View source for WIL-FM

{{short description|Country music radio station in St. Louis}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| logo             =
| logo_size        = 
| name             = WIL-FM
| city             = [[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]]
| area             = [[Greater St. Louis]]
| branding         = 92.3 WIL
| frequency        = 92.3 [[Megahertz|MHz]] {{HD Radio}}
| translator       = {{Radio Relay|94.3|W232CR|[[Alton, Illinois]]|HD3}}
| airdate          = {{start date and age|1962|7|15}}
| format           = [[Country music|Country]]
| subchannels      = {{ubl|HD2: Second Fiddle ([[Americana (music)|Americana]])|HD3: My Mix 94.3 ([[oldies]])}}
| erp              = {{ubl|100,000 [[watt]]s}}
| haat             = {{convert|300|m|ft|sp=us}}
| class            = C0
| facility_id      = 72390
| coordinates      = 
| callsign_meaning = carried over from the former [[KZQZ|WIL (1430 AM)]]
| former_callsigns = KFMS (March 30, 1973-September 1, 1974)
| owner            = [[Hubbard Broadcasting]]
| licensee         = St. Louis FCC License Sub, LLC
| sister_stations  = [[KPNT]], [[KSHE]], [[WARH]], [[WXOS]]
| webcast          = [http://live.923wil.com/listen/ Listen Live]
| website          = {{URL|923wil.com}} 
| licensing_authority= [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
}}

'''WIL-FM''' (92.3 [[Hertz|MHz]]) is a [[commercial radio|commercial]] [[radio station]] in [[St. Louis|St. Louis, Missouri]]. It airs a [[country music]] [[radio format|format]] and is owned by [[Hubbard Broadcasting]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=WIL-FM |title=WIL-FM Facility Record |work=United States [[Federal Communications Commission]], audio division |access-date=2009-12-22}}</ref> The studios are on Olive Boulevard, near [[Interstate 270 in Missouri|Interstate 270]] in [[Creve Coeur, Missouri|Creve Coeur]] (with a St. Louis address).

WIL-FM is a [[list of broadcast station classes|Class C]] station.  It has an [[effective radiated power]] (ERP) of 100,000 [[watt]]s, the maximum for most stations.<ref>[https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=WIL&fileno=&state=&city=&freq=88.1&fre2=107.9&serv=&status=&facid=&asrn=&class=&list=0&NextTab=Results+to+Next+Page%2FTab&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&EW=W&size=9 FCC.gov/WIL-FM]</ref>  The [[transmitter]] is on Butler Hill Road near Keller Road in St. Louis, amid the [[radio masts and towers|towers]] for other local FM and TV stations.<ref>[https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=WIL&x=0&y=0&sr=Y&s=C Radio-Locator.com/WIL-FM]</ref> WIL-FM uses [[HD Radio]] technology.  Its HD2 [[digital subchannel|subchannel]] plays [[Americana music]], known as "Second Fiddle."  The HD3 subchannel plays [[oldies]] and feeds [[FM translator]] '''W232CR''' at 94.3&nbsp;MHz.

==Format==
WIL-FM plays a variety of country music, concentrating on the hits from the current charts and the last 25 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www1.arbitron.com/sip/sip.do#access |date=Summer 2009 |title=Station Information Profile |publisher=[[Arbitron]] |access-date=2009-12-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090923211912/http://www1.arbitron.com/sip/sip.do |archive-date=September 23, 2009 }}</ref> WIL-FM personalities include Kasey and Marty Brooks. WIL-FM is programmed by Tommy Mattern and the music director is Marty Brooks.  WIL-FM primarily competes with [[iHeartMedia]]'s [[KSD-FM]] for country listeners in St. Louis.

==History==
WIL-FM [[sign-on|signed on]] the air on {{start date and age|1962|7|15}}, as the FM [[sister station]] to [[KZQZ|WIL (1430 AM)]].<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1965/B-All-Radio-1965-YB-All.pdf ''Broadcasting Yearbook 1965'' page B-91.  Retrieved June 2, 2024.]</ref>  In its first decade, it mostly [[simulcast]] the AM station, which aired a [[Top 40]] format, and were owned by WIL, Inc., a subsidiary of Balaban Stations. At the time, their studios were in Broadcasting House in St. Louis.  WIL-FM was only powered at 30,000 watts, a fraction of its current output.

WIL-FM took the [[call sign]] KFMS on March 30, 1973. After a year, it returned to WIL-FM, effective September 1, 1974.<ref>[https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=81362 FCC’s history cards for WIL-FM; retrieved April 28, 2021.]</ref>  In the 1970s, WIL had switched to a personality country format, while the FM aired a more music-intensive country format, with less chatter and fewer commercials.<ref>[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1977/C%20Section%20Radio%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201977%20P-6.pdf ''Broadcasting Yearbook 1977'' page C-124.  Retrieved June 2, 2024.]</ref>

Over time, as more people tuned to the FM band for music listening, WIL-FM became the dominant station. Eventually, the AM station changed its call letters to KZQZ and is now [[dark (broadcasting)|dark]].  WIL-FM was later acquired by [[Salt Lake City]]-based [[Bonneville International]].

Bonneville announced its sale of WIL-FM (and 16 other stations) to [[Hubbard Broadcasting]] on January 19, 2011.<ref name=ri-saletohubbard>{{cite news|title=$505M sale: Bonneville sells Chicago, D.C., St. Louis and Cincinnati to Hubbard|url=http://www.radio-info.com/news/505m-sale-bonneville-sells-chicago-dc-st-louis-and-cincinnati-to-hubbard|access-date=January 19, 2011|newspaper=Radio-Info.com|date=January 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122010447/http://www.radio-info.com/news/505m-sale-bonneville-sells-chicago-dc-st-louis-and-cincinnati-to-hubbard|archive-date=January 22, 2011|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> The sale was completed on April 29, 2011.<ref name=ri-hubbardtakeover>{{cite news|title=Hubbard deal to purchase Bonneville stations closes|url=http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2174844&spid=24698|access-date=May 2, 2011|newspaper=[[Radio Ink]]|date=May 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312055419/http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2174844&spid=24698|archive-date=March 12, 2012|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref>

On January 30, 2017, WIL-FM re-branded as "New Country 92.3".<ref>[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/116214/wil-rebrands-as-new-country-92-3/ WIL Rebrands as New Country 92.3] Radioinsight - January 30, 2017</ref>  On October 6, 2020, the station dropped the "New Country 92.3" branding and returned to using its call letters in its branding as "92.3 WIL".<ref>[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/199107/wil-rebrands-back-to-its-call-letters/ WIL Rebrands Back To Its Call Letters] Radioinsight - October 6, 2020</ref>

==HD Radio==
Starting in 2012, WIL-FM's [[HD Radio|HD2]] [[digital subchannel]] began airing [[Americana music]], calling itself "Second Fiddle". Previously, WIL-FM-HD2 was branded as "Kerosene Country", and largely had the same [[playlist]] as WIL-FM.

On February 18, 2020, WIL-FM signed on a third subchannel, and began airing an [[oldies]] format, branded as "My Mix 94.3." The subchannel feeds [[FM translator]] '''W232CR''' at 94.3&nbsp;MHz in [[Alton, Illinois]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/184413/wbgz-to-launch-new-oldies-station-with-second-translator-launch/|title = WBGZ Moves to 107.1; Launches Oldies My Mix 94.3}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|https://923wil.com}}
*[http://rbsc.slpl.org/MA_WIL_collection.pdf WIL Radio Collection] finding aid at the [https://www.slpl.org/ St. Louis Public Library]
{{FM station data|72390|WIL-FM}}
*[http://www.stlradio.com/ STLRadio.com] - Historic information about St. Louis radio broadcasting
*{{FCC-LMS-Facility|144705|W232CR}}
*{{FMXL|W232CR}}

{{St. Louis Radio}}
{{Country Radio Stations in Missouri}}
{{Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation}}

[[Category:Radio stations in Missouri|Ω]]
[[Category:Hubbard Broadcasting]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1962]]
[[Category:1962 establishments in Missouri]]
[[Category:Country radio stations in Missouri]]