WBEL (AM)
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| City | South Beloit, Illinois |
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| Broadcast area | Janesville, Wisconsin |
| Branding | The Big AM 1380 |
| Frequency | 1380 kHz |
| First air date | 1948 |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Power | 5,000 watts |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 58732 |
| Callsign meaning | BELoit |
| Former callsigns | WBEL (1948-1998) WTJK (1998-2014) |
| Owner | Scott Thompson (Big Radio) |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | thebigam1380.com |
WBEL (1380 AM) is a news/talk radio station in South Beloit, Illinois with studios in Janesville, Wisconsin. WBEL, which signed on in 1948, originally focused primarily on the Beloit, Wisconsin area, and until 1998 aired an adult standards format along with some talk programming; that August, it switched to a sports radio format affiliated with ESPN Radio, changed its call letters to WTJK, and began marketing itself to the Janesville and Rockford, Illinois areas. In 2001, WTJK was purchased by Good Karma Broadcasting and became the first ESPN Radio station in the company.
In January 2014, Good Karma announced that it would sell WTJK and sister station WWHG (105.9 FM) to Scott Thompson's Big Radio; as part of the deal, the new owners began operating the stations through a local marketing agreement on February 1. Big Radio announced that it would decrease WTJK's ESPN Radio programming and add more local news; on April 14, 2014, the station converted to a talk radio format, featuring local programming (including drive time simulcasts with sister station WEKZ-FM) from 5 a.m. to 6 a.m.; ESPN Radio programming continues to be carried during nights and weekends. The sale was completed on May 12, 2014 at a purchase price of $1.45 million. On October 13, 2014, the call letters were changed back to WBEL.
WBEL's programming includes a morning drive program, The Morning Mess', hosted by Scott Thompson; Stan Milam from 9 to 11am; Jock Talk, the only daily local sports talk show in the Rockford/Beloit/Janesville region from 11am to 1pm, in middays; it's Doug McDuff from 1 to 3pm, and afternoon drive program The Afternoon Drive hosted by Sly. WBEL features ESPN Radio programming during nights and weekends.
Until 2014, ESPN Radio programming aired during most of the day, including Mike and Mike in the Morning, The Herd with Colin Cowherd, and The Scott Van Pelt Show. The station also aired The Jim Rome Show middays, while Jock Talk served as the station's evening drive program.
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