City Peoria, Illinois Frequency 1020 kHz | Broadcast area Peoria, Illinois Format Christian radio | |
Translator(s) W249CZ 97.7 MHz
W280FA 103.9 MHz First air date 1946 (1946) (as WMMJ)
August 1950 (as WPEO) | ||
WPEO (1020 kHz) is a daytime-only AM radio station licensed for Peoria, Illinois. One of the oldest stations in Peoria, it was once a top 40 radio station before switching to Christian radio. Its studio and transmitter are just south of Illinois Central College in East Peoria, Illinois.
The station was first on the air from 1946 to 1949 as WMMJ, playing big band music and sports, but it had financial difficulties and went off the air. WPEO signed on in August 1950, with its studios in the Jefferson Hotel downtown, and started its top 40 format in 1954, competing with 1290 WIRL. During this time, Harry Harrison was at WPEO as the "Morning Mayor of Peoria" and station manager. In 1959, he left for New York's WMCA, and WPEO switched to country music in 1960.
In 1970, WPEO was bought by the Pinebrook Foundation, Inc., a Pennsylvania-based non-profit corporation, and switched to a Christian radio format. As of 2009, its programming is based on paid time for various national Christian programming sources. It is still restricted to daylight hours to protect clear-channel station KDKA in Pittsburgh.