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WLIT-FM (93.9 "The Lite") is an AC radio station out of Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Clear Channel Communications.

History

Their former call letters were WLAK, WWEL, and WEBH. WEBH was broadcasting on 93.9 FM in the Mid 1950s. WEBH changed to WWEL sometime in the 1960s. The station broadcasted "beautiful music" an easy listening format with mostly instrumentals and a couple soft vocal songs per hour.

WWEL was "Well" in the 1960s to describe the easy listening format that was broadcast on 93.9 FM. It was also that way long before. WWEL changed call letters to WLAK in the early 1970s. At that time Viacom bought WLAK. WLAK continued to play mostly instrumental easy listening but increased vocals to about four an hour. In 1983 WLAK switched to Soft AC playing 99% vocal songs and virtually no instrumentals. Core artists were Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand and others. WLAK was very successful in the format, actually one of the first in the nation preceding it's sister station WLTW in New York. WLAK changed call letters in late 1989 to WLIT, as Lite FM.

WLIT 93.9 FM has continued to broadcast in the Chicago area since then. In the mid 1990s WLIT evolved out of Soft AC and into a straight AC format. Viacom sold their radio stations to Chancellor in 1997 making WLIT a Chancellor station. Chancellor restructured and became known as AMFM inc in 1999. In 2000 AMFM inc merged with Clear Channel Communications making WLIT a Clear Channel station.

On August 14, 2006, WLIT added Whoopi Goldberg's new wake-up morning show to the lineup. Her syndicated show "Wake Up With Whoopi" airs from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. However, effective October 18, 2007 WLIT has brought back Melissa Forman back on the morning shift replacing Whoopi Goldberg.

In November of 2007, WLIT dropped Delilah and brought in John Symons and his "Love Notes" show for the night shift, the first time WLIT has had a local night show in ~8 years.

WLIT-HD2

In February 2006, WLIT began broadcasting in High Definition (HD). WLIT's HD-2 format (WLIT-HD2) was originally a disco/1970s format, but with the changeover to Christmas music for the season (see "Holiday Lite" below), the station is now playing Clear Channel Format Lab's "Today's Hits and Yesterday's Favorites" format, similar to the regular format displaced by the Holiday Lite.

Station Management

Operations Manager and Program Director: Darren Davis

Assistant Program Director and Music Director: Eric Richeke

Current and former programming staff

Current:

Melissa Forman, Rick Zurick, Robin Rock, John Symons, Dave Hilton, Mike Kendall, Diane Banks, Beth Reynolds, Eric Richeke (APD,MD), Darren Davis (OM,PD),

Former:

Jack Taddeo(PD from 1983 to 84 and again from 1986 to 1989), Gene Honda (Production Director), Bob Brynteson, Britni Moore, Mary Ann Meyers, Steve Schy, George Briggs, Margo Johnson, Megan Reed, Bob Kaake(PD), Mark Edwards(PD), Phil Redo(GM), Mike Murphy(GM), Derrick Brown (APD), Eva Rhodes, Ken Southern, Bruce Buckley, Ann Hengehold, Randy Thomas, Paul Trembley, Joe Tobin, Tony Phillips, Bill Jurek, Gene Christianson, Paul Peterson, JoAnn Genette, Grant Field, Donna Mullen, Steve Ruxton, Coco Cortez, Carol Friar, Delilah, The Girls (Theresa Lucas, Tamie Lockhart,) and Whoopi Goldberg.

Format

WLIT runs primarily an adult contemporary music format.

The Holiday Lite

During the holiday season, usually starting sometime in November, WLIT temporarily changes its name to The Holiday Lite and plays straight Christmas music, with December 24th and 25th being branded as "A Chicagoland Christmas" (except during 2006) and then ending on December 26th, going back to a regular music schedule. In 2006, the station began airing 24/7 Christmas music on November 2, only two days after Halloween [1]. Salt Lake City's KOSY, one of WLIT's numerous sister stations, was the earliest in the nation, switching to a Christmas format on Halloween night.

In 2007, WLIT went all-Christmas music on November 2nd, the same date as in 2006.

External links

This article about a radio station in Illinois is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

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 During the holiday season, usually starting sometime in November, WLIT temporarily changes its name to The Holiday Lite and plays straight [[Christmas music]], with [[Christmas Eve|December 24th]] and [[Christmas Day|25th]] being branded as "A Chicagoland Christmas" (except during 2006) and then ending on December 26th, going back to a regular music schedule. In [[2006]], the station began airing 24/7 [[Christmas music]] on [[November 2]], only two days after [[Halloween]] [http://www.suntimes.com/business/feder/122283,CST-FIN-feder03.article]. [[Salt Lake City]]'s KOSY, one of WLIT's numerous sister stations, was the earliest in the nation, switching to a [[Christmas]] format on [[Halloween]] night.
+In 2007, WLIT went all-Christmas music on November 2nd, the same date as in 2006.
-In 2007, WLIT initially backed off on their unusually early start and announced they would change to "Holiday Lite" on November 14, eight days before Thanksgiving, bringing the changeover more into line with other stations across the country. However, at the beginning of the month WCKG announced that it would be implementing a changeover to Christmas music as a bridge to a format switch to an adult contemporary mix.  WLIT at first responded that they would be starting their Christmas music now on the 9th, but by the late afternoon of the 2nd had started up the Holiday Lite in order to beat WCKG to the punch.  Meanwhile, WCKG did not go through with their originally-promised switch to yuletide fare and filled their broadcasts with Steve Dahl replays and simulcasts with sister stations WSCR and WXRT until the 6th when it unveiled its new "Fresh" adult contemporay format aimed at the 25-54 female audience.  As a result of this strategem, WCKG had effectively duped WLIT into committing to its Christmas music format while WCKG rolled out its competitive adult contemporary format for seven weeks with "The Lite" off the playing field.  <ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-071101wckg,0,1892233.story Yuletide surprise: WCKG drops plans for Christmas music], [[Chicago Sun-Times]]</ref>, http://www.suntimes.com/business/feder/636374,CST-FIN-feder06.article  "Fresh 105.9" The first station in the Chicago area to make the switch to holiday music was [[WRHS]]-FM 89.7 in [[Norridge, Illinois]].
 ==External links ==