WIBA-FM

WIBA-FM
City Sauk City, Wisconsin
Broadcast area Madison, Wisconsin
Branding 101-5 WIBA-FM
Slogan Madison's Classic Rock
Frequency 101.5 MHz FM
(also on HD Radio)
First air date October 31, 1969
Format FM/HD1: Classic rock
HD2: Sports radio (WTSO simulcast)
ERP 12,000 watts
HAAT 309 meters
Class B
Facility ID 17385
Transmitter coordinates 43° 03' 21.00" N
89° 32' 6.00 " W
Callsign meaning "WIsconsin" + "BAdger Broadcasting" (from sister station WIBA-AM)
Owner iHeartMedia, Inc.
(Capstar TX LLC)
Sister stations WIBA (AM), WMAD, WTSO, WXXM, WZEE
Webcast WIBA-FM live stream
re-Covered Radio live stream
Website wibafm.com

WIBA-FM (101.5 MHz) is a radio station licensed to Sauk City, Wisconsin and serving Madison and South Central Wisconsin. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. and broadcasts a classic rock music format.

Station History

Originally licensed to the city of Madison, Wisconsin (the station's city of license would be moved to Sauk City in the 2010s), WIBA-FM commenced broadcasting on October 31, 1969, simulcasting the signal of its AM sister station, WIBA (1310 kHz). During the 1970s, WIBA-FM would move to a freeform/contemporary rock-and-roll format, featuring local artists through such programs as Television, WIBA-FM's simulcast of the WMTV late-night weekend music program.[1] In 1979, WIBA-FM overnight switched to its classic rock format.

WIBA-FM's current programming includes the Premiere Networks-syndicated Bob & Tom Show, heard weekdays 6AM-10AM, and Sixx Sense with Nikki Sixx in the 7PM-12AM weeknight slot. WIBA-FM also serves as Madison's FM home of Green Bay Packers football and Wisconsin Badgers football and men's basketball, in a simulcast with its sister station, WIBA-AM.

HD Radio

"Mad Radio" logo for WIBA-FM-HD2 (c. 2007-2013)

WIBA-FM transmits a multiplexed HD Radio signal. The station's HD2 sidechannel launched in the mid-2000s and originally aired an all-comedy format, until converting to a commercial-free alternative rock format in 2007, chiefly employing announcers and alt-rock playlists from Clear Channel's national format lab but employing the former "Mad Radio" branding that previously used on two other Clear Channel Madison stations (at 92.1 FM and 96.3 FM).

In Fall 2013, "Mad Radio" would be replaced by a simulcast of "Socially Sound Radio," an iHeartRadio Top 40/pop channel that emphasizes songs and artists that generate interest among social media platforms. After iHeartRadio dropped Socially Sound in Summer 2014, 101.5-HD2 would feature a rotation of various iHeartRadio channels, among them "Roots of Rock" (1960s/1970s progressive/album rock), "My 80s" (80s pop songs), and "re-Covered Radio" (modern cover versions of iconic songs).[2] As of November 2016, 101.5-HD2 simulcasts the all-sports format of sister station WTSO.

WIBA-FM briefly had an HD3 subchannel in 2012; that channel simulcast the news/talk programming of WIBA-AM 1310.

References

  1. ↑ Television on WMTV/WIBA-FM, c. 1981
  2. ↑ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=95 HD Radio Guide for Madison, Wisconsin

Coordinates: 43°03′22″N 89°32′06″W / 43.056°N 89.535°W / 43.056; -89.535

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