WLS (AM)

For the Philippine radio station, see DWLS.

WLS
Broadcast areaChicago metropolitan area
Frequency890 kHz
Branding89 WLS
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatTalk radio
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
April 11, 1924; 100 years ago (1924-04-11)
Former call signs
  • WES (1924)
[1]
Former frequencies
Call sign meaning
Founded by Sears, the "World's Largest Store"
Technical information[5]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID73227
ClassA
Power50,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
41°33′21.12″N 87°50′54.19″W / 41.5558667°N 87.8483861°W / 41.5558667; -87.8483861
Repeater(s)94.7 WLS-FM HD2 (Chicago)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Listen live (via iHeartRadio)
Websitewww.wlsam.com

WLS (890 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by Cumulus Media, through licensee Radio License Holdings LLC, the station airs a talk radio format. WLS studios are in the NBC Tower on North Columbus Drive in the city's Streeterville neighborhood. The station's programming is also available in the Chicago metropolitan area via a simulcast on the HD2 digital subchannel of sister station WLS-FM.

Its transmitter site is located on the southwestern edge of Tinley Park, Illinois in Will County.[3][6] WLS is a Class A station broadcasting on the clear-channel frequency of 890 kHz with 50,000 watts, using a non-directional antenna fed by a Nautel NX-50 transmitter, with a Harris DX-50 serving as a backup transmitter. Both transmitters run in MDCL (Modulation Dependent Carrier Level) mode to improve efficiency. The station's daytime groundwave service contour covers portions of five states.[7] At night, its signal routinely reaches 38 states via skywave.[8]

WLS participates as an Emergency Alert System primary entry point, serving northern Illinois and western Indiana.

  1. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference wls20 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b "New Radiotelephone Stations Operating in Chicago". The New York Times. June 1, 1924. Archived from the original on January 19, 2010. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  3. ^ a b pmg / NzeroNNK (November 24, 2004). "WLS/890 and Larry Lujack". Archived from the original on July 12, 2008. Retrieved July 30, 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ History Cards for WLS, fcc.gov. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  5. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WLS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  6. ^ Moss, Brett (November 14, 2013). "A Celebration for the WLS Tower". radioworld.com. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  7. ^ "0.5 mV/m Daytime Groundwave Service Contour [WLS, 890 kHz, Chicago, IL]". fcc.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  8. ^ Childers, Scott (2008). Chicago's WLS Radio. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia. p. 83. ISBN 9780738561943.