WEPS

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WEPS
City Elgin, Illinois
Slogan "The Right Mix"
Frequency 88.9 MHz
First air date January 13, 1950[1]
Format High School
Public Radio
ERP 740 watts
HAAT 13 meters
Class A
Facility ID 4266
Transmitter coordinates 42°02′17″N 88°16′15″W / 42.03806°N 88.27083°W / 42.03806; -88.27083
Callsign meaning Elgin Public Schools[1]
Affiliations Wisconsin Public Radio, National Public Radio, BBC World Service
Owner Elgin Area School District U46
(Board of Education School District U-46)
Website WEPS Online

WEPS (88.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to serve Elgin, Illinois, USA. The station is owned by the Elgin Area School District U46 and licensed to Board of Education School District U-46. Founded in 1950, WEPS is the oldest non-commercial educational radio station in the state of Illinois.[1][2]

WEPS broadcasts a public radio format as a member of Wisconsin Public Radio. WEPS also airs programming from National Public Radio and the BBC World Service.[3] The Illinois-based station joined Wisconsin Public Radio on September 28, 2005, as part of the Ideas Network, WPR's news and information service.[4]

Originally licensed in 1950 to broadcast at 88.1 MHz, WEPS originally broadcast instructional programs to the Elgin Public Schools, local high school sporting events, and was partially staffed by students to give them experience in high school radio station operation.[1][5] The effort to bring WEPS on the air was led by Ernest C. Waggoner, director of audio-visual education for the school district.[1] WEPS moved to its current 88.9 MHz frequency in the late 1970s.[6]

2004 license renewal objection by outside party

On July 28, 2004, the Elgin School District filed a routine license renewal request, as required by FCC regulations.[7] On November 1, 2004, a non-profit educational organization with Christian religious ties [8] known as "RB Schools" based in Keene, Texas, filed an application to force WEPS to share time on the 88.9 MHz frequency with a new non-commercial station as part of a larger filing against high school radio stations across the United States.[9] The school district filed a petition to deny this application on April 27, 2005, RB Schools filed its opposition to the petition on May 12, 2005, and the district replied on May 24, 2005.[10] The application was ultimately dismissed and the WEPS license was renewed on May 26, 2005.[11] RB Schools filed a petition for reconsideration on July 1, 2005, and the school district filed its opposition to the petition on July 13, 2005.[11] After due consideration, the petition was granted in part but mostly denied by the FCC on June 29, 2006.[12] RB Schools filed an application for review on August 23, 2006.[11] The district filed its opposition to this application on September 5, 2006, and RB Schools replied on September 15, 2006.[12] The station is currently licensed to the district until December 1, 2020, and all of the RB Schools time-share requests were dismissed by the FCC on September 24, 2008.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Alft, E. C. (1984). "Chapter IX - Civic Pride". Elgin: An American History. Crossroads Communications. ISBN 0-916445-09-7.
  2. ↑ Tabor, Terri (September 13, 2000). "Pieces finally falling into place for Elgin's WEPS". Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
  3. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  4. ↑ Davidson, Randall (2006). 9XM Talking: WHA Radio and the Wisconsin Idea. University of Wisconsin Press. p. 342. ISBN 0-299-21870-8.
  5. ↑ "Stations: WEPS". Public Radio Exchange. Retrieved December 14, 2008.
  6. ↑ Tabor, Terri (January 14, 2000). "U-46 hopes more will tune in to station's potential". Arlington Heights Daily Herald.
  7. ↑ "Public Notice Comment (BRED-20040728AJF)". FCC Media Bureau.
  8. ↑ Freedman, Samuel G. (November 23, 2005). "School Radio Stations Face Competition Over Licenses". The New York Times.
  9. ↑ "Company wants time on school radio stations". Radio Business Report. November 12, 2004.
  10. ↑ "Legal Action Information (BRED-20040728AJF)". FCC Media Bureau.
  11. 1 2 3 "Application Search Details (BRED-20040728AJF)". FCC Media Bureau. May 26, 2005.
  12. 1 2 "Public Notice Comment (BNPED-20041101AHT)". FCC Media Bureau.
  13. ↑ "MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER". Federal Communications Commission. 26 September 2008. Retrieved 10 May 2016.
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