WCPY

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WCPY

Broadcast area	DeKalb, Illinois
Branding	Daytime: Chicago's Progressive Talk Nighttime: Dance Factory FM
Frequency	92.5 FM (MHz)
Format	Daytime: Progressive Talk Nighttime: Dance hits
ERP	20,000 watts
HAAT	149 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	15974
Callsign meaning	Chicago's Progressive Yak (Talk)
Former callsigns	WDEK until 10/27/2008^[1] WLBK-FM
Owner	Newsweb Corporation
Website	Chicago's Progressive Talk website Dance Factory FM's website

WCPY 92.5 FM is a radio station located in DeKalb, Illinois, west of Chicago. WCPY is part of a trimulcast with WCPT (AM), WCPT-FM and WCPQ. During the daytime, the trimulcast simulcasts WCPT programming from 5 AM - 9 PM, and operates a Dance Hits format at night known as Dance Factory FM. WCPY is owned by Newsweb Corporation.

The station's signal can be heard from Rockford, Illinois to the western suburbs of Chicago, Illinois.

History

The station was originally WLBK-FM and broadcast beautiful/easy listening music. The station was locally owned and operated in DeKalb with AM station WLBK (1360 AM) since its inception in the 1960s. Gradually in the 1970s, the station added a progressive program known as "Headquarters" at night beginning at 7:00 p.m.

In January 1977, WLBK-FM became WDEK-FM. Simultaneous with this change, WDEK dropped beautiful music for an automated Top 40 format until 7:00 p.m. while continuing its "Headquarters" progressive rock format in the evenings, similar to Chicago's WXRT. Later, WDEK went live 24-hours and flipped to Top 40 full-time ("All Hit WDEK") in the fall of 1984 and became very popular. WDEK competed with Rockford's WZOK.

Big City Radio, trimulcast, "Kiss FM" and "Energy"

In 1999 the station's local owners sold WDEK to Big City Radio, which turned the station into part of a trimulcast known as "92.7 Kiss FM", along with 92.7 WKIE in Arlington Heights and 92.7 WKIF in Kankakee. Original plans called for this 20,000 watt station to decrease in power and change frequency to 92.7 to match the other two. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) denied this request and the moniker was adjusted to "92 Kiss FM".

On January 12, 2001, Clear Channel flipped its full-signal WUBT from rhythmic oldies to CHR as WKSC-FM "Kiss 103.5". At that time, they issued a cease and desist order to Big City Radio insisting they stop using the "Kiss FM" moniker. "92 KISS-FM" continued until January 26, 2001. 92 KISS-FM signed off with Pearl Jam's Last Kiss and then the three signals became "Energy 92.7&5", a format consisting entirely of dance music, launched with DJ Jean's The Launch. The airstaff and voiceover talent Sean Caldwell remained intact. The new format was designed by 92 KISS-FM's program director, Chris Shebel, who has stated that the Dance Hits format is something he had dreamed of doing for a long time.

Energy gained lots of attention via the internet and gained a relatively devoted following in the Chicago area and worldwide via its webcast, even producing two consecutive CD-song collections, "Energy92.7&5 Dance Hits Volume(s) 1 & 2" . Considering their niche format and signal limitations, Energy was competitive in the ratings and in revenues. Energy's program director, Chris Shebel, consulted the launch of the Energy format in Phoenix, Arizona on KNRJ as Energy 92.7 & 101.1.

Stations sold, switch to Spanish, "Nine FM"

In late 2002, Big City Radio, which had overextended itself in obtaining radio stations, declared bankruptcy and began liquidating its properties. WKIE, WKIF and WDEK were sold to Spanish Broadcasting System and WXXY/WYXX (which had a Mexican music format) to the Hispanic Broadcasting Company. On January 5, 2003, at Midnight, Energy became "Onda 92". Energy's program director Chris Shebel and former Energy DJ Joe Vlazny-Smith (a.k.a. Joey V) went on to launch the same format in San Francisco on KBTB which is now known as KREV Energy 92.7.

Onda 92 was never successful in the ratings, and SBS had their own financial problems, so in June 2004 the company sold WKIE, WKIF and WDEK to Newsweb Corporation. At midnight on November 22, 2004, Onda signed off, and WDEK and WKIE began simulcasting with its new adult hits sister station WRZA, aka "Nine FM". Chicago's first Adult Hits station "Nine FM" (WKIE-FM, WDEK-FM, WRZA-FM) remained on the air for 4 years. WKIF was switched to a full-time simulcast of CNN Headline News.

Sky Daniels was the original program director for Nine FM. When he left in 2005, he was replaced by Matt DuBiel. Nine FM's format tightened a bit over time, to attract more casual listeners, eliminating many of the more obscure songs on the station's playlist.

On May 19, 2006, Chris Chudzik of TKC Entertainment began leasing air time on Saturday nights for a dance music show called Dance Factory FM, from 8:00PM to 5:00AM hosted By Kyle Kelly (a former DJ from Energy 92.7&5). Dance Factory FM expanded to Friday nights 9:00PM to 5:00AM starting on August 12, 2006, hosted by Luis 2Live Lopez (also a former DJ from Energy 92.7&5).

A year later, on May 14, 2007 Nine FM and Chudzik expanded Dance Factory to seven nights a week from 9:00PM to 4:30AM. The weekend shows carry a DJ mix style format, the weekday shows carry a Dance Hits music format with live mixes several times nightly.

"Chicago's Progressive Talk"

Newsweb Corporation dropped the Nine FM programming on all three signals Monday, October 20, 2008, and replaced it with a simulcast of sister station WCPT from 5 a.m. until 9 p.m.^[2] Dance Factory still continues to air overnight, and gained an extra half hour (4:30-5:00) in the morning. The last song on Nine FM was intended to be "Kiss This Thing Goodbye" by Del Amitri, but ended up being "Crush" by Jennifer Paige, likely an homage to the "WKIE" call letters' 10 year run with "Crush" being one of the first hit songs on the station.^[3]

References

↑ "Call Sign History (WCPY)". Retrieved 2010-04-15.
↑ "WCPT/Chicago Gets FM Simulcasts," Radio Ink, October 17, 2008.
↑ "End Of Nine Fm Chicago", Youtube

External links

Dance Factory

Query the FCC's FM station database for WCPY

Radio-Locator information on WCPY

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WCPY

v t e Radio stations in the Chicago, Illinois market

By FM frequency	87.7² 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.1 88.3 88.3 88.3 88.3 88.5 88.5 88.7 88.7 88.7 88.7 88.9 88.9 89.1 89.1 89.3 89.3 89.5 89.7 90.1 90.5 90.7 90.7 90.9 91.5 91.7 91.9 92.3 92.5 92.7 93.1 93.5 93.9 94.3 94.7 95.1 95.5 95.9 95.9 96.3 96.7 96.9 97.1 97.5 97.9 98.3 98.3 98.7 99.5 99.9 99.9 100.3 100.7 100.7 101.1 101.9 102.3 102.3 102.7 103.1 103.1 103.5 103.9 103.9 104.3 104.7 105.1 105.5 105.5 105.9 106.3 106.7 107.1 107.1 107.5 107.9

By AM frequency	560 670¹ 720¹ 750 780¹ 820 850 890¹ 930 950 1000¹ 1030 1050 1080 1110 1160 1200 1220 1230 1240 1270 1300 1330 1340 1370 1390 1410 1420 1430 1450 1450 1470 1490 1500 1500 1510 1530 1570 1590 1690

NOAA WX Radio frequency	162.400 162.425 162.500 162.550

Digital Radio	780 1300 1390 1690 89.3-1 89.3-2 89.5-1 89.5-2 90.1-1 90.1-2 90.1-3 90.5-1 90.7-1 90.9-1 90.9-2 90.9-3 91.5-1 91.5-2 92.3-1 92.3-2 93.1-1 93.1-2 93.1-3 93.9-1 93.9-2 94.7-1 94.7-2 95.5-1 95.5-2 95.9-1 95.9-2 96.3-1 96.3-2 96.7-1 97.1-1 97.1-2 97.9-1 97.9-2 97.9-3 98.7-1 99.5-1 99.5-2 100.3-1 100.3-2 101.1-1 101.1-2 101.1-3 101.9-1 101.9-2 102.3-1 102.7-1 102.7-2 103.5-1 103.5-2 104.3-1 104.3-2 105.1-1 105.1-2 105.1-3 105.5-1 105.9-1 105.9-2 106.3-1 106.7-1 106.7-2 107.5-1 107.5-2

By callsign	KWO39 KXI41 KXI58 KZZ81 W219CD W248BB W264BF WAES WAIT WAKE WAUR WBBM¹ WBBM-FM WBEQ WBEW WBEZ WBGX WBMF WCCQ WCEV WCFJ WCFL WCFS-FM WCGO WCKG WCLR WCPT WCPT-FM WCPQ WCPY WCRX WCSJ-FM WDCB WDGC-FM WDRV WEDC WEEF WEFM WERV-FM WETN WFEL-LP WFMT WFXF WGCI-FM WGEN-FM WGN¹ WGRB WGVE-FM WHFH WHPK-FM WHSD WIIL WIIT WILV WIMS WIND WJCH WJKL WJMK WJOB WJOL WKKC WKQX WKQX-LP² WKRS WKSC-FM WKTA WLEY-FM WLIT-FM WLJE WLPR-FM WLS¹ WLS-FM WLTH WLTL WLRA WLIP WLUP-FM WLUW WMBI WMBI-FM WMVP¹ WNDZ WNTD WNUA WNUR-FM WNVR WNWI WOJO WONC WONU WPJX WPNA WPPN WPWX WRDZ WRLL WRMN WRLR-LP WRSE WRTE WRTW WRTO WRXQ WSBC WSCR¹ WSPY-FM WSRB WSRI WSSR WTMX WTZI WUSN WVAZ WVIV-FM WVIX WVON WWCA WWDV WWHN WWTG WXAV WXLC WXRD WXRT WYCA WYLL WZRD WZSR WZVN

Internet radio	Q101 Chicago WGN.FM

Defunct stations	WCFL (AM) WCGO WCRW WEDC WENR (AM) WKKD (AM) WMAQ WMCW WNIB

Satellite radio local traffic/weather XM Channel 217 Sirius Channel 151 Illinois radio markets Bloomington Champaign Chicago Decatur LaSalle-Peru Peoria Quad Cities (Rock Island-Moline) Rockford St. Louis, MO Other Illinois radio regions Kankakee Marion-Carbondale Quincy/Hannibal Springfield Indiana radio markets Evansville Ft. Wayne Indianapolis Lafayette Muncie-Marion South Bend Terre Haute Chicago, IL Cincinnati, OH Louisville, KY Other Indiana radio regions Bloomington See also List of radio stations in Illinois List of radio stations in Indiana ¹ = Clear-channel stations with extended nighttime coverage ² = Audio signal of WKQX-LP (modern rock audio, with video of still images)

Coordinates: 41°52′34″N 88°45′16″W / 41.875994°N 88.754429°W / 41.875994; -88.754429

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