Broadcast area Madison, Wisconsin ERP 12,000 watts Facility ID 17385 City of license Sauk City Owner iHeartMedia Inc Branding 101-5 WIBA-FM | First air date October 31, 1969 HAAT 309 meters Frequency 101.5 MHz Format Classic rock Area Madison | |
 | ||
Transmitter coordinates 43° 03' 21.00" N
89° 32' 6.00 " W Slogan Madison's Classic Rock That Rocks | ||
WIBA-FM (101.5 MHz) is a radio station licensed to Sauk City, Wisconsin and serving Madison and South Central Wisconsin. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. and broadcasts a classic rock music format.
Contents
Station History
Originally licensed to the city of Madison, Wisconsin (the station's city of license would be moved to Sauk City in the 2010s), WIBA-FM commenced broadcasting on October 31, 1969, simulcasting the signal of its AM sister station, WIBA (1310 kHz). During the 1970s, WIBA-FM would move to a freeform/contemporary rock-and-roll format, featuring local artists through such programs as Television, WIBA-FM's simulcast of the WMTV late-night weekend music program. In 1979, WIBA-FM overnight switched to its classic rock format.
WIBA-FM's current programming includes the Premiere Networks-syndicated Bob & Tom Show, heard weekdays 6AM-10AM, and Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx in the 7PM-12AM weeknight slot. WIBA-FM also serves as Madison's FM home of Green Bay Packers football and Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball, in a simulcast with WIBA (AM).
HD Radio
WIBA-FM transmits a multiplexed HD Radio signal. The station's HD2 sidechannel launched in the mid-2000s and originally aired an all-comedy format, until converting to a commercial-free alternative rock format in 2007, chiefly employing announcers and alt-rock playlists from Clear Channel's national format lab but employing the former "Mad Radio" branding that previously used on two other Clear Channel Madison stations (at 92.1 FM and 96.3 FM).
In Fall 2013, "Mad Radio" would be replaced by a simulcast of "Socially Sound Radio," an iHeartRadio Top 40/pop channel that emphasizes songs and artists that generate interest among social media platforms. After iHeartRadio dropped Socially Sound in Summer 2014, 101.5-HD2 would feature a rotation of various iHeartRadio channels, among them "Roots of Rock" (1960s/1970s progressive/album rock), "My 80s" (80s pop songs), and "re-Covered Radio" (modern cover versions of iconic songs). As of November 2016, 101.5-HD2 simulcasts the all-sports format of sister station WTSO.
WIBA-FM briefly had an HD3 subchannel in 2012, simulcasting WIBA (AM).