WLNX
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| Frequency | 88.9 MHz |
|---|---|
| Branding | 89x |
| Programming | |
| Format | Alternative |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Lincoln University |
| History | |
First air date | 1974 |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 37558 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 225 watts |
| HAAT | 21.0 meters |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°9′23.00″N 89°21′40.00″W / 40.1563889°N 89.3611111°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | listen live |
| Website | wlnxradio.com |
WLNX (88.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Alternative format. Licensed to Lincoln, Illinois, USA. The station is currently owned by Lincoln University.[1][2]
History
The station began operation in January 1974, broadcasting at 10 watts of power on the frequency of 90.1 FM. In 1982, Lincoln College (originally chartered as Lincoln University and listed on WLNX's broadcast license as such), received permission from the FCC to increase its output power to 225 watts. Because of adjacent stations in the area and the potential overlap in signals/coverage areas, the station switched frequencies to 88.9 FM. The station originally was located in the basement of University Hall, a building listed in the National Register of Historic Places (ground for the building was broken on Abraham Lincoln's last living birthday). The broadcast antenna bays are mounted to the eastern side of the bell tower that sits atop the building. On June 11, 2006, the WLNX facility narrowly survived a fire that damaged portions of two floors of the historic building.
The founder of the radio station was Brayton Danner, a long-time science instructor at Lincoln College. Student interest caused Danner to found the Lincoln College Broadcasting Club, initially exploring the world of amateur radio operation. As student interest in broadcasting grew, Danner spent countless hours soliciting support for a broadcast radio station. He, along with the station's first chief engineer, Ray Knochel, set up the initial studios of WLNX. To complement the interest in broadcasting, Danner also petitioned the college and had broadcasting courses added to the curriculum. He taught these classes as part of his full-time duties, in addition to also serving as faculty adviser and General Manager of the station from 1974 to 1987. Danner continued overseeing the broadcasting program as a part-time instructor toward the end of his employment at Lincoln College, although he maintained an interest in the radio station as well as groundskeeping, photography, and other aspects of the Lincoln College campus.
Following Danner, local commercial radio veteran Jim Ash, who worked at WLNX when attending college at LC, was hired as part-time instructor and general manager of the station from 1987 to 1989. Lincoln College and WLNX alumnus Lloyd Kirby was hired as full-time instructor and general manager of the station from 1989 to 1998. In August 2004, Lincoln College hired John Malone.
Format
During its early years, WLNX aired music from a wide variety of genres. The initial philosophy of the founders was that the station was created by students for students, and students should determine the programming. Due to the FCC requirements that stations operate "in the public interest, convenience, and necessity," WLNX aired a variety of public affairs types of programming. Religious services from Lincoln Christian Church were broadcast Sunday mornings, students put together newscasts of both national and campus items, and various programs and public service announcements were incorporated into the station's broadcast schedule. While providing these programs to satisfy FCC licensing requirements, such programming was also aired in an effort to build the station into more than just a "free on-air jukebox." In an effort to provide a more consistent "sound" for the station, as well as taking into account college radio's place within the music industry, an effort was made early in the 1980s to emphasize alternative and new music.
Until 2004, the broadcasting schedule of WLNX always mirrored the semesters of the Lincoln College academic calendar, never broadcasting 24 hours per day. The station would routinely sign off during summer recess and for all scheduled breaks.
In mid 2004, WLNX began a satellite-delivered simulcast of classical music station WCPE-FM in Raleigh, North Carolina. At the same time, with the addition of computers and broadcast automation software, WLNX began broadcasting 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Under Malone's direction, during the fall of 2005, WLNX returned to local programming with a student-run and strictly formatted station. On November 22, 2006, after one year of airing a classic rock format, WLNX re-christened itself "89X - Lincoln's New Rock Alternative" and began airing a focused modern alternative rock format. Current student managerial staff include Station Manager Mike Frost, Program Director Sean Mull, Music Director Jon Keenan, Public Affairs Director Katelyn Atteberry, Sports Director John Anderson, and THE KING Nate King.
In the fall of 2007, WLNX launched a "full service" morning show, airing weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., and featuring music, local and national news, sports, and weather.
The purpose of WLNX is to provide Lincoln College students with real broadcasting experience done in the manner of commercial radio stations. Upon Malone's arrival during August 2004, and continuing into 2005 the facilities underwent a major overhaul with the construction of state of the art digital studios. The massive scope of the work necessitated the classical simulcast with WCPE. It was also at this time that WLNX first began to broadcast in FM stereo, with the installation of an Orban Optimod stereo generator/processor.
Students at WLNX learn how to use software common to the broadcast industry, including "Selector" by Radio Computing Services. The on air format is executed by computers, utilizing the "X Studio" digital automation system from C-R Media.
Currently, WLNX serves an audience within a listening radius of about ten miles from the college, located at 300 Keokuk Street in Lincoln, Illinois.
On November 29, 2007, WLNX began streaming on the internet, with access available at www.wlnxradio.com.
Future Plans
Under the leadership of President John Hutchinson and Provost Thomas Zurkammer, Lincoln College has made a public commitment to make WLNX a leader in student-run college radio.
In December 2006, Lincoln College announced that it had purchased a former Central Illinois Bank branch office one block away from campus with the intent of relocating the radio station to a newly remodeled and more technologically advanced facility. Construction of the new facility was completed during the summer of 2007, and broadcasting began from the new facility on Friday, August 24, 2007 at 4:15 p.m. The building houses the WLNX on air and production facilities, as well as the offices of the General Manager and student managers.
During the summer of 2007, General Manager John Malone and WLNX consulting engineer Jerald Scott commissioned an engineering study from Charles M. Anderson and Associates in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with the purpose of locating opportunities for a facility upgrade. On October 1, 2007, the Federal Communications Commission granted Lincoln College a construction permit which will allow for WLNX to upgrade from 225 watts to 2800 watts, requiring space on a leased tower just north of Lincoln, a circularly polarized directional antenna and a relocation to 89.5 FM. The college now has until October 1, 2010, to complete the project.
References
- ^ "WLNX Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ "WLNX Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
External links
- Facility details for Facility ID WLNX ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database