WCGO (1600 AM) explained

WCGO
City:Chicago Heights, Illinois
Area:South suburban Chicago
Northwest Indiana
Airdate:August 27, 1959[1]
Last Airdate:April 10, 2009
Frequency:1600 kHz
Format:Full service (1959–1997)
Adult standards (1997–2009)
Power:1,000 watts day[2]
23 watts night[3]
Class:D
Facility Id:39386
Callsign Meaning:W ChicaGO

WCGO (1600 AM) was a radio station licensed to Chicago Heights, Illinois, United States. The station ran 1,000 watts during the day and 23 watts at night.[2] [3]

Coverage area

WCGO served southern Cook County, Illinois, most of central and eastern Will County, Illinois, and northern Lake County, Indiana during daytime hours, while its nighttime coverage was more limited.[4] The station had a two tower directional array in northern Ford Heights, Illinois, and had a directional pattern to the northeast and southwest to protect WMCW in Harvard, Illinois and WARU in Peru, Indiana, which were on the same frequency.[3] [4]

History

WCGO began broadcasting August 27, 1959 and was owned by South Cook Broadcasting, Inc.; Anthony Santucci, president; Anthony DiCarlo, vice president; Gustav Hahn, secretary; Tony D'Amico, treasurer.[5] [6] [7] The station originally broadcast 1,000 watts during daytime hours only.[5]

Full service years

WCGO had long aired a full service format, airing a variety of local programming and playing Middle of the road (MOR) music, which in early years included pop standards and later on adult contemporary.[8] [9] [10] [11] Much of the station's local news, talk and community programming was simulcast on its sister station 102.3 WTAS in Crete, Illinois, until 1992.[9] [10] [12] [13] In 1985, the station began airing the Warren Freiberg - Libby Collins Show, which had been heard on 106.3 WLNR in Lansing, Illinois since 1973.[12] In 1992, the station shifted to an all talk format.[13] [14]

In the summer of 1994, Anthony Santucci sold WCGO to M&M Broadcasting, a firm led by former Hammond, Indiana mayor Thomas McDermott, Sr. for $230,000.[15] [16] In August 1994, WCGO began nighttime operations, with light adult contemporary music airing from 7 pm to 5:59 am, while talk programming continued to air during the day.[17] In 1997, M&M Broadcasting sold the station to Q Broadcasting for $400,000.[18] [19]

Unforgettable 1600

In 1997, the station adopted an adult standards format, featuring programming from Stardust, and later its successors; Timeless Favorites, Timeless Classics and Timeless.[20] [21] [22] [23] [24] During this period the station was known as "Unforgettable 1600".[7] [24] [25] WCGO continued to air this format until the station was taken off the air in 2009.[23] [24]

End of operations

In 2002, the station was purchased by Kovas Communications for $750,000, who intended to take it, along with 1580 WKKD and 1600 WMCW, off the air in order to enable co-owned station 1590 WONX in Evanston, Illinois to increase its daytime power.[26] [27] [25] WCGO went silent on April 10, 2009,[28] and its license was surrendered to the FCC, enabling 1590 WONX to increase its daytime power from 3,500 watts to 7,000 watts.[29] [25] On April 13, 2009, 1590 WONX took on the WCGO call sign.[30] Kovas Communications had held a construction permit, which would have moved the station to Jenison, Michigan (near Grand Rapids), broadcasting on 1020 kHz at 10,000 watts during daytime hours only, though this move never occurred.[25]

Notes and References

  1. 1960 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1960. p. A-146. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  2. Devine, Cathy (2008). The Radio Book 2008-2009. p. 200. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  3. "WCGO Chicago Heights, IL Plan-- 1600 kHz", fcc.gov. September 13, 2007. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  4. Web site: Coverage Map. https://web.archive.org/web/20010825074324/http://wcgo.com/intere1.jpg. WCGO. December 16, 2018. August 25, 2001. dead. mdy-all.
  5. https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=51090 History Cards for WCGO
  6. Ghrist, John R. (1996). Valley Voices: A Radio History. Crossroads Communications. p. 272-275.
  7. Web site: WCGO Home Page. https://web.archive.org/web/19990502221403/http://www.wcgo.com/index.html. WCGO. December 16, 2018. May 2, 1999. dead. mdy-all.
  8. "Stations By Format", Billboard. October 16, 1965. p. 61-62. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  9. "Stations, everywhere: a listeners' guide to the AM and FM bands", Chicago Tribune Magazine. March 4, 1979. p. 37. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  10. Chicago Radio Guide, Vol. 1, Issue 1. May 1985. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  11. "WCGO AM 1600", Radio Chicago. Winter 1990. p. 38. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  12. Osinchak, Sue. "The Morning Mom and Pop Talk Show", Radio Chicago. p. 20-21. Winter 1990. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  13. "Format Changes", The M Street Journal. Vol. 9, No. 32. August 12, 1992. p. 1. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  14. "Station Formats", Chicago Airwaves. August 1993. p. 13. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  15. "Transactions", Radio & Records. June 17, 1994. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  16. Nidetz, Steve. "Channel 7 Zooms Ahead Of The Pack In 10 P.M. News Sweeps", Chicago Tribune. August 03, 1994. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  17. "Radio station now on air 24 hours", Times of Northwest Indiana. August 18, 1994. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  18. https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/comment.pl?Application_id=239688&File_number=BAL-19970127EH Public Notice Comment - BAL-19970127EH
  19. "Proposed Station Transfers", The M Street Journal. Vol. 14, No. 5. February 5, 1997. p. 8. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  20. "Format Changes & Updates", The M Street Journal. Vol. 14, No. 32. August 13, 1997. p. 1. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  21. Pecora, Jim. "WCGO radio is tuning back into area with 'adult standards' format", Orland Park Star. November 9, 1997. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  22. Web site: WCGO Community Calendar for the Date Of. https://web.archive.org/web/19990502205618/http://www.wcgo.com/AboutCGO.htm. WCGO. December 18, 2018. May 2, 1999. dead. mdy-all.
  23. Holecek, Andrea. "WCGO shuts off signal this weekend for Northwest Indiana", Times of Northwest Indiana. April 10, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  24. Web site: Today on WCGO Unforgettable 1600 AM. https://web.archive.org/web/20090409221245/http://www.wcgoradio.com:80/. WCGO. December 18, 2018. April 9, 2009. dead. mdy-all.
  25. "WCGO Goes Dark, WONX -- Now WCGO -- Ups Power", All Access Music Group. April 13, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  26. "Kovas claims third AM in Chicago", Radio Business Report. July 15, 2002. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  27. "Changing Hands", Broadcasting & Cable. July 22, 2002. p. 29. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  28. "WCGO Being Purchased By William Pollack", Chicagoland Radio and Media. May 11, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  29. "Call Letter Changes", Medium Wave News. May/June 2009. p. 11. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  30. https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=35447&Callsign=WCGO Call Sign History

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