WHCO (1230 AM) is a country formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Sparta, Illinois, serving Sparta and Randolph County, Illinois. WHCO is owned and operated by David and Carol Holder, through licensee Southern Illinois Radio Group, Inc.[1]

WHCO
Broadcast areaSparta, Illinois
Randolph County, Illinois
Frequency1230 kHz
Branding"Real Country 1230 and 97.3 WHCO"
Programming
FormatCountry
AffiliationsBrownfield Radio Network
Fighting Illini Sports Network
RFD Radio Network
Real Country (Westwood One)
St. Louis Blues
St. Louis Cardinals
Ownership
Owner
  • David and Carol Holder
  • (Southern Illinois Radio Group, Inc.[1])
History
First air date
February 1955[2]
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID27264
ClassC
Power1,000 Watts
Transmitter coordinates
38°07′25.0″N 89°43′20.0″W / 38.123611°N 89.722222°W / 38.123611; -89.722222
Links
Public license information
WebcastWHCO Webstream
WebsiteWHCO Online

History

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WHCO began broadcasting in February 1955 and aired a country music format.[2][4] It was owned by Hirsch Communication Engineering Corporation.[5] By the early 1970s, the station was airing a middle of the road (MOR) format, along with 30 hours of country music a week.[2] In the 1980s and 1990s, the station aired a full service format, with adult contemporary and country music, along with talk, farm, and religious programming.[6][7][8][9] In 1998, the station adopted a news-talk format, carrying local programming as well as nationally syndicated hosts such as G. Gordon Liddy, Larry King, and Jim Bohannon.[4][10] In 2008, WHCO returned to a country music format.[4] In 2013, controlling interest in the station was sold to David and Carol Holder's Southern Illinois Radio Group, Inc. for $150,000.[11]

Translator

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In addition to the main station, WHCO is relayed by an FM translator.[12]

Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W247CP 97.3 FM FM Sparta, Illinois 138452 250 watts 71 m (233 ft) D LMS

References

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  1. ^ a b "WHCO Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ^ a b c 1971 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1971. p. B-67. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WHCO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ a b c "About 1230 WHCO". WHCO. Archived from the original on March 23, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  5. ^ History Cards for WHCO, fcc.gov. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  6. ^ Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1985, Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1985. p. B-87. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1988, Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1988. p. B-92. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  8. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Market Place 1992, Broadcasting & Cable, 1992. p. A-113. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  9. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1997, Broadcasting & Cable, 1997. p. B-144. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  10. ^ "WHCO Program Schedule". WHCO. Archived from the original on March 6, 2000. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
  11. ^ "Elmira TV gets an AM little sister", Radio & Television Business Report. January 28, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  12. ^ "W247CP Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
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