WPNA
Encyclopedia
WPNA is a radio station
licensed to Oak Park, Illinois
, USA, the station serves the Chicago area. The station is currently owned by Alliance Communications. WPNA hosts radio programs for various ethnic and cultural groups in the Chicago metropolitan area.
which changed the stations call letters to WPNA.
WPNA was the home of the long-running Chet Gulinski
Show, which featured polka music and was quite popular in Chicago's Eastern European communities.
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...
licensed to Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois
Oak Park, Illinois is a suburb bordering the west side of the city of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is the twenty-fifth largest municipality in Illinois. Oak Park has easy access to downtown Chicago due to public transportation such as the Chicago 'L' Blue and Green lines,...
, USA, the station serves the Chicago area. The station is currently owned by Alliance Communications. WPNA hosts radio programs for various ethnic and cultural groups in the Chicago metropolitan area.
History
The station's history goes back to 1951, when a license to broadcast on 1490 AM from Oak Park was granted by the FCC. The license was under the call sign WEBS. Shortly after going on the air, the call sign was changed to WOPA, to better reflect the location of its studios. The offices and antenna were in the former Oak Park Arms Hotel. The call sign once again changed in 1984 to WBMX for 3 short years until 1490 AM was purchased by the Polish National AlliancePolish National Alliance
The Polish National Alliance is the largest and one of the oldest Polish fraternal organizations in the United States, founded on 15 February 1880 in Philadelphia under the influence of Polish patriot Agaton Giller. Its first president was Juliusz Andrzejkowicz.The PNA founded a number of...
which changed the stations call letters to WPNA.
WPNA was the home of the long-running Chet Gulinski
Chet Gulinski
Chester "Chet" Gulinski was an influential Chicago-area broadcaster and promoter best known for his longtime support for polka music in Chicago. His show was heard on numerous area stations and ran for nearly 40 years....
Show, which featured polka music and was quite popular in Chicago's Eastern European communities.