WIBC (FM)

WIBC
Indianapolis, Indiana;
Frequency	93.1 (MHz) (HD Radio)
Programming
Format	talk); HD2: Dance Top 40
Ownership
Owner	Emmis Communications
History
First air date	October 30, 1938
Technical information
Class	B
ERP	13,500 watts
HAAT	302 m
Links
Website	http://www.wibc.com

WIBC could also refer to the Women's International Bowling Congress.

WIBC is a radio station owned by Emmis Communications in Indianapolis, Indiana. The station currently operates on the FM radio frequency of 93.1 MHz. The studios are located at 40 Monument Circle in downtown Indianapolis. The transmitter and antenna are located, according to the FCC, near Post Road and Burk Road on the far eastside of Indianapolis. The station currently airs a news/talk format.

For over sixty-nine years, WIBC broadcast on the AM radio frequency of 1070 kHz. On December 26, 2007, WIBC's call letters and news/talk programming moved to 93.1 FM, a station which has had various call letters and formats since its sign-on in 1961. Also on that date, the 1070 AM frequency assumed the call letters WFNI, and began stunting with a selection of classic Indianapolis sports broadcasts. On 7 January, 2008, the station will be rebranded "ESPN 1070 The Fan" and adopt an all-sports format. ^[1]

History

For the history of 93.1 FM in Indianapolis prior to December 26, 2007, see WEXM.'

WIBC went on the air on October 30, 1938, the last of the big four in Indianapolis. The other big four were WFBM (now WNDE), WIRE (now WXNT), and WISH/WIFE (now WTLC). In its early days, it was the Indianapolis home of the Mutual Broadcasting System. During the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, WIBC became a talk radio station.

A longtime fixture was former News Director Fred Heckman, who began with WIBC in 1957, abruptly resigning in 1993 under a dispute with its then-owners. He returned in 1994 after the station was purchased by Emmis, and remained until his 2000 retirement. His daily "My Town Indy" radio essays, which ran for thirty years, were among the station's most enduring favorites.

Programming

Currently, it broadcasts both local and nationally syndicated shows, primarily with a conservative slant (including Rush Limbaugh and local lawyer Greg Garrison). WIBC programs The Morning News weekdays with Jake Query and Terri Stacy; an afternoon-drive program hosted by local comedian Dave "The King" Wilson and former Indianapolis Colts player Joe Staysniak; a weeknight news discussion, Live from the NewsCenter, with News Director Steve Simpson; and Coast to Coast AM in the overnight.

Query replaced longtime WIBC fixture Jeff Pigeon (referred to as "Pidge" by the staff and listeners), who announced on September 28, 2007, that he would be leaving the station effective October 1st. He had been WIBC's morning host since taking over for Gary Todd in 1988. Pigeon had hosted the 7:00 p.m.-midnight shift before moving to mornings.

WIBC was the AM flagship station of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, simulcasting the games with sister station WLHK. In addition, WIBC was the flagship for the NBA's Indiana Pacers and the WNBA's Indiana Fever, and for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network, carrying the Indianapolis 500 since the network's creation in 1952, and the NASCAR Brickyard 400 since its 1994 inception. WIBC also aired Indiana University football, while WLHK airs that school's basketball games.

Classic radio broadcasts from many of the above events will be heard on WFNI in the period after WIBC's news and talk programming moved to 93.1 and the launch of "ESPN 1070 The Fan" on January 7th, and all those sports will continue on the new station.

Upon the move to FM, Mike McConnell was added to the daily schedule (replacing the former WIBC Sports Talk program), while Paul Harvey, who had been heard on WIBC since 1995, was dropped [2].

References

^ [1]

External links

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