WBIG (AM)
Encyclopedia
WBIG is a radio station
broadcasting a mixed-format of talk
, home shopping
, and sports
. Licensed to Aurora, Illinois
, it serves the Fox Valley
. The station is currently owned by Big Broadcasting Company, Inc.
moved the station to 1280 in 1941. The station's programming was predominantly local, with a full service
format being in place in the late 1940s. Among WMRO's on-air staff during this time was a young John Drury
.
Vincent Cofey and Benjamin Oswalt purchased the station in 1957; three years later, the station was granted night authorization and implemented its current power levels. A separately-programmed FM
sister station at 107.9 (now WLEY-FM) was added on September 1, 1964. Cofey and Oswalt sold WMRO to Dale Stevens in June 1969 to fund television station WLXT (channel 60; now occupied by WXFT-DT), which had signed on May 18, and to a lesser extent an upgrade to WMRO-FM, renamed WAUR. WLXT shut down July 17, 1970; two years later, Stevens purchased WAUR from Cofey and Oswalt.
Beasley Broadcast Group
bought WMRO and WAUR in 1986. Beasley placed its focus on WAUR, which would eventually be relaunched as adult contemporary station WYSY-FM, and showed little interest in WMRO; this culminated in 1989 with the dismissal of the station's entire on-air staff and a callsign change to WYSY, reflecting its conversion to a simulcast of the FM station. WYSY-FM subsequently moved its studios from Aurora to Chicago; at that time, Beasley opted to completely shut down the Aurora facility, which also housed the AM station's transmitter, and with little fanfare signed the station off. The callsign was changed to the current WBIG in 1991; two years later, Big Broadcasting purchased the license from Beasley, and brought WBIG back on the air in November 1993.
program that airs during much of the daytime hours. The station does air an interview program, The Big Wake Up Call hosted by JoAnn Genette, as well as various brokered
talk shows and The Jerry Doyle Show. Fox Sports Radio
programming is aired during most of the nighttime hours; weekend programming is also largely provided by Fox Sports Radio, except for At Home with Gary Sullivan and The Big Radio Shopping Show on Saturday mornings and religious programming
on Sunday mornings.
WBIG is the flagship station for Kane County Cougars
baseball. It also carries Chicago White Sox
baseball, Chicago Bears
football, Chicago Bulls
basketball, and local sports.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting a mixed-format of talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
, home shopping
Home shopping
Home shopping commonly refers to the electronic retailing/home shopping channels industry, which includes such billion dollar television-based and e-commerce companies as HSN, QVC, eBay, ShopNBC, Buy.com, and Amazon.com, as well as traditional mail order and brick and mortar retailers as Hammacher...
, and sports
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
. Licensed to Aurora, Illinois
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
, it serves the Fox Valley
Fox Valley (Illinois)
The Fox Valley—also commonly known as the Fox River Valley—is a rural, suburban, and exurban region within Illinois and Wisconsin along the western edges of the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas. This region centers on the Fox River of Illinois and Wisconsin...
. The station is currently owned by Big Broadcasting Company, Inc.
History
The station signed on December 13, 1938 as WMRO, a 500-watt daytimer owned by Martin O'Brien and operating at 1250 kHz; the North American Radio Broadcasting AgreementNorth American Radio Broadcasting Agreement
The North American Radio Broadcasting Agreement, usually referred to as NARBA, is a treaty that took effect in March 1941 and set out the bandplan and interference rules for mediumwave AM broadcasting in North America. Although mostly replaced by other agreements in the 1980s, the basic bandplan...
moved the station to 1280 in 1941. The station's programming was predominantly local, with a full service
Full service (radio format)
The full service radio format consists of a wide range of programming. Mostly found on the AM band, the format can be found on a handful of FM stations...
format being in place in the late 1940s. Among WMRO's on-air staff during this time was a young John Drury
John Drury
John Drury was an anchorman from Chicago, IL. He appeared on both WGN-TV and WLS-TV. Upon his retirement came the news that he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease...
.
Vincent Cofey and Benjamin Oswalt purchased the station in 1957; three years later, the station was granted night authorization and implemented its current power levels. A separately-programmed FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
sister station at 107.9 (now WLEY-FM) was added on September 1, 1964. Cofey and Oswalt sold WMRO to Dale Stevens in June 1969 to fund television station WLXT (channel 60; now occupied by WXFT-DT), which had signed on May 18, and to a lesser extent an upgrade to WMRO-FM, renamed WAUR. WLXT shut down July 17, 1970; two years later, Stevens purchased WAUR from Cofey and Oswalt.
Beasley Broadcast Group
Beasley Broadcast Group
Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. , based in Naples, Florida, is an owner/operator of radio stations in the United States. As of January 2011, the company owned 17 AM stations and 28 FM stations. -History:...
bought WMRO and WAUR in 1986. Beasley placed its focus on WAUR, which would eventually be relaunched as adult contemporary station WYSY-FM, and showed little interest in WMRO; this culminated in 1989 with the dismissal of the station's entire on-air staff and a callsign change to WYSY, reflecting its conversion to a simulcast of the FM station. WYSY-FM subsequently moved its studios from Aurora to Chicago; at that time, Beasley opted to completely shut down the Aurora facility, which also housed the AM station's transmitter, and with little fanfare signed the station off. The callsign was changed to the current WBIG in 1991; two years later, Big Broadcasting purchased the license from Beasley, and brought WBIG back on the air in November 1993.
Programming
Much of WBIG's current daytime schedule is devoted to The Big Radio Shopping Show, a home shoppingHome shopping
Home shopping commonly refers to the electronic retailing/home shopping channels industry, which includes such billion dollar television-based and e-commerce companies as HSN, QVC, eBay, ShopNBC, Buy.com, and Amazon.com, as well as traditional mail order and brick and mortar retailers as Hammacher...
program that airs during much of the daytime hours. The station does air an interview program, The Big Wake Up Call hosted by JoAnn Genette, as well as various brokered
Brokered programming
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials...
talk shows and The Jerry Doyle Show. Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
programming is aired during most of the nighttime hours; weekend programming is also largely provided by Fox Sports Radio, except for At Home with Gary Sullivan and The Big Radio Shopping Show on Saturday mornings and religious programming
Religious broadcasting
Religious broadcasting refers to broadcasting by religious organizations, usually with a religious message. Many religious organizations have long recorded content such as sermons and lectures, and have moved into distributing content on their Internet websites.While this article emphasises...
on Sunday mornings.
WBIG is the flagship station for Kane County Cougars
Kane County Cougars
The Kane County Cougars are a Class A minor league baseball team, affiliated with the Kansas City Royals, that plays in the Midwest League. Their home games are played in Geneva, Illinois, about 35 miles west of Chicago....
baseball. It also carries Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
baseball, Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
football, Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois, playing in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1966. They play their home games at the United Center...
basketball, and local sports.