What is Chicagoland? Good question...it encompasses all of Metro Chicago and Cook County, as well as the "collar" counties of Lake, DuPage, Will, Kane, Grundy and Kendall, as well as Lake County, Indiana. It's a big area, and where you live in the Chicagoland region will in part determine which stations you can hear. The quality of your receiver and type of antenna you're using will also affect this.
Some AM stations are daytime-only, others use lower power and/or different antenna patterns at night, because AM radio signals travel much further after sunset, and can cause interference with other stations, hence the change in transmit power and antenna pattern. After sundown, AM broadcast signals can (and often do) travel around the world, "skipping" off the ionosphere and bouncing back down to earth many thousands of miles away. This is why some of the stations listed here are only audible after dark, after the local daytime-only stations leave the air. Some people make a hobby of listening for far-away Radio/TV signals. This is called "DX'ing" and those who do it are called "DX'ers."
530Khz -- Numerous IDOT (Ill. Dept. of Transportation) TIS transmitters around the Chicagoland region
540Khz --
WAUK -- Jackson, WI - 400wts (ESPN) "540 ESPN"
560Khz --
WIND -- Chicago, IL - 5kw (News/Talk) "News Talk 560"
580Khz --
WILL -- Champaign-Urbana, IL (University of Illinois) - 5kw
d/.1kw
n [NPR]
590Khz --
WKZO -- Kalamazoo, MI - 5kw (News/Talk)
600Khz --
WMT -- Cedar Rapids, IA - 5kw (News/Talk) "News Radio 600 WMT"
620Khz --
WTMJ -- Milwaukee, WI - 50kw/10kw (News/Talk) "News Radio 620 WTMJ"
640Khz --
WMFN -- Zeeland, MI - 1.2kw/.23kw (News/Talk)
650Khz --
WSM -- Nashville, TN - 50kw (Classic Country) [Audible Nights]
670Khz --
WSCR -- Chicago, IL - 50kw (Sportsradio) "The Score"
700Khz --
WLW -- Cincinnati, OH - 50kw (News/Talk) [Audible Nights]
720Khz --
WGN -- Chicago, IL - 50kw (News/Talk)
750Khz --
WNDZ -- Portage, IN - 15kw
d (Brokered/Ethnic)
780Khz --
WBBM -- Chicago, IL - 50kw (News) "Newsradio 780"
800Khz --
CKLW -- Windsor, ON - 50KW (News/Talk) [Audible Nights];
810Khz --
WGY -- Schenectady, NY - 50kw (News/Talk) [Audible Nights]
820Khz --
WCSN -- Chicago, IL - 50kw (Sportsradio) "Chicago's Sports News"
830Khz --
WCCO -- Minneapolis, MN - 50kw (News/Talk) [Audible Nights]
840Khz --
WHAS -- Louisville, KY - 50kw (News/Talk) "News Radio 84 WHAS" [Audible Nights]
850Khz --
WCPT -- Crystal Lake, IL - 5kw
d/1.5kw
n (Progressive Talk)
870Khz --
WKAR -- E. Lansing, MI (University of Michigan) - 10kw
d - (News/Talk/NPR)
870Khz --
WWL -- New Orleans, LA -- 50kw - (News/Talk) [Audible Nights]
890Khz --
WLS -- Chicago, IL -- 50kw - (News/Talk) (ABC)
910Khz --
WGTO -- Cassopolis, MI - 1kw
d/.035kw
n (Oldies) (ABC)
920Khz --
WOKY -- Milwaukee, WI - 5kw
d/1kw
n (Classic Country)
930Khz --
WAUR -- Sandwich, IL - 2.5kw
d/4.2kw
n (Catholic) "Relevant Radio"
950Khz --
WNTD -- Chicago, IL - 5kw
d/10kw
n (Catholic) "Relevant Radio"
1000Khz --
WMVP -- Chicago, IL - 50kw (ESPN) "ESPN Radio 1000"
1020Khz --
KDKA -- Pittsburg, PA - 50kw (News/Talk) [Audible Nights]
1030Khz -- WNVR -- Vernon Hills, IL - .5kw
d/.12kw
n (Polish/Ethnic)
1040Khz --
WHO -- Des Moines, IA - 50kw (News/Talk) "News Radio 1040" [Audible Nights]
1050Khz --
WLIP -- Kenosha, WI - .25kw (News/Talk/Sports)
1060Khz --
WHFB -- Benton Harbor, MI - 5kw (Talk) (FOX)
1060Khz --
KYW -- Philadelphia, PA - 50kw (News) "News Radio 1060" [Audible Nights]
1070Khz --
WFNI -- Indianapolis, IN - 50kw
d/10kw
n (ESPN) "The Fan" [Former WIBC]
1080Khz -- WNWI -- Oak Lawn, IL. - 3kw
d/.9kw
n (Polish/Ethnic)
1090Khz --
KAAY -- Little Rock, AR - 50kw (Christian/Brokered) [Audible Nights]
1100Khz --
WTAM -- Cleveland, OH - 50kw (News/Talk) (Formerly WWWE) [Audible Nights]
1110Khz --
WMBI -- Chicago, IL - 5kw
d (Moody Bible Inst.) (Christian)
1120Khz --
KMOX -- St. Louis, MO - 50kw (News/Talk) [Audible Nights]
1130Khz --
WISN -- Milwaukee, WI - 50kw
d/10kw
n (News/Talk)
1140Khz --
WRVA -- Richmond, VA. - 50kw (News/Talk/Sports) [Audible Nights]
1160Khz --
WYLL -- Chicago, IL - 50kw (Christian Talk)
1170Khz --
KFAQ -- Tulsa, OK - 50kw (News/Talk) [Audible Nights]
1180Khz --
WHAM -- Rochester, NY - 50kw (News/Talk) [Audible Nights]
1190Khz --
WOWO -- Ft. Wayne, IN - 50kw
d/9.8kw
n (News/Talk) [Audible Nights]
1200Khz -- WRTO -- Chicago, IL. - 20kw
d/4.5kw
n (Spanish)
1220Khz --
WLPO -- LaSalle, IL - 1kw
d/.5kw
n (News/Talk) "News and Talk of the Valley"
1220Khz --
WKRS -- Waukegan IL - 1kw
d/.009kw
n (News/Talk) "The Voice of Lake County"
1230Khz --
WJOB -- Hammond, IN - 1kw (News/Talk/Sports) "Voice of the Region"
1240Khz --
WSBC -- Chicago, IL - 1kw (Ethnic/Brokered)
1270Khz --
WWCA -- Gary, IN - 1kw (Catholic) "Relevant Radio"
1280Khz --
WBIG -- Aurora, IL - 1kw
d/.5kw
n (Talk/Home Shoppping/Fox Sports)
1300Khz --
WRDZ -- LaGrange, IL - 4.5kw
d/4kw
n(Radio Disney)
1320Khz --
WKAN -- Kankakee, IL - 1kw
d/.5kw
n (Talk)
1330Khz --
WKTA -- Evanston, IL - 5kw
d/.017kw
n (World Ethnic)
1340Khz --
WJOL -- Joliet, IL - 1kw (News/Talk/Sports)
1370Khz --
WLTH -- Gary, IN - 1kw
d/.5kw
n (Talk)
1390Khz --
WGRB -- Chicago, IL - 5kw (Gospel)
1410Khz --
WRMN -- Elgin, IL - 1kw
d/.5kw
n (News/Home Shopping)
1420Khz --
WIMS -- Michigan City, IN - 5kw (Talk/News)
1430Khz --
WCMY -- Ottawa, IL - .5kw
d/.038kw
n (Talk/News)
1450Khz --
WCEV -- Cicero, IL - 1kw (Ethnic)
1470Khz -- WCFJ -- Chicago Heights, IL. - 1kw (Brokered)
1490Khz --
WPNA -- Oak Park, IL - 1kw (Polish)
1510Khz --
WWHN -- Joliet, IL - 1kw
d (Gospel)
1510Khz --
WLAC -- Nashville, TN - 50kw (News/Talk) [Audible Nights]
1530Khz --
WJJG -- Elmhurst, IL - .76kw
d (Talk/Brokered)
1540Khz --
KXEL -- Waterloo, IA - 50kw (News/Talk )[Audible Nights]
1550Khz --
WCSJ -- Morris, IL - .25kw
d/.006kw
n (News/Talk)
1570Khz --
WBGX -- Harvey, IL - 1kw
d/.5kw
n (Gospel) "Big Gospel Xpress"
1610Khz -- Numerous IDOT (Ill. Dept. of Transportation) TIS transmitters around the Chicagoland region
1640Khz --
WKSH -- Sussex, WI - 10kw
d/1kw
n (Radio Disney)
1670Khz --
WTDY -- Madison, WI - 10kw
d/1kw
n (News/Talk) (CBS)
1690Khz --
WVON -- Berwyn, IL - 10kw
d/1kw
n (African-American Talk)
Station information is listed as follows:
Callsign
Location
Transmit Power
Institution or Orgranization transmitter is licensed to
Programming Format(s), if known.
All AM stations transmit in mono, unless otherwise noted
1 Kilowatt (Kw) = 1000 Watts
TIS= Traffic Information System
Some stations transmit with different power levels after dark, so their transmit power is expressed as Day/Night, ie, 50kwd/10kwn
Copyright©1998-2011 by Steven L. Hildebrand
