SJ Broadcasting will debut a new AC in Champaign/Urbana, IL on Monday, February 18.
95.3 WJEK Rantoul will break its simulcast of “ESPN 93.5” WSJK Tuscola and relaunch as “Sunny 95.3“. The new station’s Facebook page describes the new format as “We play soft rock favorites from yesterday and today! Listen to Stevie Jay mornings, and music from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, and now all day!”.
The new format will compete directly with D.W.S. Inc.’s “Lite Rock 97.5” WHMS-FM.
In addition to WJEK and WSJK, SJ Broadcasting owns CHR “Q96” WQQB and recently launched Country “US 105.9” WGKC.
Reception within the city limits is awful except for some of the higher power stations (WHMS for example) Lots of stations interfering with each other. For example, 93.5 (a rimshot) is almost impossible to pick up around the University Of Illinois, which is the largest occupant of the city. You can’t hear WQQB in downtown Champaign on many radios, it’s just pure bleedover from other stations. I don’t even remember a 95.3 even existing when I was there, likely due to interference from 94.5 WLRW, another high powered station in the city limits. WCFF (92.5) has high power, however because the transmitter is outside of the city limits by about 9 miles, there is also a lot of interference on that frequency.