WWCT

Infobox Radio station
name = WWCT


city = Bartonville, Illinois
area =
branding = 99.9 the Buzz
slogan =
airdate = 1970s (original WWTO on 105.7)
1996 (original 99.9 as WIXO)
frequency = 99.9 MHz
format = modern rock
power =
erp = 1500 watts
haat = 178 meters
class = A
facility_id = 27727
coordinates = coord|40|36|23|N|89|32|20|W|display=inline,title|region:US|name=WWCT tower
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns = WRXP (September 2006)
WIXO (1996–2006)cite web
url = http://www.fccinfo.com/CMDProEngine.php?sCurrentService=FM&tabSearchType=Appl&sAppIDNumber=242079
title = WWCT(FM)
work = FCCInfo.com
publisher = Cavell Mertz & Associates, Inc.
date = 2007-09-04
accessdate = 2007-09-08]
owner = Independence Media Holdings
licensee = IM IL Licenses LLC
sister_stations = 96.5 WZPN
98.5 WPIA
101.1 WXMP
webcast = [http://wm-eon.vitalstreamcdn.com/live_eonwmss_vitalstream_com_mos-independence-wwct-fm-fast1?WMNoDataTimeout=10000]
website = http://www.wwct.fm/
affiliations =

WWCT is an FM broadcasting station owned by Independence Media Holdings and licensed to Bartonville, Illinois. Through most of its history, the WWCT callsign was associated with Peoria's 105.7 frequency allocation. The station on April 11, 2008 dropped the adult album rock format it had been running with the slogan "World Class Rock" and began stunting. A new format will be place April 21, 2008 per their website. The station decided to remain with the AAA format abd debuted it in April 15 with the name "the Stage". However, on September 15, 2008, the radio station once again changed formats, relaunching in an Alternative format is "99.9 The Buzz," featuring Lex and Terry in mornings.

History

105.7

The original 105.7 was operating as Drake-Chenault programmed WWTO in the early 1970s. [ [http://www.dougquick.com/areachrradiohistory2.html "WWTO(FM) 105.7 Peoria, Illinois"] by Doug Quick. Retrieved 2006-11-19.] In 1976, the station changed its callsign to WWCT and made its debut as an album rock station. Calling itself simply "106" or "WWCT" early on, by the 1990s it was using the nickname "Rock 106". Some of their well known positioning statements included "Rockin' With The Best" and "The Home Of Rock n Roll." Much of their time was spent downtown on both Jefferson St. and 1111 Main St. They moved uptown in 1997 to War Memorial Dr. near Northwoods Mall.

In late 1998 Bruce Foster sold the station to Kelly Communications. Kelly took over immediately with an LMA and brought in satellite programming in lieu of local jocks. A Peoria Journal Star article talking about the station's DJs located in Dallas became fodder for competitor WGLO. In the summer of 1999, Kelly Communications decided to offer a lower price than what was originally negotiated in the sale. Foster decided to back out of the deal. In what amounts to a legendary story, a group of jocks from the old WWCT days went to the transmitter site on a Friday afternoon and took back control of the station with the words "We're back, and we're pissed off!" Through the weekend a great number of former jocks, local leaders, and even competing radio station personnel took part in an anything-goes broadcast from the transmitter site in rural Tazwell County.

In the late eighties and early nineties it was considered one of Americas best Rock stations.Fact|date=February 2007 It was also known for its morning shows starting with Ken and Jim aka Johnson and Tofte, Greg Dwyer and Bill Michaels, and Ray Lytle and Jon Lamb with Pete McMurray (aka Pete on the Street) who were proclaimed one of Americas best morning shows by R&R magazine. From 1991–1992, Rock 106 simulcast with sister Macomb station WJEQ as Rock 106 & 103. WJEQ split away from 106 in the Spring of 1992 calling itself Classic 103. Lytle and Lamb syndicated in 1994 to WQLZ in Springfield from the WWCT Studios. For a short time in the late 1990s, Howard Stern was heard in the morning after previously airing on WFXF-FM, but the show moved to 102.3 FM in 1999.

In 2000 WWCT was bought by AAA Entertainment Radio Group, moved towards an active rock format, and was named "Rock 105.7" towards the end of the format on 105.7 in 2003.

96.5

WWCT was moved to 96.5 in 2003 by AAA to make room for its new WXMP "Mix 105.7" on the more powerful signal. In January 2006, WWCT switched to an all-request Rock format playing, which it maintained until it was shut down on September 20, 2006 after being sold to Independence Media. Independence Media put a new program feed, named "98.5 Kiss FM", on 96.5 (changed to WRIA) and also on 98.5 (WPIA), which had been Christian music station Hope 98.5. 96.5 is now WZPN, a sports station.

99.9

Independence Media, who had also bought the license for 99.9, replaced its 10-day-old callsign WRXP with the better-known callsign WWCT on 2006-09-29, but kept the new nickname 99.9 Pirate Radio. Regent Broadcasting, who had owned 99.9, had recently purchased 105.7, and moved active rock station "99X Rocks" (WIXO) from 99.9 to 105.7 to increase its power, renaming it "105.7 The X" in the process.

On or around Sunday, April 8, 2007, the Pirate Radio moniker was dropped in favor of CT 99-dot-9. The slogan was changed to "World Class Rock" and the size of the playlist increased greatly, cutting a wide swath across many different genres and eras of music.

In April 2008, following 4 days of stunting, WWCT was again rebranded as "99.9 The Stage" with no change in format.

On September 15th, 2008 after 3 days of stunting "99.9 The Stage" Adult Alternative was converted to "Peoria's Rock Alternative 99.9 The Buzz". During this conversion, 99.9 The BUZZ also brought The Lex and Terry Morning Show into the Peoria Market.

References

External links

*