WPMJ

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WPMJ is an FM radio station located in Peoria, Illinois. WPMJ broadcasts on 94.3 MHz with an ERP of 6,000 watts. The station has a satellite driven oldies format and the station's slogan is "94-3 Peoria's True Oldies Channel".

[edit] History

94.3 signed on the air as WCLL, a 6,000 watt Chillicothe, Illinois, licensed radio station with studios in Chillicothe. 94.3 serves the Peoria, Illinois, radio market, yet has struggled over the years to find a programming niche.

Throughout the 1980's, 94.3 was a minor player in Peoria, Illinois radio under many different formats, names, and call letters. Owned and operated by local broadcaster Bill Bro, WTXR was a country format as 94X from 1984–1986, followed by Magic 94, an adult contemporary station, then satellite driven oldies with Jim Zippo in the morning as WBZM, "easy listening" as EZ94FM as WQEZ, followed by an audio simulcast of CNN Headline News under the WRED calls (for people who are "well read") and operated out of the Pabst Building in Peoria Heights.

[edit] KZ94.3

In 1994, owners of then number one WXCL (FM), Kelly Communications, in Peoria, bought 94.3 FM from Bro and in an unprecedented and controversial move, assigned the recently abandoned WKZW call letters formerly of 93.3 FM and picked up the Contemporary hit radio (CHR) format abandoned by KZ-93 to become KZ94.3, playing "today's hit music". KZ94.3 developed into an Adult CHR radio station that lived in the shadow of its 93.3 predecessor throughout its tenure in the format. Former KZ-93 personality Andy Masur was the first program director and morning host. KZ94.3 lasted until 1997 with Jesse James in mornings (now mornings as KWLI/Denver), local comedian Brett Erickson, Keith Berry, Denyse Haynak in middays, Kevin Ross, Jack Shell in afternoons, and Jeff Williams at night.

[edit] A decade of change

After KZ94.3, the station changed call letters to WFXF as 94-3 The Fox, a classic rock format with Howard Stern in the morning, followed by a short-lived ABC Radio satellite driven Hot AC format called Kiss 94 FM under the WKSO call sign with veteran Peoria broadcaster/programmer (former WIRL/WKZW/WXCL) Lee Malcolm at the helm. Since Kiss, 94.3 changed ownership from Kelly to AAA Entertainment in 2000, has been an all eighties hits format as Channel 94-3 under the WCNL call sign, only to be resold to Kelly to become WPMJ, a Smooth Jazz format, as once again, Magic 94.3 in 2003, and as of 2006, has joined ABC Radio Networks as an affiliate of Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel, carrying the nickname of 94.3 Peoria's True Oldies Channel.

WPMJ is co-owned by Kelly Communications with WOAM (AM).

[edit] External links

• 94-3 Peoria's True Oldies Channel - official site

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