WFMB (1450 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a sports radio format. Licensed to Springfield, Illinois, the station is owned by Neuhoff Corp., through licensee Neuhoff Media Springfield, LLC. WFMB features local hosts in morning and afternoon drive time, plus agricultural reports weekdays at 5:30 a.m. and noon. The rest of the schedule comes from ESPN Radio.
WFMB transmits 1,000 watts non-directional. Its programming is also carried by FM translator W222CG at 92.3 MHz.
History WCBS The station was first licensed, with the call sign WCBS, on August 19, 1926.History Cards for WFMB, fcc.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2019. The call letters were unrelated to the CBS Radio Network or the later WCBS in New York City.
WCBS was originally a portable broadcasting station, assigned to Harold L. Dewing and Charles H. Messter of Providence, Rhode Island."New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, August 31, 1926, page 3. It was the second portable station licensed to Messter, joining WCBR, first licensed in 1924."New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, May 1, 1924, page 3. Portable stations could be transported from place-to-place on movable platforms such as trucks. They were commonly hired out for a few weeks at a time to theaters located in small towns that did not have their own radio stations, to be used for special programs broadcast to the local community. Regulating "moving targets" proved difficult, so in May 1928 the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) announced it was ending the licensing of portable facilities,"Portable stations no longer licensed" (General Order No. 30, May 10, 1928), Radio Service Bulletin, May 31, 1928, page 8. and WCBR was deleted in the summer of 1928."Strike Out All Particulars", Radio Service Bulletin, July 31, 1928, page 18.)
WCBS was only briefly used as a portable station. Finding limited prospects in New England, Harold Dewing set out for the Midwest."When Radio Stations Were Portable" by Donna L. Halper, The Old Radio Times, September 2008, pages 1-3. WCBS moved to Springfield in late 1926, where it gave a debut broadcast from the Lyric Theater on December 10,"Radio beginnings in Springfield", October 30, 2015 (sangamoncountyhistory.org) and Springfield become WCBS's permanent home in 1927."Broadcasting Stations" (May 3, 1927), Radio Service Bulletin, April 30, 1927, page 10.
After a period when, due to an adverse court ruling, the government lost most of its authority to regulate radio stations, the Federal Radio Commission (FRC) was established, which issued temporary authorizations, starting with one on May 3, 1927, which assigned WCBS to 1230 kHz."List of broadcasting stations issued temporary permits", Radio Service Bulletin, April 30, 1927, pages 6-14. During 1927, WCBS's frequency assignment was changed to 1430 kHz, and then to 1210 kHz. The FRC also informed stations that if they wanted to continue operating, they needed to file a formal license application by January 15, 1928, as the first step in determining whether they met the new "public interest, convenience, or necessity" standard."Extension of Broadcasting Station Licenses", Radio Service Bulletin, December 31, 1927, page 7. On May 25, 1928, the FRC issued General Order 32, which notified 164 stations, including WCBS, that "From an examination of your application for future license it does not find that public interest, convenience, or necessity would be served by granting it.""Appendix F (2): Letter to and list of stations included in General Order No. 32, issued May 25, 1928", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission for the Year Ended June 30, 1928, Together With Supplemental Report for the Period From July 1, 1928, to September 30, 1928, pages 146-149. However, WCBS successfully convinced the commission that it should remain licensed.
On November 11, 1928, the FRC implemented a major reallocation of station transmitting frequencies, as part of a reorganization resulting from its implementation of General Order 40. WCBS was assigned to 1210 kHz with 100 watts, sharing time on the frequency with WTAX."Broadcasting Stations", Second Annual Report of the Federal Radio Commission (June 30, 1928), page 176. The frequency assigned to WCBS was changed to 1420 kHz in 1935. Its daytime power was increased to 250 watts in 1937 and its nighttime power was increased to 250 watts in 1939. Its frequency was changed to 1450 kHz in March 1941, as a result of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement.
WCVS On September 8, 1946, the station call sign was changed to WCVS, so that the flagship Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) radio station in New York City could become WCBS."WABC, WCBS Call Letter Switch O.K.'d", The Billboard. September 7, 1946. p. 6. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
In 1958, WCVS was sold to Jerome William O'Connor's WPFA Radio Inc. for $285,000."Changing Hands", Broadcasting. September 8, 1958. p. 86. Retrieved April 26, 2019. Its daytime power was increased to 1,000 watts in 1962. In 1966, the station was sold to Eastern Broadcasting Corporation for $700,000."Changing Hands", Broadcasting. March 14, 1966. p. 71. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
WCVS aired a Top 40 format in the 1960s and 1970s."Brian Mackey: Rich Bradley retires after nearly 50 years on city's airwaves", The State Journal-Register. August 6, 2009. Retrieved April 25, 2019.1973 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1973. p. B-65. Retrieved April 25, 2019.Broadcasting Yearbook 1979 , Broadcasting, 1979. p. C-70. Retrieved April 25, 2019. In the mid 1980s, as contemporary hit music was moving the FM band, the station switched a full service, adult contemporary format."Group Owners Directory", Inside Radio Ratings Report & Directory. March 1981. p. 26. Retrieved April 26, 2019.Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1988, Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1988. p. B-92. Retrieved April 26, 2019. In 1989, the station was sold to Neuhoff Broadcasting, along with 104.5 WFMB, for $4,250,000."AM-FM Combos", Broadcasting. February 13, 1989. p. 56. Retrieved April 26, 2019.Public Notice Comment – BAL-19881109EC, fcc.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2019.Application Search Details – BAL-19881109EC, fcc.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2019. By 1989, the station had adopted an oldies format.Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1989, Broadcasting & Cable, 1989. p. B-97. Retrieved April 26, 2019."Big Tiny Promotion", Billboard. April 21, 1990. p. 17. Retrieved April 26, 2019."Format Changes", The M Street Journal. Vol. 9, No. 39. October 1, 1992. p. 1. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
WFMB On October 1, 1992, the station's call sign was changed to WFMB, and it adopted a country music format, with programming from the Real Country network.Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2019. In 1994, the station adopted a sports talk format."Format Changes & Updates", The M Street Journal. Vol. 11, No. 29. July 20, 1994. p. 1. Retrieved April 26, 2019."Format Changes & Updates", The M Street Journal. Vol. 12, No. 1. January 4, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
In 1996, the station was sold to Patterson Broadcasting, which, after a series of acquisitions, would become part of Clear Channel Communications.Taylor, Chuck. "Vox Jox", Billboard. May 18, 1996. p. 79. Retrieved April 26, 2019.Rhodes, Dusty. "Radio daze: Mid-West switches formats, personalities; former owner reclaims Clear Channel stations", Illinois Times. May 2, 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2019. In 2007, as Clear Channel was selling most of its stations in smaller markets, Neuhoff bought back the Springfield stations they had sold, including WFMB-FM.
The station still operates from an historic radio tower in suburban Springfield, IL (Southern View), which was constructed in the late 1940s, and was the original transmitter location for WICS TV 20.Fybush, Scott. "Site of the Week 5/9/2014: An Hour in Springfield, IL", Fybush.com. May 9, 2014. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
Translator WFMB is also heard on 92.3 MHz, through a translator in Springfield, Illinois. The translator formerly broadcast at 107.1, with a strongly directional signal to the northeast, from about 2014 until February 2019. On February 22, 2019, the translator moved to a non-directional signal at 92.3.
References
External links WFMB website
FCC History Cards for WFMB (covering 1927-1981 as WCBS / WCVS)