WCPT (820 AM) is a commercial progressive talk radio station licensed to Willow Springs, Illinois. Owned by Heartland Signal LLC, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area. The station's studios and daytime transmitter are located in the Jefferson Park neighborhood on Chicago's Northwest Side, while its nighttime transmitter is located in Joliet.AM Query Results: WCPT, fcc.gov. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
History WCBD On June 23, 1923, the station signed on using the call sign WCBD, broadcasting at 870 kHz.Hearings Before the United States Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce. Commission on Communications. United States Government Print Office. May 8, 1929. p. 126-129. Retrieved May 11, 2020."WCBD, The 'Flat Earth' Radio Station", Popular Communications. June 1986. p. 31-34. Retrieved May 11, 2020. The station was located in Zion, Illinois, and was owned by Wilbur Glenn Voliva, who was the "General Overseer" of the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church, and was known for his flat Earth beliefs.History Cards for WCPT, fcc.gov. Retrieved October 3, 2018. WCBD was non-commercial, airing religious programming that reflected Voliva's viewpoints, along with vocal and instrumental music.Douglass, Elmer. "Slain Coppers' Wives to Get Radio Fund", Chicago Tribune. June 16, 1925. p. 10.Douglass, Elmer. "Ether Affords a Variety of Good Things: Elmer Praises WBCN and Zion Stations", Chicago Tribune. September 25, 1925. p. 30. The station originally ran at 500 watts. On February 2, 1925, its power was increased to 5,000 watts."3 Cities Open Powerful New Transmitters", Chicago Tribune. February 2, 1925. Part 8, p. 9. From April 1924 until November 11, 1928, WCBD shared time on its frequency with WLS. In November 1928, its frequency was changed to 1080 kHz, where it shared time with WMBI. Both WCBD and WMBI were restricted to daytime operations to protect WBT in Charlotte, North Carolina."Radio Chiefs Defend Recent Reallocations", Chicago Tribune. February 8, 1929. p. 22.
In 1934, WCBD's studios were moved to the Karcher Hotel in Waukegan, Illinois, and Gene T. Dyer was appointed station director. The station began to air some Italian language programming.Wolters, Larry. "News of the Radio Stations", Chicago Tribune. November 17, 1934. p. 22."Chicago Italian Groups Stir Up War Sentiment", Chicago Tribune. July 13, 1935. p. 5. In 1936, the station was sold to Gene T. Dyer and its studios were moved to the Guyon Paradise Ballroom in Chicago. It became a commercial operation, and aired religious, ethnic, and music programming.Radio Guide. Week ending May 15, 1937. Retrieved October 1, 2018.Radio Guide. Week ending January 15, 1938. Retrieved October 1, 2018. On April 2, 1937, the station's transmitter and the Christian Catholic Apostolic Church's Shiloh Tabernacle were destroyed in a fire set by a teenager who believed Voliva had swindled his father."Youth Confesses to Firing Tabernacle", Cumberland Evening Times. April 5, 1937. p. 1. Retrieved October 1, 2018. Its transmitter site was relocated to Addison Township, in what today is part of Elmhurst, Illinois, and its studios were moved to 2400 W. Madison in Chicago. WCBD shared WMBI's transmitter while its new transmitter was being built.
In 1940, Voliva filed suit against WCBD, alleging that the station's insistence that he provide scripts of speeches violated the terms of his contract, which allowed him to speak on the station without censorship."Suit to Enjoin Radio Station Filed by Voliva", Chicago Tribune. August 7, 1940. p. 7. Dyer stated that the requirement was necessary because Voliva had violated his promise not to air his political views. WCBD's frequency was changed to 1110 kHz in March 1941, as a result of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement.
WAIT In June 1941, the station's frequency was changed to 820 kHz. It ran 5,000 watts, signing off at sunset in Dallas to protect WBAP in Fort Worth. The call sign was changed to WAIT on September 15, 1941. In 1947, the station began sharing time with a new WCBD, owned by the Christian Catholic Church in Zion, Illinois, which operated on Sundays only."Media reports", Broadcasting. May 25, 1959. p. 79. Retrieved October 1, 2018. In 1959, WAIT's owners purchased WCBD for $132,000, and WAIT was granted full daytime operations on the frequency."Church Radio Station WCBD sold to WAIT", Chicago Tribune. May 22, 1959. Part 2, p. 4. Daddy-O Daylie began his radio career on WAIT in 1948, hosting a jazz program."Holmes 'Daddy-O' Daylie", The History Makers. May 29, 2001. Retrieved October 2, 2018.Heim, Chris. "Radio Roots", Chicago Tribune. February 12, 1989. Retrieved October 2, 2018. Daylie remained on the station until 1956, when he began hosting a nighttime show on 670 WMAQ.Lyon, Herb. "Tower Ticker", Chicago Tribune. January 16, 1956. Part 3, p. 12.
In 1951, the station's studios were moved to its transmitter site in Elmhurst. In 1954, it was sold to Robert Oscar Miller and family."Our Respects to Robert Oscar Miller", Broadcasting/Telecasting. October 4, 1954. p. 20. Retrieved October 3, 2018. Nelson Eddy, the Wayne King Orchestra, Liberace, Coke Time with Eddie Fisher, and The Hour of Charm were heard on WAIT in the 1950s."Station WAIT Slates 'Gold' Radio Shows", Chicago Tribune. July 25, 1954. Part 3, Radio TV. In the mid-1950s, WAIT published a chart of the top 20 popular songs in Chicago.WAIT Platter Pulse, WAIT. October 13, 1956. Retrieved May 2, 2020. Reed Farrell and Lloyd 'Spider' Webb were DJs on the station during this period.Schickle, Steve. "The Disk Derby", Chicago Tribune. October 13, 1956. Part 1, p. 18.Lyon, Herb. "Tower Ticker", Chicago Tribune. March 15, 1957. Part 1, p. 16."Round the Wax Circle", Cash Box. February 2, 1957. p. 14. Retrieved May 2, 2020. In 1957, the station's studios were moved to the Steuben Club Building. In 1963, its studios were moved back to its transmitter site in Elmhurst, though its offices remained in the Steuben Club Building.1966 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1966. p. B-46. Retrieved May 5, 2020.
In 1962, the station was sold to a partnership led by Maurice and Lois Rosenfield, for $1 million."Changing hands", Broadcasting. July 2, 1962. p. 44. Retrieved October 3, 2018."Station WAIT Sold to Group for a Million", Chicago Tribune. June 29, 1962. Part 3, p. 19. It adopted a beautiful music format in early 1963, which it continued to air through the 1970s."More Music on WAIT Radio", Chicago Tribune. February 10, 1963. Part 8, Radio.O'Connor, Richard. (2009). A Brief History of Beautiful Music Radio, Percy Faith Pages. Retrieved September 30, 2018."Stations By Format", Billboard. October 31, 1964. p. 34. Retrieved January 20, 2019."Stations, everywhere: a listeners' guide to the AM and FM bands", Chicago Tribune Magazine. March 4, 1979. p. 34. Retrieved September 30, 2018. It was branded "The World's Most Beautiful Music" and used the slogan "try a little tenderness"."Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series", Volume 20, Part 6, Number 1; Maps and Atlases, January - June 1966; Copyright Office - The Library of Congress, Washington DC: 1967. pp. 56-57. Retrieved September 30, 2018. Personalities heard on WAIT during this era included Ken Alexander, Dick Buckley, and John Doremus."AM Radio", Chicago Tribune. January 29, 1972. Section 1, p. 11.Wolters, Larry. "Critic Finds Plenty of Good Music", Chicago Tribune. June 20, 1965. Section 10, p. 12. In 1967, the station applied to the Federal Communications Commission for a waiver of its clear-channel rules so that it could operate at night."WAIT Loses Bid on Night Broadcasts", Chicago Tribune. November 21, 1972. Section 1A, p. 13. When the FCC denied its application, it appealed to the D.C. Court of Appeals, which upheld the FCC's decision."WAIT Radio v. Federal Communications Commission", Open Jurist. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
In autumn 1976, the station shifted to an adult contemporary format.Deeb, Gary. "WAIT takes a different Muzak tack by softly rocking bland and bland", Chicago Tribune. November 17, 1976. Section 2, p. 14.Deeb, Gary. "'60 Minutes' has new cousin: 'Who's Who'", Chicago Tribune. November 29, 1976. Section 2, p. 10. In October 1977, WAIT switched to a talk format.Deeb, Gary. "Miller tops list at WAIT", Chicago Tribune. September 19, 1977. Section 3, p. 12. However, its ratings dropped considerably after it abandoned the beautiful music format, and in August 1978 it returned to the beautiful music format it had long aired.Deeb, Gary. "WAIT has some problems that just won't wait", Chicago Tribune. January 12, 1978. Section 2, p. 10.Duncan, James H. "Chicago: 12+ Metro Share", An American Radio Trilogy 1975 to 2004. Volume 1: The Markets. Duncan's American Radio. Retrieved May 5, 2020.Deeb, Gary. "Mutual's feeling is that WCFL should join the all-talk trend", Chicago Tribune. August 22, 1978. Section 2, p. 8. In 1979, the station's license was assigned to Century Chicago Broadcasting, a partnership of Century Broadcasting Corporation and the station's previous owners."Ownership Changes", Broadcasting. May 14, 1979. p. 72-73. Retrieved October 3, 2018. In 1980, it applied to the FCC for a construction permit to add nighttime operations at 1,000 watts. The permit was granted in 1981, and it began nighttime operations by 1982.Condon, David. "WAIT–it sounds like the Wildcats", Chicago Tribune. July 29, 1981. Section 4, p. 1.Zorn, Eric. "Satellites programmed for 'local' listening", Chicago Tribune. August 9, 1982. Section 2, p. 1."WAIT AM 82 - 'Nice 'N Easy Music'", The Museum of Classic Chicago Television. Retrieved September 30, 2018.Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1983, Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1983. p. B-70. Retrieved September 30, 2018. In 1981, the station started carrying Northwestern Wildcats football games.
In October 1982, WAIT began airing an adult standards format branded "Great Hits", featuring the hits of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s.Alridge, Ron. "'Saturday Night' in its death throes?", Chicago Tribune. October 18, 1982. Section 2, p. 12.Zorn, Eric. "WJJD vs. WAIT: Sounds of war have a big band beat", Chicago Tribune. February 20, 1984. pp. 1, 3."'Great Hits' Readied for Syndication", Billboard. November 13, 1982. p. 15. Retrieved September 30, 2018.Chicago Radio Guide. Vol. 1, No. 1. May 1985. Retrieved September 30, 2018. The station aired Chuck Schaden's Radio Theatre weekday evenings. Eddie Hubbard joined WAIT in 1983, and hosted the morning drive show."Programming", Broadcasting & Cable. July 4, 1983. p. 101. Retrieved April 27, 2020.Zorn, Eric. "On the radio: Hellyer shoots for old stars", Chicago Tribune. February 16, 1984. Section 5, p. 13. Dick Buckley hosted a jazz program Saturday nights from 1984 to 1985.Zorn, Eric. "WOPA to change format as WBMX", Chicago Tribune. June 4, 1984. Section 5, p. 5.Zorn, Eric. "Nordstrand's Power at WFMT Takes a Dive", Chicago Tribune. August 1, 1985.
Soft AC era