WIHN
Encyclopedia
WIHN, branded 96.7 I-Rock, is an FM
active rock
radio station on the Normal, Illinois
frequency of 96.7 MHz and studios in Bloomington, Illinois
in the Bloomington-Normal area. It is owned by Connoisseur Media and switched to its current rock format in early 1995 (as I-97) from its former Adult Contemporary format.
/WBNQ
until their earlier move to the transmitter site on Greenwood Avenue.
The WIHN transmitter was located at Nord Farm on the West side of Bloomington/Normal. The antenna was side-mounted at the maximum allowable height of 300 feet (91.4 m) on an already existing communications tower owned by Dr. Stanley Nord with a studio/transmitter link
from downtown. The Collins 3 kW transmitter was housed within an enclosure constructed inside one of the farm buildings.
The station was conceived by David S. Wolfenden who formed McLean Communications Corporation for the purpose of applying for the allocated channel 244A (96.7 MHz) at Normal, Illinois
. Besides Wolfenden, who became President of the corporation and the station's general manager
, other McLean principals included Andrew Rector, Wilbur Winn, William Brady, Bert Jackson and several other local businessmen. Prior to the formation of McLean, a local ministry had briefly pursued the channel and withdrawn.
At the same time as McLean's application, two Chicago individuals had formed a corporation and had applied for 244A as well. Ensuing negotiations over a number of months resulted in this group withdrawing their bid leaving McLean as the sole applicant.
With the idea of a modern, upbeat format in mind, Wolfenden looked for call letters depicting excitement phonetically: a phrase. Because on-air contests were envisioned as part of the format, the WIN theme came to mind. After much searching it appeared that WIHN was available — but it was not. WIHN belonged to "...the oil screw Oregon, sunk....", used for signal flag communications and presumably lost in World War II
. With minimal arm-twisting by McLean's Washington FCC attorney, Tom Fletcher, the Coast Guard
released the call.
Two well-known early station personalities were Doug Blair the program director
, and Jerry Holtz. WIHN was one of the very first stations nationally to air Casey Kasem
's American Top 40
.
This is a brief synopsis of the beginnings of this wonderful radio station which all of us who put it together hope has provided years of entertainment and information to thousands in the Bloomington/Normal area.
In the Fall of 2009, Wolfenden shipped a carton of historical documents from his home in Newport, Rhode Island
to Andy Rector, President of ACC Electronix, 420 Wylie Drive in Normal, Illinois, to be included in the archives of the McLean County
Historical Society as have been the records of WJBC
/WBNQ
. Rector was one of the original founders of McLean Communications and remains a resident of Normal. Wolfenden continues to be actively involved in radio and TV in the New England
area.
in the morning, as well as The House of Hair with Dee Snider
, hardDrive, and Racing Rocks.
Frequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
radio station on the Normal, Illinois
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
frequency of 96.7 MHz and studios in Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington, Illinois
Bloomington is a city in McLean County, Illinois, United States and the county seat. It is adjacent to Normal, Illinois, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
in the Bloomington-Normal area. It is owned by Connoisseur Media and switched to its current rock format in early 1995 (as I-97) from its former Adult Contemporary format.
History
The station signed on the air Friday, December 21, 1973 from studios located on the second floor of the Castle Theater Building on Washington Street in Bloomington, Illinois. These studios were previously occupied by WJBCWJBC (AM)
WJBC is an AM radio station based in the twin cities of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.In 2006, Janae Jontry, the station manager, said a focus on localism differentiated WJBC from most of the competition. Part of a five-station cluster owned by Regent Communications, WJBC was the only AM station of...
/WBNQ
WBNQ
WBNQ is the most powerful FM radio station in McLean County, Illinois: 50,000 watts on 101.5 MHz. It has had a contemporary hit radio music format since the early 1980s.-History:...
until their earlier move to the transmitter site on Greenwood Avenue.
The WIHN transmitter was located at Nord Farm on the West side of Bloomington/Normal. The antenna was side-mounted at the maximum allowable height of 300 feet (91.4 m) on an already existing communications tower owned by Dr. Stanley Nord with a studio/transmitter link
Studio/transmitter link
A studio-transmitter link sends a radio station's or television station's audio and video from the broadcast studio to a radio transmitter or television transmitter in another location....
from downtown. The Collins 3 kW transmitter was housed within an enclosure constructed inside one of the farm buildings.
The station was conceived by David S. Wolfenden who formed McLean Communications Corporation for the purpose of applying for the allocated channel 244A (96.7 MHz) at Normal, Illinois
Normal, Illinois
Normal is an incorporated town in McLean County, Illinois, United States. It had a population of 52,497 as of the 2010 census. Normal is the smaller of two principal municipalities of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area...
. Besides Wolfenden, who became President of the corporation and the station's general manager
General manager
General manager is a descriptive term for certain executives in a business operation. It is also a formal title held by some business executives, most commonly in the hospitality industry.-Generic usage:...
, other McLean principals included Andrew Rector, Wilbur Winn, William Brady, Bert Jackson and several other local businessmen. Prior to the formation of McLean, a local ministry had briefly pursued the channel and withdrawn.
At the same time as McLean's application, two Chicago individuals had formed a corporation and had applied for 244A as well. Ensuing negotiations over a number of months resulted in this group withdrawing their bid leaving McLean as the sole applicant.
With the idea of a modern, upbeat format in mind, Wolfenden looked for call letters depicting excitement phonetically: a phrase. Because on-air contests were envisioned as part of the format, the WIN theme came to mind. After much searching it appeared that WIHN was available — but it was not. WIHN belonged to "...the oil screw Oregon, sunk....", used for signal flag communications and presumably lost in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. With minimal arm-twisting by McLean's Washington FCC attorney, Tom Fletcher, the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
released the call.
Two well-known early station personalities were Doug Blair the program director
Program director
In service industries, such as education, a program director or programme director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
, and Jerry Holtz. WIHN was one of the very first stations nationally to air Casey Kasem
Casey Kasem
Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem is an American radio personality and voice actor who is best known for being the host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40, and for voicing Shaggy in the popular Saturday morning cartoon franchise Scooby-Doo.Kasem, along with Don Bustany and...
's American Top 40
American Top 40
American Top 40 is an internationally syndicated, independent radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds and Ron Jacobs. Originally a production of Watermark Inc...
.
This is a brief synopsis of the beginnings of this wonderful radio station which all of us who put it together hope has provided years of entertainment and information to thousands in the Bloomington/Normal area.
In the Fall of 2009, Wolfenden shipped a carton of historical documents from his home in Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
to Andy Rector, President of ACC Electronix, 420 Wylie Drive in Normal, Illinois, to be included in the archives of the McLean County
McLean County, Illinois
McLean County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 169,572, which is an increase of 12.7% from 150,433 in 2000. Its county seat is...
Historical Society as have been the records of WJBC
WJBC (AM)
WJBC is an AM radio station based in the twin cities of Bloomington-Normal, Illinois.In 2006, Janae Jontry, the station manager, said a focus on localism differentiated WJBC from most of the competition. Part of a five-station cluster owned by Regent Communications, WJBC was the only AM station of...
/WBNQ
WBNQ
WBNQ is the most powerful FM radio station in McLean County, Illinois: 50,000 watts on 101.5 MHz. It has had a contemporary hit radio music format since the early 1980s.-History:...
. Rector was one of the original founders of McLean Communications and remains a resident of Normal. Wolfenden continues to be actively involved in radio and TV in the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
area.
Programming
Current on-air staff include Bash, Chandler, Jackson, and Trip. Former on-air staff include Foley, Stina, Ben Stone, Jager, Lynn Blaine, and Rachel Riley. It formerly ran the syndicated The Howard Stern Show and the syndicated Ray Lytle's Morning Disaster with Ray Lytle and Jon Lamb. It currently carries The Bob & Tom ShowThe Bob & Tom Show
The Bob & Tom Show is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995....
in the morning, as well as The House of Hair with Dee Snider
Dee Snider
Daniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister...
, hardDrive, and Racing Rocks.
External links
- 96.7 I-Rock — official website