WCPT (AM)

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WCPT
WCPT logo
Broadcast area Crystal Lake, Illinois
Branding AM 850 WCPT
Chicago's Progressive Talk
Slogan Our Kind of Talk for Our Kind of Town
First air date 1964 (May 5, 2005 As WCPT)
Frequency 850 (kHz)
Format Liberal/Progressive Talk
ERP 2,500 watts
Class D
Callsign meaning We're Chicago's Progressive Talk
Owner Newsweb Corporation
Website http://www.wcptam.com/

WCPT 850 AM is a daytime-only progressive talk radio station licensed to Crystal Lake, Illinois, and serving the Chicago area. Programming is mostly from Air America Radio. The station is owned by Newsweb Corporation.

WCPT is licensed by the FCC as a Class D station, hence it only broadcasts during daytime hours. The station signs off from sunset to sunrise to protect 850 KOA from Denver.

Contents

[edit] History

For many years this station played Adult Standards as WAIT.

In February of 2005, a column by Robert Feder in the Chicago Sun-Times sparked speculation that a progressive talk format could end up on a station in Chicago. The article said that the station was rumored to change formats by March 31, the one year anniversary of Air America's original launch in Chicago on their original affiliate, WNTD. Air America's affiliation with WNTD was interrupted after only a few weeks, due to conflicts with the station's owner.


Many thought that WRLL would switch to the format, as its owner, Clear Channel Communications, had rolled progressive talk on quite a few of their struggling radio stations across the country. WRLL continued with their oldies format, and on May 5, 2005, AM 850 launched progressive talk with the new call letters WCPT. The WAIT call letters were moved to 820 AM.

In November of 2005, the FCC denied an application by Newsweb to move the station to Addison, Illinois.

Newsweb's owner, Fred Eychaner, is a significant donor to Democratic Party causes[1], and many see WCPT's format as a natural fit for one of his stations.

In its first year of existence, WCPT has been a relative ratings success, even with its signal limitations. It has had higher overall ratings than two other high-profile talk radio stations - WIND and WCKG.

[edit] Weekday Lineup

Former Programs

  • The Al Franken Show with Al Franken (LIVE: three hours: 11 p.m-2 p.m.) May 5, 2005-December 11, 2006 and (tape delayed, up to three hours: 2 p.m.-5 p.m. or sunset) December 11, 2006-February 14, 2007

Note: The Al Franken Show and The Ed Schultz show exchanged time slots on December 11, 2006. Schultz's program used to air live from 2-5 PM. Both programs aired live from 11-2 PM, but WCPT elected to delay Franken's program.

[edit] Weekends

WCPT airs replays of weekday programming as well as weekend-only programming from Air America Radio and others, such as:


The station also carries some locally-produced, nonpolitical shows:

  • The Business Doctor, airs live Sundays at 11:00am CST, with "Chicago's Voice of Career Development", host Dr. George Watts. The nationally known behavioral scientist, business consultant and managing partner of AST Management Inc. claims to weigh in each week about workplace issues, unlocking your potential and career development. Past guests have included Warren Bennis-advisor to four U.S. presidents, Harvard's Anthony Mayo, MIT's Suzanne Berger, Northwestern's William White, authors Doug Rushkoff and Cole Kingseed and corporate CEOs and board of directors.
  • Mooney Talks Money
  • Ask Dr. Marc

In addition, some weekday programming is repeated.

[edit] Criticism

The most common complaints about WCPT relate to the station's status as a low-power daytimer. As the station claims on its website, it is a situation that is out of their control, due to FCC mandates. WCPT must sign off from sunset to sunrise to protect the signal of KOA in Denver.

Listeners have asked Newsweb about the possibility of putting the format on one or all of their FM stations. The company also owns four area FM stations. WDEK (92.5), WKIE (92.7), and WRZA (99.9) MHz, are rimshot signals and are known collectively as "Nine FM", airing the same adult hits format. WKIF (92.7) is a small station south of Chicago with a limited signal airing CNN Headline News. Lately, the FM stations have had lower ratings than the relatively successful WCPT. Newsweb has, as of late 2005, refused to change the trimulcast to progressive talk citing that listenership must grow at 850 first.

WCPT received criticism prior to February 2007 because they played the Ed Schultz show live, delaying the Randi Rhodes show. This same arrangement was evident at many other Air America affiliates, but WCPT was criticized because Rhodes' show was not heard on the station in the winter when the station signs off as the sun sets earlier. Mike Malloy, who used to be on Chicago's WLS radio, and now is nationally syndicated on Nova M Radio, is also not heard locally for the same reason during the winter months. On February 19, WCPT changed their lineup due to Al Franken's departure from Air America. Rhodes' show began airing live while Thom Hartmann, who airs at the same time as Ed Schultz, is delayed until 5 p.m. Delaying Hartmann for Schultz has drawn criticism from more liberal listeners, especially after Schultz criticized Air America and hosts Sam Seder, Al Franken, Randi Rhodes, and Nova M's Mike Malloy, saying that they "sucked."[2]

[edit] Events

  • The station's second event was when Jerry Springer did a live broadcast of Springer on the Radio in front of a live audience from the Chicago Center for the Performing Arts on March 27, 2006. Topics included immigration, the Iraq war, abortion, and topics from the audience.
  • Al Franken returned for another live broadcast from the Steppenwolf Theatre on Monday, May 8, 2006. His guests were Senator Dick Durbin, executive director of the Death Penalty Education Project Edwin Colfax, Congressional candidates John Laesch (IL-14) and Dan Seals (IL-10), universal healthcare advocates Dr. Quentin Young and Ajitha Reddy, and Cass Sunstein.
  • Ed Schultz was featured at a "meet and greet" at the Green Dolphin Restaurant on August 8, 2006.

[edit] Listener Feedback

WCPT listeners are able to leave feedback on the station by calling (312)855-0085. Recorded messages from this feedback line are often featured on air.

[edit] External links

WCPT 850 AM
The Network
Air America Radio programming
Non-Air America Radio programming


Info on AM radio from the FCC

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Fred Eychaner," Mother Jones, March 5, 2001.
  2. ^ "Ed Schultz Blasts Air America Radio," Talking Radio, February 14, 2007.


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v • d • e
Air America Radio (List of affiliates)
Hosts (past & present): David Bender • Angie Coiro • Chuck D • Steve Earle • Jon Elliott • Laura Flanders • Al Franken • Gia'na Garel • Janeane Garofalo • Thom Hartmann • Kyle Jason • Marty Kaplan • Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. • Katherine Lanpher • Rachel Maddow • Ben Mankiewicz • Marc Maron • Mike Malloy • Mike Papantonio • Jill Pike • Randi Rhodes • Betsy Rosenberg • Mark Riley • Sam Seder • Jerry Springer • Cenk Uygur • Peter Werbe
Programs (past & present): Air America Mornings • The Al Franken Show • EcoTalk • The Marc Maron Show • The Majority Report • The Mike Malloy Show • On The Real • The Rachel Maddow Show • Radio Nation • The Randi Rhodes Show • The Revolution Starts Now • The Mark Riley Show •Ring of Fire • Springer on the Radio • State of Belief  • The Young Turks
Related articles: Sheldon Drobny • Talk radio • Progressive talk • Evan Montvel Cohen • Danny Goldberg • Air America-Gloria Wise loan controversy
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