WBEZ

History

Classroom instruction

WBEZ was among the earliest FM stations in Chicago. first went on the air on April 7, 1943,{{Cite thesis|title=Comparison of the Philosophies and Program Policies of Ten Educational Radio Stations|first=Robert Leland |last=Davy

Its transmitter was located atop Chicago's Morrison Hotel and its studios were in the Builders Building. In 1949, the station's transmitter was moved to Marshall Metropolitan High School in Chicago's East Garfield Park neighborhood. As of 2021, it is atop the John Hancock Center.

NPR affiliation

In 1970, WBEZ joined National Public Radio as a charter member and began general programming outside of school hours. Initially, most programming outside of the instructional programs and NPR programs was jazz music. The Board of Education sold the station to the current license holders, the not-for-profit WBEZ Alliance, Inc., in 1990. In September 1995 the parent company and station moved from its old offices to its current location at Navy Pier.

The corporate name was changed in 2010 to Chicago Public Media, Inc. Torey Malatia, the general manager, stepped down in July 2013 after 20 years with the station. Goli Sheikholeslami, formerly of The Washington Post, was appointed as CEO. She took office in April 2014. Goli Sheikholeslami left WBEZ to head New York Public Radio in fall 2019; Steve Edwards, back on staff at WBEZ since 2017, was named interim CEO as of the end of September 2019.

WBEZ broadcasts at 5,700 watts, which on paper is somewhat modest for an NPR member on the FM band. However, with its transmitter being located atop Chicago's second tallest building, its coverage area is largely comparable to Chicago's major commercial FM stations. Even so, some inner suburbs such as Waukegan, Aurora and Elgin only get a grade B signal.

Reduction in music programming

On January 4, 2007, the station's long-time overnight jazz programming was eliminated. The music program remaining on the schedule was the world music program Radio M (formerly Passport and in 2019 re-titled Radio Z) on Friday nights. All other music hosts were to be reassigned to other positions at the station, according to a March 2006 article in the Chicago Reader. The replacement of music programming, which management said was due to the prevalence and popularity of other music delivery systems, caused outrage amongst many in the Chicago jazz scene. Protest sites were organized but were unsuccessful. Legendary jazz disc jockey Dick Buckley retained a time slot Sunday afternoons until mid-2008.

Station management announced a five-year plan for Chicago-oriented programs to cover all seven hours between the national news programs.

Other program changes happened in October 2012, with various programs being reshuffled. At the same time, Smiley and West from PRI was dropped from the Sunday afternoon line-up.

Midday program change

The last day WBEZ aired locally produced international programming was October 4, 2019, with the final broadcast of Worldview with host Jerome McDonnell, which aired weekdays since 1994. The news on the hour at noon stopped being BBC news October 4, and started being NPR news on Monday October 7, 2019, the start of a week of transition.

A daytime hour of Newshour from the BBC World Service began Monday October 7, 2019, replacing The Morning Shift. Beginning Monday October 14, 2019, a new local talk show called Reset started. It was originally hosted by Jenn White. This was considered a shake-up of midday programs, which had not drawn as large an audience as the NPR morning and afternoon news programs, Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

Programming

Programming on WBEZ includes international news and local news including Curious City, world music, and quiz shows. Notable national programs offered by WBEZ include All Things Considered, Marketplace, Morning Edition, Weekend Edition, PRI's The World and Live From Here. Generally, news and talk programming is heard weekdays and evenings with music and entertainment talk programming on the weekends.

WBEZ is best known nationally as the producer of This American Life through Public Radio Exchange. This American Life began in 1995 as the local show Your Radio Playhouse; it was renamed in March 1996 and has been national since June 1996.{{Cite news|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|title=Lights! Camera! Ira? In 1998, NPR began producing Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me! in Chicago with WBEZ as a co-production partner. NPR used their studios and office space for many years until 2019.

In addition, Chicago Public Media founded Third Coast International Audio Festival, a showcase for independent radio producers, and the producer of the weekly program Re:sound. WBEZ stopped broadcasting Re:sound circa 2019.".

WBEZ was also the flagship station of The Annoying Music Show!, a 3-minute program that showcased generally annoying songs. The program was produced by former WBEZ program director Jim Nayder. Nayder Communications also produced the somewhat more serious Magnificent Obsession, a program of interviews with persons who have overcome various addictions. The station was also once the flagship station of Steve Cushing's nationally distributed Saturday night blues music program Blues Before Sunrise, which started in 1979 and has been independently produced and distributed by Cushing since 1995. Blues Before Sunrise, was eliminated from WBEZ's lineup in the 2007 restructuring, but was taken over by public radio station WDCB in nearby Glen Ellyn.

Its morning magazine program Eight Forty-Eight was initially named after the postal address of the station, 848 East Grand Avenue. The show was renamed to The Morning Shift, and was dropped in October 2019 in favor of a two-hour local talk show midday, called Reset.

The corresponding afternoon program was called The Afternoon Shift. WBEZ touted the program as "a live talk show featuring in-depth interviews and conversations with [mostly local] newsmakers, artists, writers, and innovators". Original host Steve Edwards left the station after a few months, and longtime Chicago Tribune journalist Rick Kogan temporarily replaced him. As of 2013 and the conclusion of Kogan's interim stint, WBEZ introduced Niala Boodhoo as the show's permanent on-air host. In 2015, WBEZ canceled "The Afternoon Shift"; the final episode aired on June 5, 2015.

Another local program heard Monday through Friday was Worldview, a global issues program that began in 1986 as Midday with Sondra Gair.{{cite news|newspaper=New York Times|title=Sondra B. Gair Is Dead at 70; Host of Radio Show in Chicago

Chicago Public Media is a founding member of the Public Radio Exchange (PRX), a programming cooperative for public radio stations and independent producers.{{Cite news |work=Current.org|title=PRX: online audio market begins beta test this month

News and news discussion/documentary programs aired on a weekly basis include Latino USA from NPR; Canadian CBC Radio shows Q, Ideas, and Under the Influence with Terry O'Reilly; and Radio Netherlands: The State We're In. Other programs that air weekly include Snap Judgment with Glynn Washington, a story-telling show from PRX and NPR.

Satellites and translators

In addition to its main transmitter on 91.5 FM, WBEZ extends its signal by operating full-power satellite WBEQ/Morris, Illinois (90.7 FM). The station also formerly operated a low-power translator in Elgin, Illinois (W217BM at 91.3). In 2013, Chicago Public Media purchased 91.7 W219CD in Elgin from LifeTalk Radio for $52,500, and W217BM moved to Chicago the following year and changed its frequency to 91.1 as W216CL.

Listeners can also receive the broadcast online with streaming audio, MP3 download or by podcast. , the station drew an estimated 400,000 listeners each week.

Several other radio stations also are or were affiliated with Chicago Public Media.

References

References

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2. "HD Radio AM & FM: Find Stations".
3. "Schools' Own FM Station Is Ready to Test", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. April 6, 1943. p. 16.
4. It originally broadcast at 42.5 MHz, before moving to 91.5 MHz in 1947.[https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=70032 History Cards for WBEZ], Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
5. "FM Tower Shift Gets Zoning Ear: Move to Marshall High Asked", ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''. February 1, 1948. Part 3, p. 1.
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9. Stein, Sharman. (September 20, 1995). "WBEZ Plugs into Navy Pier". Chicago Tribune.
10. Miner, Michael. (August 14, 2013). "The highs and lows of longtime WBEZ visionary Torey Malatia". Chicago Reader.
11. Miner, Michael. "Torey Malatia leaves WBEZ". Chicago Reader.
12. "CPM announces Goli Sheikholeslami as new CEO". Chicago Public Media.
13. (September 11, 2019). "Steve Edwards Named Interim CEO Of Chicago Public Media". WBEZ News.
14. Hammond, Andrew. (January 5, 2007). "The End of Jazz on WBEZ". The Chicago Maroon.
15. Margasak, Peter. (October 20, 2006). "WBEZ: Less jazz, more talk". Chicago Reader.
16. Margasak, Peter. (July 25, 2008). "Dick Buckley's last sign-off". Chicago Reader.
17. McDonnell, Jerome. (October 4, 2019). ""The Thing That Gives Me Hope Is You": Jerome Thanks Worldview's Listeners". Chicago Public Media.
18. Feder, Robert. (October 2, 2019). "Feder: WBEZ to debut midday talk show 'Reset with Jenn White' Oct. 14". Daily Herald.
19. Feder, Robert. (May 23, 2019). "WBEZ to debut two-hour midday talk show this fall". Robert Feder: Chicago media served fresh daily since 1980.
20. "Curious City".
21. "WBEZ Program Schedule". WBEZ.
22. "Third Coast International Audio Festival". Third Coast International Audio Festival.
23. Eng, Monica. (August 1, 2014). "Remembering 'Annoying Music Show' and 'Magnificent Obsession' host Jim Nayder". WBEZ.
24. Margasak, Peter. (December 6, 2006). "WDCB Saves Blues Before Sunrise". Chicago Reader.
25. "Programs". WBEZ.
26. "The Afternoon Shift". WBEZ.
27. (September 21, 2012). "Rick Kogan Exits WGN-AM; Dean Richards To Replace Him". Chicagoland Radio and Media.
28. Channick, Robert. (June 3, 2015). "WBEZ cancels 'The Afternoon Shift'". Chicago Tribune.
29. "Distribution for Sound Opinions moving from APM to PRX July 1". American Public Media.
30. "PRX » Series » Filmspotting (weekly series)". PRX - Public Radio Exchange.
31. "PRX » Snap Judgment". [[Public Radio Exchange]].
32. "[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/83807/fcc-applications-612/ FCC Applications 6/12]", ''RadioInsight''. June 12, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
33. (September 8, 2014). "WDCB-FM Seeks Help From Listeners & FCC To Battle WBEZ-FM's Interfering Translator". Chicago Radio and Media.
34. Lapin, Andrew. (August 15, 2013). "Malatia's exit from WBEZ leaves staff guessing". Current.org.