197). Jim Carnegie. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  7. ^ "Resumption of Operations". Federal Communications Commission. September 16, 2009. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  8. ^ "20100113ADQ Application Search Details". Federal Communications Commission. January 29, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2010.
  9. ^ Seyler, Dave (February 11, 2011). "Nelson decides to play in Peoria". Radio Business Report. Jim Carnegie. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  10. ^ "Roger and Royce return". The Community Word. July 13, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  11. ^ "WOAM-AM bringing back 'Royce and Roger'". Peoria Journal Star. August 5, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  12. ^ Tarter, Steve (October 5, 2012). "On the Air: Cutbacks at WOAM show challenge faced on AM dial". Peoria Journal Star. Peoria, Illinois: GateHouse Media. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  13. ^ "Amendment to a Minor Modification of Licensed AM Station Application (301-AM)". Federal Communications Commission. May 8, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  14. ^ a b "Assignments: Assignment of Authorization". Federal Communications Commission. December 4, 2025. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  15. ^ "Notification of Consummation". Federal Communications Commission. January 21, 2026. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  16. ^ "A New R&B Vibe For Peoria". Radio Insight. January 20, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  • Facility details for Facility ID 33878 (WOAM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
  • WOAM in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
  • Facility details for Facility ID 203244 (W225DC) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
  •  W225DC at FCCdata.org
  • Facility details for Facility ID 149357 (W298BH) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
  •  W298BH at FCCdata.org
  • FCC History Cards for WOAM
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.