In late July, Hancock County Broadcasting acquired Christian AC “Positive 93.1” 1510 WYEC/93.1 W226CH Macomb IL from Virden Broadcasting for $75,000.
The new owners have now announced that WYEC will assume the call letters and Full Service Classic Country format previously held by the now-deleted 990 WCAZ Carthage. The original WCAZ had its license deleted in May 2017 for failing to respond to two FCC inquiries in 2015 and 2016 over failing to pay its $3500 fine it was issued in 2007 for filing a late license renewal application. To make matters worse, the station failed to stop broadcasting after its license deletion and being ordered to do so by an FCC agent in June 2017. That led to Ralla Broadcasting being issued a Notice of Unlicensed Operation in December 2017 and finally signing off on New Years Eve.
The WYEC buyers are led by former WCAZ engineer Mike Seaver who will serve as President and Acting Programming/Operations Manager and Phil Alexander who is Vice President and Sales Manager. Steve Harrell is serving as project manager.
Harrell told the Peoria Journal-Star, “We are absolutely swimming uphill. A lot of stations are going to virtually all automation. If it’s local content, it’s prerecorded. We are going the absolute opposite direction. We’re doing as much local content as we can.”
The station’s programming will be Classic Country centered with news, farm reports, and obituaries along with a large Sports element including local high school sports, University of Illinois, and the Chicago Bears.
