Newsweb Corporation
Newsweb Corporation is a printer of ethnic and alternative newspapers in the United States, based in Chicago, Illinois. The company also owns several radio stations in the Chicago area and a television station in Sterling, Colorado.
Newsweb was founded in 1971 by Chicago entrepreneur, political activist, and philanthropist Fred Eychaner to continue his printing business.[1][2]
Radio
In early 2004, the company purchased 99.9 FM WRZA from Entravision and in late 2004, the company purchased three suburban Chicago radio stations from Spanish Broadcasting System: 92.5 FM WDEK, 92.7 FM WKIE and 92.7 FM WKIF. The trimulcast was formerly the home to Energy 92.7&5. WKIF was broken away from the trimulcast and WRZA took its place. WKIF became a CNN Radio affiliate. The new trimulcast became a variety hits format as Nine FM, and the station later became a split-format station with Nine FM during the day and Dance Hits format Dance Factory at night. Dance Factory is operated by TKC Entertainment, which leases the air time from Newsweb. Nine FM was discontinued as of October 19, 2008 in favor of Progressive Talk simulcast with sister station WCPT.
WCPY 92.7, WCPQ 99.9, and WCPT-FM 92.5 is a trimulcast which simulcasts WCPT between 5 AM and 9 PM, and operates Dance Hits format Dance Factory at night.
Newsweb Corporation owns WCPT which is an Air America and CNN Radio affiliate, and also includes locally hosted Progressive Talk programming. WCPT operates on 820 AM in the Chicago area, WCPY 92.7, WCPQ 99.9, and WCPT-FM 92.5 is a trimulcast which simulcasts WCPT between 5 AM and 9 PM, streams on the Internet 24/7.
Newsweb purchased WAIT (AM) in 2004, which is now operating on 850. WAIT is a brokered station known as The Promise featuring ministry and variety programming. Newsweb also owns WSBC 1240 AM and WNDZ 750 AM, and formerly owned WCFJ 1470 AM, until surrendering the station's license to the Federal Communications Commission on November 9, 2015.
Television
Newsweb had formerly owned the Gary, Indiana-licensed UPN affiliate for Chicago, WPWR, until 2003, when they sold the station to Fox Television Stations Group, becoming a duopoly with WFLD, the Fox owned and operated station.
In 2006, they also sold Denver UPN affiliate KTVD to the Gannett Company,[3] who made it part of a duopoly with Gannett's local NBC affiliate, KUSA-TV. Newsweb retained KTVD's former satellite station in Sterling, Colorado, KUPN, which is now operated as independent station KCDO-TV.
Coincidentally, both WPWR and KTVD are affiliates of MyNetworkTV.
References
- ↑ McCormik, John (2005-06-07). "Fred Eychaner". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
- ↑ Armstrong, David (2002-09-30). "A Long Strange Trip". Forbes.
- ↑ Feder, Robert (2006-01-20). "Top anchor, reporter lose Telemundo jobs". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2008-09-25.