WIBC (FM)

Infobox Radio Station
name = WIBC


city = Indianapolis, Indiana
area = Indianapolis, Indiana
airdate = October 30, 1938
frequency = 93.1 (MHz) HD Radio
format = News/Talk
HD2: Dance Top 40
erp = 13,500 watts
haat = 302 meters
class = B
facility_id = 19524
owner = Emmis Communications
webcast = [http://www.wibc.com/streaming/streamingpage.aspx Listen Live]
website = [http://www.wibc.com/ www.wibc.com]
callsign_meaning =
WIBC is a radio station owned by Emmis Communications in Indianapolis, Indiana. The station currently operates on the FM radio frequency of 93.1 MHz. The studios are located at 40 Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. The transmitter and antenna are located, according to the FCC, near Post Road and Burk Road on the far east side of Indianapolis. The station currently airs a news/talk format.

For over sixty-nine years, WIBC broadcast on the AM radio frequency of 1070 kHz. On December 26, 2007, WIBC's call letters and news/talk programming moved to 93.1 FM, a station which has had various call letters and formats since its sign-on in 1961. Also on that date, the 1070 AM frequency assumed the call letters WFNI and the nickname "1070 The Fan". [ [http://www.wibc.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=76552 93.1 WIBC FM - It's A New Day ] ]

WIBC history

1070 AM WIBC went on the air on October 30, 1938, the last of the big four in Indianapolis. The other big four were WFBM (now WNDE), WIRE (now WXNT), and WISH/WIFE (now WTLC). In its early days, it was the Indianapolis home of the Mutual Broadcasting System. During the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, WIBC became a talk radio station.

A longtime fixture was former News Director Fred Heckman, who began with WIBC in 1957, abruptly resigning in 1993 under a dispute with its then-owners. He returned in 1994 after the station was purchased by Emmis, and remained until his 2000 retirement. His daily "My Town Indy" radio essays, which ran for thirty years, were among the station's most enduring favorites.

93.1 FM history

The Indianapolis station at 93.1 FM began life, coincidentally enough, as WIBC-FM in 1961 under a classical music format. On July 1, 1968, WIBC-FM was re-launched as WNAP. It was the first FM station in the Indianapolis market to broadcast album-oriented rock music, and was in direct competition with WIFE-AM. Later, in the '70s and early '80s, the station was nicknamed as "the Buzzard".

On March 4, 1986, the format changed to a more rock-driven adult contemporary sound, and the call letters became WEAG using the name "Eagle 93." The format changed to classic hits with the call letters WKLR on August 14, 1987. A year later WKLR changed from classic hits to oldies. Among WKLR's disc jockeys was current WIBC newsman Steve Simpson.

WNAP returned at 5 p.m. on Friday September 9, 1994, when WKLR changed back to a classic hits station with a strong focus on the "greatest hits of the 70s." WNAP later moved in a more classic rock direction playing "classic rock that really rocks" with Howard Stern in the morning. Despite on-air boasts that WNAP was going to "kick (competitor) Q-95's ass," the classic rock format was a failure.

After weeks of stunting, WNAP changed to contemporary hits in early March 2000 with the call letters WNOU and the name "Radio Now." The station received some national notice in December 2004, when their morning show conducted the first interview with Indiana Pacers player Ron Artest following the infamous Pacers-Pistons brawl. The interview was simulcast on NBC's "Today Show".

In 2006, WNOU launched a HD2 subchannel, dubbed "Orbital 93.1," which offered a Dance music format with emphasis on current and classic Dance product 24/7, but in 2007 it was replaced for one day with WNOU's Top 40 format. Orbital was discontinued with the switch to WIBC.

Upon the demise of "Radio Now" on 93.1, Radio One purchased the intellectual property of the station from Emmis Communications. The "Radio Now" branding, format and logo were installed on the new WNOU (formerly WYJZ 100.9 FM). Local Radio One management claimed that they will offer the displaced staffers of WNOU the first chance of joining the station's lineup, and will use the same imaging as the former WNOU. Emmis also claimed that they would release displaced RadioNow staffers from their "non-compete" contracts. [ [http://radioinsight.com/broadcast-buzz/radionow-returns-to-indianapolis/#more-91 RadioNow Returns To Indianapolis : RadioInsight ] ]

During the interim period between the demise of the Radio Now format and the debut of WIBC on 93.1 FM, the frequency was known as WEXM and was programmed with the stunting format the "93 Days of Christmas", in which Christmas music was heard for nearly 3 months. (The original plan was to air 93 days of the format from October 8 to January 8; however, the move from WEXM to WIBC was made nearly two weeks earlier than originally stated, dropping the Christmas music the day after Christmas.)

The WNAP calls are now used at a gospel-formatted AM station licensed in Norristown, PA serving the Philadelphia market area.

Programming

Currently, WIBC broadcasts both local and nationally syndicated shows, primarily with a conservative slant (including Rush Limbaugh and local lawyer Greg Garrison). WIBC programs "The Morning News" weekdays with Jake Query and Terri Stacy; an afternoon-drive program hosted by local comedian Dave "The King" Wilson and former Indianapolis Colts player Joe Staysniak; "Live from the NewsCenter", a weeknight news discussion with Steve Simpson; and "Coast to Coast AM" in the overnight.

Query replaced longtime WIBC fixture Jeff Pigeon (referred to as "Pidge" by the staff and listeners), who announced on September 28, 2007, that he would be leaving the station effective October 1st. He had been WIBC's morning host since taking over for Gary Todd in 1988. Pigeon had hosted the 7:00 p.m.-midnight shift before moving to mornings.

WIBC was the AM flagship station of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, simulcasting the games with sister station WLHK. In addition, WIBC was the flagship for the NBA's Indiana Pacers and the WNBA's Indiana Fever, and for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, carrying the Indianapolis 500 since the network's creation in 1952, and the NASCAR Brickyard 400 since its 1994 inception. WIBC also aired Indiana University football, while WLHK airs that school's basketball games. Emmis has said sports programming will not interrupt the News/Talk on WIBC after the move to FM.

Upon the move to FM, Mike McConnell was added to the daily schedule (replacing the former "WIBC Sports Talk" program), while Paul Harvey, who had been heard on WIBC since 1995, was dropped [http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071220/COLUMNISTS04/712200499/1006/RSS01] . McConnell was replaced in February 2008 with Clark Howard.

References

External links

* [http://www.wibc.com WIBC Website]
* [http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007710080432 WIBC-AM history]
* [http://www.well.com/~irw/stations/wnou.html Indiana Radio Archive, WNOU (now WIBC-FM)]
* [http://www.well.com/~irw/stations/wibc.html Indiana Radio Archive, WIBC]
* [http://www.wibc.com/News/Story.aspx?ID=75944 Jeff Pigeon Leaving WIBC]
*FMQ|WIBC
*FML|WIBC
*FMARB|WIBC