WRTO (AM)

WRTO (1200 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish sports format. Licensed to Chicago, Illinois, United States, the station serves the Chicago area. It is owned by Univision subsidiary Univision Radio Illinois, Inc., and features local programming as well as shows originating at other Univision Radio stations.

WRTO
CityChicago, Illinois
Broadcast areaChicago market
Frequency1200 kHz
BrandingTUDN Radio Chicago 1200 AM
SloganVivimos TU Pasion
Programming
Language(s)Spanish
FormatSports
AffiliationsChicago Fire (MLS)
TUDN Radio
Ownership
OwnerUforia Audio Network
(Univision Radio Illinois, Inc.)
History
First air date
January 1990[1]
Former call signs
WVIV (2003)
WLXX (1995-2003)
WOPA (1990-1995)[2]
Technical information
Facility ID11196
ClassB
Power20,000 watts (day)
4,500 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
41°42′14″N 87°35′47″W
Links
WebcastListen live
WebsiteOfficial site

The station is the flagship station of the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer and the Chicago Bears of the National Football League. It also broadcasts select Chicago Bulls, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs and Chicago Blackhawks games in Spanish.[3]

History

The station began broadcasting in January 1990, and held the call sign WOPA.[1] It was owned by CID Broadcasting Inc.[4] In 1993, its format was changed from Regional Mexican to Spanish AC.[5] In 1995, the station was sold to Heftel Broadcasting for $4.5 million.[6][4] Concurrent with the sale, its call sign was changed to WLXX, and it switched back to a Regional Mexican format branded "La X".[4][7][2][8] On September 20, 1996, the station adopted a tropical music format.[9] On January 12, 2003, the station adopted a Spanish Hot AC format branded "Viva", simulcasting 103.1 WXXY.[10] On January 17, 2003, its call sign was changed to WVIV, while its FM sister station's call sign was changed to WVIV-FM.[2]

In October 2003, the station's call sign was changed to WRTO, and it began airing Spanish-language talk programming, which Univision had moved from AM 560 WIND.[11][2] It became a full time Spanish-language news/talk station in February 2004.[12] WRTO became a part of the Univision America Talk Radio network 4 July 2012.[13] While the network itself ceased operations in 2015, WRTO aired remnants of Univision America's programming, as well as its local news, sports, and weather. On March 16, 2017, the station switched to a Spanish language all-sports format, as an affiliate of Univision Deportes.[14]

References
  1. Feder, Robert. "WLS job should go to Catherine Johns", Chicago Sun-Times. January 10, 1990. p. 31.
  2. Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Retrieved July 24, 2018.
  3. Rosenthal, Phil. "Blackhawks to air 24 games in Spanish", Chicago Tribune. October 16, 2017. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  4. Feder, Robert. "New WLXX Goes 'Mexican Country'", Chicago Sun-Times. June 13, 1995. p. 35.
  5. "Format Changes", The M Street Journal. Vol. 10, No. 34. August 25, 1993. p. 1. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  6. Feder, Robert. "Former Loop Owner Buys Spanish Outlet", Chicago Sun-Times. March 23, 1995. p. 35.
  7. Feder, Robert. "New Spanish Outlet Has Familiar Voices", Chicago Sun-Times. July 20, 1995. p. 39.
  8. "Format Changes & Updates", The M Street Journal. Vol. 12, No. 24. June 14, 1995. p. 1. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  9. Feder, Robert. "Spanish radio outlet picks up tropical beat", Chicago Sun-Times. September 24, 1996. p. 35.
  10. Feder, Robert. "Loose lips earn B96 warning from Arbitron", Chicago Sun-Times. January 14, 2003. p. 45.
  11. Feder, Robert. "Univision Radio stations to shift talk, add music", Chicago Sun-Times. October 16, 2003. p. 61.
  12. Feder, Robert. "All ratings bets are off as sweeps get under way", Chicago Sun-Times. February 5, 2004. p. 61.
  13. Venta, Lance (30 May 2012). "Univision To Launch National Talk Network". Radio Insight. Retrieved 2014-09-02. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  14. "WRTO-AM Flips To Univision Deportes 1200 AM", Chicagoland Radio and Media. March 21, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
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