 | |
 | |
| Broadcast area | Chicago metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1590 kHz |
| Branding | Chicago's Smart Talk |
| Programming | |
| Format | Brokered programming (English, Korean, Russian, Assyrian) |
| Affiliations | Genesis Communications Network Premiere Networks USA Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | September 29, 1947[1] |
Former call signs | WNMP (1947-1970)[2] WLTD (1970-1979)[2] WONX (1979-2009)[3] |
Call sign meaning | Chicago |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 35447 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 10,000 watts day 2,500 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°1′20.00″N 87°42′43.00″W / 42.0222222°N 87.7119444°W |
| Translator(s) | 95.9 W240EH (Evanston) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | WCGOradio.com |
WCGO (1590 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Evanston, Illinois, and serving the Chicago metropolitan area's northern suburbs. The station is owned by William Pollack through licensee Evanston Broadcasting LLC.[4][5] WCGO has a brokered programming radio format where hosts buy time on the station and may use their shows to advertise their services or seek donations. On weekday mornings, the station airs Korean-language Christian radio programming. Russian language shows are heard in the afternoon. Evenings and weekends, WCGO airs brokered talk and ethnic shows. Overnight, it carries the nationally syndicated Coast to Coast AM with George Noory from Premiere Networks.
By day, WCGO is powered at 10,000 watts non-directional. But to protect other stations on 1590 AM from interference, at night it reduces power to 2,500 watts and uses a directional antenna with a four-tower array. The transmitter is on North McCormick Boulevard near West Howard Street in Skokie.[6] Programming is also heard on 250-watt FM translator W240EH at 95.9 MHz in Evanston.[7]
The station signed on the air on September 29, 1947[1] It held the call sign WNMP.[1][2] WNMP operated during daytime hours only, with a power of 1,000 watts.[2] Block programming was aired in its early years.[8] In 1959, the station adopted a classical music/light music format.[9] In 1960, the station was sold to Harry H. Semrow and his brother Otto Semrow for $325,000.[10][11][2] The station aired an easy listening format in the 1960s and carried Northwestern Wildcats football.[12][13][14] In December 1969, the station was sold to Alan H. Cummings and Buddy Black for $875,000.[15][2]
Its call sign was changed to WLTD on November 2, 1970.[2] WLTD aired easy listening music, old-time radio shows, and specialty talk shows.[16] On May 2, 1970, Chuck Schaden's first Those Were The Days program aired on WNMP.[17][18] It continued on WLTD until 1975, when the station changed format.[18]
In 1975, the station was sold to Kovas Communications for $400,000, and adopted a beautiful music format.[19][2][20][21]
On April 9, 1979, the station's call sign was changed to WONX.[2] The station switched to a Spanish language format.[22][23] Programming in other languages were also aired over the years.[24][25][26][27] In 1982, the station added nighttime operations, running 2,500 watts.[2][28] It used a four-tower directional array at night.[5] In 1997, the station's daytime power was increased to 3,500 watts.[29]
On April 10, 2009, the previous WCGO on 1600, also owned by Kovas, was taken off the air.[30] On April 13, 2009, WONX's call sign was changed to WCGO.[3] With 1600 now vacant, the new WCGO was able to increase its daytime power to 7,000 watts.[31] In 2014, the station's daytime power was increased to 10,000 watts.[32][33]
WCGO began airing talk programs in September 2014, with local shows hosted by Franklin Raff and Geoff Pinkus, as well as Dana Loesch's syndicated program.[34] On April 6, 2015, Milt Rosenberg began hosting a program on the station.[35] As of 2023, its programming is multilingual: Weekend programming includes Legal Eagles with William Pelarenos, The Dave Ramsey Show, The Assyrian Cultural Foundation: The Guiding Voice with Ninos Nirari, The Chicago Wine Report with Chip Dudley, Tom Hall, and Lainie Petersen, Domingo Felices with Frank Camacho, and Dialogo Politico with Robert Ameneiro. Weekdays features Korean Christian programming weekday mornings, Russian language programing via Radio NVC weekday afternoons, and Multiformat Network show highlights in the evenings. Overnight programming is Coast to Coast AM and Coast to Coast Weekends with George Noory.[36]
In 2017, the station was sold to William Pollack for $3 million.[4][37] In 2019, WCGO became the flagship station of the national SmartTalk Radio Network.