WCIL-FM
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| 101.5 CIL-FM | |
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| Broadcast area | Carbondale Harrisburg Marion and across the Southern Illinois region |
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| First air date | 1968 |
| Frequency | 101.5 MHz |
| Format | Top 40 |
| Owner | River Radio Group |
101.5 CIL-FM is a popular radio station broadcasting to the Southern Illinois region, and specialising in hip hop, R&B, pop and Top 40 music. They are an affiliate of the Zimmer River Radio group. Their catch phrase is "Today's Hit Music".
CIL-FM is a very popular station and a regional social phenomenon and major source of entertainment. CIL-FM has a large connection to SIU.
WCIL AM signed on the air in 1946 as a daytime only station with personalities such as Jim Bowen, Bluegrass Roy and others in a second floor studio at about 215 W. Main St. in Carbondale. At that time, to get the AM license, they were pressured by the FCC to also sign on an FM station. They kept the FM on the air for about a year and then signed it off the air since, at the time, nobody listened to FM. Latter WCIL-AM moved the studios to a house at a location that is now the parking lot for the First United Methodist Church in Carbondale. In 1964 WCIL-AM moved again, this time to new studios at 211 W. Main in Carbondale, right across the street from the church. Paul F. McRoy, the station's owner forsaw the potential of FM and applied for an FM license. The license was approved and WCIL-FM signed on in 1968 and allowed broadcasting after local sunset when WCIL-AM was required to sign off. WCIL AM/FM simalcast the same thing on both stations. The format was easy listening music and news. A year or so before CIL-FM was born, Top-40 music was played at night after 10pm. The FCC required AM/FM simalcasts to split programming. So plans were made to split WCIL AM and FM. The AM and FM split programming and became separate stations on August 16th,1976. Before this split of the stations, they would sign off the air at 2am and sign back on at 6am. Once the stations split, CIL-FM Rockinradio was born and was on the air 24 hours a day and hasn't signed off since except for technical problems. The first song played on CIL-FM that morning at 6am was "Here Comes the Sun" by the Beatles played by then morning man Dennis Lyle.
McRoy would sell the stations to Dennis Lyle, who later sold the station. Current owner, River Radio bought the stations from the Zimmer Radio group.
WCIL-FM was home for many years of Southern Illinois University football and basketball featuring Mike Reis, now a member of the SIU Athletics Hall of Fame.
CIL-FM dominated ratings in the hey days of top 40 radio. The air-personalities were well known throughout the area.
Tony Waitekus is credited for putting the station on the map. As program director and mid-day on-air DJ, he put together a group of people, many of whom have gone on to other stations in much larger markets.
Dennis Lyle, now the President of the Illinois Broadcasters Association, was the host of the morning show for many years. Other well known DJ's were John Riley (he replaced Lyle in mornings at one point), Kelly Carls, Mike "The Polack" Chylewski (yes, he did call himself the "polack"), Rick Zurick, Matt McCann, Al Lentine, Skipper T. Thomas, Lori Jo Thompson, Terry Duckworth, Todd Manley, Joe Crain, Shawna Matthews, Don Buttita and Jim Fishback.
CIL-FM also had many well known news people who went on to major careers in radio & TV news. These included John Snell, Bruce Kopp, David Beedy, Sharon Dennis, Jay Pearce, Chuck Gaidica, and the late Thom Thomas.
Contents |
[edit] WCIL Program Schedule
[edit] Monday - Thursday
- Midnight - 6am
- 6am - 10am Lia & Jon E Quest In The Morning
- 10am - 3pm Jimmy Jay
- 3pm - 7pm Ivy
- 7pm - Midnight Finnigan
[edit] Friday
- 6am - 10am Lia & Jon E Quest in The Morning
- 10am - 3pm Tim Welch
- 3pm - 7pm Ivy
- 7pm - 9pm Finnigan
- 9pm - Midnight Friday Night Live Dance Party @ CLUB S.I.N.
[edit] Saturday
- Midnight - 1am Friday Night Live Dance Party @ CLUB S.I.N.
- 1am- 6am Moose
- 6am - 10am American Top-40
- 10am - 2pm Finnigan
- 2pm - 6pm Ivy
- 6pm - 9pm Tim (The Body) Welch
- 9pm - Midnight Planet CIL-FM
[edit] Sunday
- Midnight - 1am Planet CIL-FM
- 1am - 6am Moose
- 6am - 10am Tabby
- 8am - 10am Backtracks USA
- 10am - 2pm Lia Mira
- 2pm - 6pm Tim (The Body) Welch
- 6pm - 9pm Hollywood Hamilton's Weekend Top 30
- 9pm - 12am Dawson McAllister Live
[edit] Key DJ's
- Lia Mira
- Jon E Quest
- Ivy
- Finnigan
- Dave Decibel
- The American Top-40 with Ryan Seacrest
- Weekend Top-30 With Hollywood Hamilton (Sunday) 6AM-9AM
