Eureka College announces a new FM radio station
A new FM radio station is coming to Eureka College. The Federal Communications Commission has awarded a construction permit to the College for the establishment of a non-commercial educational station licensed to operate at 103.1 FM.
Eureka College submitted its application during the FCC’s most recent low power FM (LPFM) filing window, the first since 2013. During the one-week period beginning on December 6, the FCC received 1,336 applications nationwide for LPFM licenses, available only to not-for-profit, religious, or educational organizations. Eureka College’s license is among the 250 approved to date.
Eureka College students will operate the radio station under the supervision of Dr. John Malone, Associate Professor of Communication, General Manager of Radio and Television Operations, and former longtime commercial radio broadcaster. Malone is working with radio students and staff to formalize a station format and identity. Programming will include music, specialty entertainment and talk shows, Eureka College news and features, and live play-by-play of Eureka College athletics.
Malone said all transmission equipment has been ordered, and frequency and signal testing will take place in early March. The station plans to sign on the air permanently shortly thereafter.
In May 2022, Eureka College acquired Lincoln College’s award-winning radio and television academic program. Malone, along with television supervisor Charles “Bud” Broyles and several Lincoln radio and television students, transitioned to Eureka to continue the program. Since then, radio at Eureka College has existed under the branding, WEUR, and is currently airing online and as part of the iHeartRadio™ platform. The program’s former Lincoln radio station, WLNX-FM, is currently off the air and for sale. Spectrum limitations almost always prevent existing radio stations from relocating to new communities.
“Since moving to Eureka, we planned on eventually getting back on the airwaves,” Malone said. “I had been tipped off that the FCC expected a filing window to happen in 2023, so we designed and built the existing radio studios assuming it would operate as an over-the-air station. We are a finished radio station waiting for an antenna.”
“We are thrilled with the growth of our radio program and the amazing opportunities our students will now have to gain real-life experience on an FM over-the-air station,” said Dr. Jamel Wright, President of Eureka College. “This elevated experience, and Dr. Malone’s leadership will surely result in more awards and recognition for Eureka students and the college.”
The radio station will acquire new federally assigned call letters, representing an entirely different brand and identity, as WEUR has since been assigned to a different radio station for use on the air. The online and iHeartRadio content will remain as a brand extension and worldwide simulcast of the content airing locally on 103.1. The station’s studios, along with those of ECTV, are situated in Pritchard Hall. The station’s transmitting antenna is being installed on the roof of Burgess Hall, the campus’s tallest building. The station is licensed to operate at an effective radiated power of 71 watts. That translates to a primary service area of Eureka, Washington, and Goodfield, with the entire listening area including Morton, East Peoria, Metamora, Roanoke, and other nearby smaller communities.
About Eureka College
Located on nearly 70 wooded acres in Eureka, Illinois, and chartered in 1855, Eureka College cultivates excellence in learning, service and leadership while providing students uniquely personalized educational opportunities.
Eureka College holds the unique distinction of being the first college in Illinois and among the first in the nation to admit men and women on an equal basis. The College, originally founded by abolitionist members of Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), is the smallest of only 24 colleges and universities to ever award a bachelor’s degree to a future President of the United States.