WLEY-FM

For the AM radio station in Cayey, Puerto Rico, United States, see WLEY (AM).
WLEY-FM
City Aurora, Illinois
Broadcast area Chicago, Rockford
Branding La Ley 107.9
Frequency 107.9 MHz
Format Regional Mexican
Audience share 2.6 (Sp'08, R&R[1])
ERP 21,000 watts
HAAT 232.0 meters
Class B
Facility ID 71282
Transmitter coordinates 41°56′1.00″N 88°4′23.00″W / 41.9336111°N 88.0730556°W / 41.9336111; -88.0730556
Callsign meaning la LEY (Spanish word for "the law")
Former callsigns WYSY-FM (1988-1997)
Owner Spanish Broadcasting System
Webcast Listen Live
Website laley1079.com

WLEY-FM (107.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican format. Licensed to Aurora, Illinois, USA, the station serves the Chicago, Rockford area. The station is currently owned by Wley Licensing, Inc. and features programming from ABC Radio .[2]

History

The station has been locally owned since its 1965 sign on as WMRO-FM. They played adult contemporary music of some sort over the years, but did go through various formats over the many years. The station was known as WAUR-FM by 1970. In 1986 WAUR was sold to Beasley Broadcasting. They continued as an adult contemporary station, serving the Aurora area at that time. By the late 1980s, the call letters were changed to WYSY-FM "Y-108 - Doin' It In The 'Burbs!" The AM sister station WMRO (AM) 1280, became WYSY-AM, simulcasting Y-108, and it later became WBIG (AM). For a while in 1993, the station played Adult Top 40 days and hard rock/metal at night.

In late 1993, WYSY was sold to Cox Communications to form a duopoly with classic rock WCKG-FM 105.9. The station switched to a "Greatest Hits of the '70s" format in 1994.[3] Initially, they played all types of 1970s music such as easy listening, soft rock, pop, disco, hard rock, classic rock, soul, novelty, and others. By 1995, the station was mixing in popular 1960s and 1980s hits. The music narrowed to a blend of pop rock, pop, disco, soft rock, and soul.

In 1996, when the FCC allowed companies to own up to 5 AM and 5 FM stations per market, but totaling no more than 8 in all, CBS bought this station, along with its sister station WCKG, on May 16. At the time CBS already owned WBBM (AM) and WBBM-FM. They also acquired WMAQ and WXRT from Westinghouse. This gave CBS 4 FM stations and 2 AM stations.

In 1997, with the merger of Infinity, CBS owned news 780 WBBM, talk/sports WJJD 1160, news 670 WMAQ, WSCR 820 AM (Daytime Sports Talk), AAA 93.1 WXRT, rhythmic/CHR WBBM-FM 96.3, Country 99.5 WUSN, 104.3 oldies WJMK, talk WCKG 105.9, and 107.9 WYSY, playing mostly 1970s hits. This gave CBS nine stations in total: altogether one station "too many" (given ownership restrictions), and one station too many on the FM band alone. CBS/Infinity thus opted to sell the stations with the lowest ratings (and weakest signals), which were WYSY (transmitter in Bloomingdale, IL, co-located with WMAQ 670 AM) and WSCR AM 820 (sold to Douglas Broadcasting; WSCR then relocated to the 24-hour 1160 AM signal). CBS sold WYSY to Spanish Broadcasting System. On July 4, 1997, after a 3-month stunt similar to the adult hits format played by a man named "Bill", WYSY flipped to WLEY and took on a Spanish Adult Contemporary format leaning on Mexican Music. Eventually, WLEY evolved into a Regional Mexican music format focusing on Ranchera. By coincidence, WLEY's calls originated on WCFS-FM (105.9) in the 1950s, standing for Leyden Township.

References

  1. "Chicago Market Ratings". Radio & Records.
  2. "WLEY-FM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. "Newsline". Billboard. 106 (3). January 15, 1994.
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