WDWS

WDWS

NBC News Radio Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks Westwood One Illinois Fighting Illini Radio Network (flagship station)
Ownership
Owner	Community Media Group, Inc. (Champaign Multimedia Group, LLC)
Sister stations	WHMS-FM, WKIO
History
First air date	January 24, 1937; 87 years ago (1937-01-24)
Call sign meaning	David W. Stevick (publisher of News-Gazette)
Technical information
Facility ID	14961
Class	C
Power	1,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates	40°5′4.00″N 88°14′53.00″W / 40.0844444°N 88.2480556°W / 40.0844444; -88.2480556
Translator(s)	93.9 W230CW (Champaign)
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	wdws.com

WDWS (1400

and offices are at the newspaper's headquarters on Fox Drive in Champaign.

WDWS is powered at 1,000

Programming

WDWS airs a mix of local news, talk, agricultural reports and sports shows along with

CBS Radio News

.

WDWS and

programs on weekends.

History

WDWS

, the non-commercial radio station of the University of Illinois, dates its start to the 1920s.)

David W. Stevick, publisher of the News-Gazette, had applied for a license in 1935, and his wife Helen and daughter Marajen continued the project. They named the station WDWS in his honor. In 1937, WDWS became a CBS Radio Network affiliate. It carried CBS's line up of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio."

In 1949, WDWS added an FM station at 97.5 MHz. For most of its early years, WDWS-FM simulcast the programming of WDWS 1400. In 1988 it switched its call sign to WHMS-FM to establish a separate identity.

The two stations are the flagship stations for Illinois Fighting Illini football and basketball games, a role that WDWS has held throughout its history. Longtime sports director Jim Turpin also doubled as the radio voice of the Illini from 1960 until 2002. WDWS also airs the Illini women's basketball, volleyball, and baseball games exclusively.

WDWS was the east central Illinois

in 2012.

WDWS has been a CBS Radio affiliate for its entire history, except for a period from 2001 to 2009 when it was affiliated with ABC News Radio. The station carried The Rush Limbaugh Show from 1997 until his death in 2021. Sean Hannity was added in 2009.

WDWS's morning program was originally called "Penny for Your Thoughts." The show, formerly hosted by Jim Turpin and later by Brian Barnhart, was known for its unique open-line format.

In October 2021, WDWS began broadcasting a simulcast on

W230CW at 93.9 MHz and rebranded itself as Newstalk 1400 & 93.9FM DWS.

Notable staff

• Robert Goralski
• Larry Stewart^[3]
• Dave Gentry
• Loren Tate
• Brian Barnhart
• Dave Loane
• Steve Kelly

References

External links

• WDWS in the FCC AM station database
• WDWS in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• W230CW in the FCC FM station database
• W230CW at FCCdata.org