City Peoria, Illinois First air date June 2010 ERP 500 watts | Frequency 90.7 MHz Format Community radio | |
Slogan "Community Radio; Voice of the People" | ||
WAZU is a non-commercial educational (NCE) public radio station on 90.7 MHz at Peoria, Illinois. It is owned by Sirius Syncope, a not-for-profit organization in West Peoria, Illinois.
Station manager Jeremy Styninger applied for a license in March 1998. The station received its construction permit on 30 May 2007. In a December 2009 Illinois Central College board meeting, the college president announced an ICC contract to establish the station, and a map showing coverage from Mendota to Mason City and from Bushnell to Streator.
The station was reported on the air with Pacifica Radio programming on or before June 18, 2010. The station received its license on June 23, 2010, and was being operated by Illinois Central College with 36 hours/week of syndicated talk programs by the beginning of July 2010. By the end of July the station was simulcasting 88.1 KZGM Cabool, Missouri, with KZGM providing both Missouri and Peoria weather forecast announcements, while preparing for full Illinois Central College use. The first locally produced and longest running show is called "Peoria Underground Radio With Dj Mac & Hoz-B", it first aired on August 3, 2010 and ran for 2 hours. Peoria Underground Radio original schedule was every Tuesday starting at 10pm with a repeat of it that following Thursday in the same time slot, it featured local hip-hop, rap, and R&B as well as underground music from all over. Since then it has been changed to Saturday nights starting at 10pm and is now a five-hour show, the show is often live from local area clubs or bars, and the format slightly changed also, although mostly hip-hop and rap.