WPMJ
Radio station in Chillicothe–Peoria, Illinois
WPMJ (94.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Chillicothe, Illinois, in the Peoria, Illinois, area. The station is owned by the Covenant Network and has broadcast a Catholic radio format since September 2009.
Although the station is in the Peoria radio market, it has relatively low power and is required to put a decent signal across Chillicothe, its city of license, with that power. It struggled over the years to find a programming niche, having no less than 10 call signs in its 31 years and going off the air from October 2008 to September 2009.
Official studios for the station are at 108 N. Main St. Suite J on Illinois Route 117 in Eureka, Illinois.
History
94.3 signed on the air at noon on May 16, 1977, as WCLL with studios in Chillicothe. Larry Weatherford was the general manager with his wife Rhea Ann as administrative assistant, Bill Burns was the program director, and Brenda Marcotte was the traffic manager and bookkeeper. Announcers in 1977 included: Charles Early, Tammy Lidon, and Jeff Murphy. Local weatherman Chuck Collins's first job was at WCLL. The station was originally owned by Chilli Communications, Inc., which was owned by William and Hellen Engelbrecht.
The public source identifies “WPMJ” as radio station in Chillicothe–Peoria, Illinois. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around WPMJ, Radio and station.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “WPMJ”, the useful work is to connect “radio station in Chillicothe–Peoria, Illinois” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Mar 3, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q7954381. Authority coordinates are 40.830, -89.498. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2009, 2008 and 1977.
Architectural summaries often privilege surviving fabric and can understate demolished phases, contested use or displaced communities. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. 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
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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 “WPMJ”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow WPMJ primary sources, WPMJ archive and WPMJ research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “WPMJ” 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.