WCPT hits the FM dial

Fans of Chicago progressive talk station WCPT (820AM) can rejoice come Monday morning, as the station will be heard via three FM signals in the metro area.

NewsWeb will simulcast WCPT's signal on three of the company's Chicago-area FM stations. WKIE (92.7FM), located in Dekalb, serves the area far west of Chicago, including Rockford and Beloit, WI. WDEK (92.5FM), licenced to suburban Arlington Heights, can be heard from Downtown all the way up to Kenosha, WI. And Park Forest's WRZA (99.9FM) has a 50,000 watter signal serving areas south of Chicago, such as Joliet, and parts of northwestern Indiana. The new FM trimulcast will displace the Adult Hits format known as "9 FM."

The move extends the reach of WCPT's programming to northern Illinois, Southern Wisconsin, and Northwest Indiana.

WCPT, a daytime-only operation, will still run from sunrise to sunset on 820AM. When the AM station signs off, progressive talk programming will continue on the FMs until 9A,when "Dance Factory," carried over from the 9 FM lineup, will take over until 5A. But the three FM stations will air progressive talk programming from 5A-9P.

"Breakout stars like Rachel Maddow, Ed Schultz and Stephanie Miller illustrate the enthusiasm that exists for the progressive Talk radio format," NewsWeb VP/Group Station Manager Harvey Wells said. "We're thrilled to be able to offer even more outstanding programming to the Chicago area."

With the move, there will be some schedule shifting. Mike Malloy has been dropped and replaced by the Air America shows of Rachel Maddow and Ron Reagan, which fit in more effectively slot-wise with the start time of "Dance Factory" (which is brokered programming that is a guaranteed revenue earner).