WVBP
radio station in Peoria, Illinois
WVBP (1350 kHz) is a AM radio station licensed for Peoria, Illinois, that broadcasts an urban adult contemporary format.
History
The station signed on as WEEK April 27, 1947. Peoria's TV channel 25 was started by the owners of 1350, and to this day channel 25 retains the callsign WEEK-TV, but 1350 itself has since switched callsigns several times.
Other call letters have included WAAP, WXCL, and WTAZ.
The station was most successful as WXCL with a country music format adopted in 1965. Eventually WXCL was simulcast on 104.9, a station in Pekin, Illinois, that changed its callsign to WXCL-FM.
Personalities when the station was country music station WXCL included Don Elliot, Lee Ranson, Chuck Urban, Bill Bro, Paul Jackson, (Part Timer Arlen Horn), and Jim Crowley, Steve Young, Doug Adams, Tweed Scott, and Dave Hinkley.
Bob Kelly bought the station in 1986.
In 1994 the simulcast was dropped, with WXCL-FM 104.9 keeping the callsign and country format, and 1350 becoming WOAM with the Music of Your Life format. Veteran Peoria native/broadcaster Cliff Shell hosted a highly rated morning drive show for its first two years. WOAM also became the highest rated AM station in Peoria during its second year on the air. In 1999 the station flipped to talk as (then) sister station WTAZ in Morton, Illinois) was moved from 102.3 FM to 1350 AM. In September 2001 the WTAZ call letters and format were dropped and WOAM returned using the Timeless Classics syndicated adult standards format.
The public source identifies “WVBP” as radio station in Peoria, Illinois. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around WVBP, radio and station.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “WVBP”, the useful work is to connect “radio station in Peoria, Illinois” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
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 Jul 20, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7953732. The first chronological checks are 1350, 1947, 1965 and 1986.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. 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 “WVBP”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow WVBP primary sources, WVBP archive and WVBP 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 “WVBP”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “WVBP” 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.