WIUM
| City | Macomb, Illinois |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Illinois |
| Branding | Tri States Public Radio |
| Frequency | 91.3 (MHz) |
| First air date | 1956 |
| Format | Public broadcasting |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 148 meters |
| Class | B |
| Callsign meaning |
Western Illinois University Macomb |
| Owner | Western Illinois University |
| Website | TriStates Radio |
WIUM (91.3 FM) is a 50,000-watt radio station licensed to Macomb, Illinois, in west-central Illinois. Western Illinois University is the station licensee, authorized by the Federal Communications Commission.
Tri States Public Radio is an outreach service of the College of Fine Arts and Communication at Western Illinois University.
In 1954, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign hosted the National Association of Educational Broadcasters for the establishment of broadcast allocations (AM/FM radio and TV channels) for non-commercial education programming. The outcomes from these meetings established the foundation for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System.
In 1956, Western Illinois University established WWKS for educational radio broadcasting at 91.3 MHz with 3,000 watts. The station's FCC call letters were attributed to William Kimbrough Shake, who installed the equipment acquired from Gates Radio, in Quincy, IL. The station's mission was to provide educational programming primarily for the growing K-12 audiences in west-central Illinois. The radio studios and transmitter were located in Tillman Hall (the "new science building") at Western Illinois University.
With the completion of the university's "new library", Memorial Hall in 1962, WWKS studios were relocated to the top floor. The radio station and adjacent video studios would remain at this location for the next 40 years. The station's sole full-time employee throughout the decade is Elmer "Tug" Haddock, who served as General Manager and provided supervision of volunteer student announcers. The station’s transmitter was installed in Sallee Hall and a 250-foot (76 m) tower was constructed south of that building. The station's FCC call sign was changed in 1970 to WIUM, to better reflect the station's ownership (Western Illinois University - Macomb) and mission.
Coordinates: 40°25′41″N 90°40′59″W / 40.428°N 90.683°W
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