City Crystal Lake, Illinois First air date October 1, 1965 | Frequency 850 kHz | |
Broadcast area Chicago metropolitan area Branding "The Promise" or "La Promisa" Format Spanish language Brokered Religious | ||
WAIT (850 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to Crystal Lake, Illinois and serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It was purchased by Newsweb Corporation in 2003. WAIT airs a Spanish language Christian radio format. All hours are paid Brokered programming.
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WAIT is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a Class D station and broadcasts only during daytime hours. The station is off the air from sunset to sunrise to protect KOA in Denver, the Clear-channel station on 850 kHz.
Because of its northwest suburban location and directional pattern, WAIT can be heard in Rockford, Illinois and Janesville, Wisconsin in addition to the Chicago Media market.
Early Years
The station first came on the air on October 1, 1965 using the call letters WCLR, which stood for Crystal Lake, its city of license. In 1969, the station was purchased by Mal Bellairs, a WBBM personality, who changed the station's call letters to WIVS, standing for wives. As WIVS, the station aired MOR/Easy listening music as well as local talk and community programming. The station's talk shows and music were targeted to the women Bellairs targeted when he worked for WBBM. Bellairs owned the station until 1981.
Mal Bellairs would continue to host a music and talk show on the station until March 11, 1985, when WIVS began airing a Country music format using programming fed by the Satellite Music Network. In December 1985 WIVS's power was increased from 500 watts to 2,500 watts.
850 becomes WAIT
In April 1986, the original WAIT at 820 kHz, which was best known for its Beautiful music format in the 1960s and '70s, changed its call letters to WCZE, branded "Cozy" radio, and began airing an adult contemporary music format. In May 1986, 850 picked up the WAIT call letters, which originally stood for the station's dial position (Eight). In 1988 the station was sold to Crystal Lake Radio, and the new owners replaced the Country music format with a full service format playing Oldies music. By early 1990 the station had adopted a Beautiful music format. In 1991, the station was sold to Pride Communications. The station's former owner, Mal Bellairs would return as the station's morning announcer while the station ran a Beautiful Music format.
Adult Standards years
By 1993, WAIT had adopted an Adult Standards format. The station initially aired ABC Radio's satellite-fed Adult Standards format Stardust, and later aired Westwood One's satellite-fed Adult Standards format called "AM Only" (now America's Best Music). WAIT enjoyed ratings success as an Adult Standards station, making it into the top 10 among Chicago area stations and taking a 3.3 audience share in April 1996. At least part of the ratings increase could be attributed to longtime adult standards station WJJD switching to a news/talk format. In October 2000, NextMedia Group purchased WAIT from Pride Communications.
Chicagoland's Voice
Although still enjoying relatively good ratings, WAIT switched from Adult Standards to a News-Talk format branded "Chicagoland's Voice" on January 28, 2002. The station carried longtime talk show host Libby Collins, as well as syndicated hosts including Bill O'Reilly, Mike Gallagher and Michael Savage. Ratings plummeted after the station's format change, and the station was sold in the fall of 2003.
Newsweb ownership
On October 31, 2003, Newsweb took ownership of AM 850 WAIT, and the talk format ended on the station. The station began airing brokered programming. On May 5, 2005, AM 850, launched progressive talk with the new call letters WCPT. The WAIT call letters were moved to 820 AM, which until November 25, 2007 was leased by Newsweb to Starboard Broadcasting and was part of the Catholic Relevant Radio network. On November 26, 2007 the WAIT call sign returned to 850 AM and the WCPT call sign moved to 820 AM, along with the progressive talk format. The Catholic talk format that had aired on WAIT 820 was moved to WNTD 950 kHz. WAIT, still owned by Newsweb Corporation, is now a brokered station airing a Spanish-language religious format.