WLKU
K-Love radio station in Rock Island, Illinois, United States
WLKU is a radio station licensed to Rock Island, Illinois, with a Christian contemporary format. The station's frequency is 98.9 MHz, and broadcasts at an effective radiated power of 39,000 watts, from a transmitter located near Orion, Illinois. WLKU is owned by the Educational Media Foundation and is affiliated with the K-Love network.
History of 98.9 MHz
Early history
The Rock Island allocation of 98.9 MHz represents many milestones in Quad Cities' radio broadcasting. First, it was the first FM station to originate in the area, signing on as WHBF-FM on October 28, 1947. It was owned by the Rock Island Argus.
Second, WHBF-FM became the area's first radio station to broadcast in stereo, implementing the technology in 1958. Stereo multiplexing followed in 1961, with automation coming a few years later.
WHBF-FM's first home was the Harms Hotel, where it broadcast alongside sister station WHBF. As with most FM stations of the era, WHBF either duplicated the AM station's programming or used a classical music/easy listening format. WHBF-TV joined the fold in July 1950, with all three facilities housed in the Telco Building in downtown Rock Island.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “WLKU” is k-Love radio station in Rock Island, Illinois, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through WLKU, K-Love and radio, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “k-Love radio station in Rock Island, Illinois, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The strongest evidence will usually combine a dated visual record with documents produced by the authority responsible for the place. The source revision retrieved here is dated May 12, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7952304. Authority coordinates are 41.328, -90.380. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1947, 1958, 1961 and 1950.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “WLKU”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow WLKU primary sources, WLKU archive and WLKU research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “WLKU”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “WLKU” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.