WDZ

WDZ
Broadcast areaMacon County, Illinois
Frequency1050 kHz
BrandingFox Sports 1050 AM Decatur
Programming
FormatSports
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • Champaign Multimedia Group
  • (Champaign Multimedia Group, LLC)
History
First air date
  • March 17, 1921 (1921-03-17) (as 9JR in Tuscola, Illinois)
  • April 5, 1922 (1922-04-05) (as WDZ)
Call sign meaning
none (randomly assigned)
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID53348
ClassB
Power
  • 1,000 watts day
  • 250 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
39°48′54.1″N 89°0′8.3″W / 39.815028°N 89.002306°W / 39.815028; -89.002306
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitenowdecatur.com/fox-sports-1050-am-home/

WDZ (1050 AM) is a commercial radio station, licensed to Decatur, Illinois. It broadcasts a sports radio format and calls itself "Fox Sports 1050". It is owned by the Champaign Multimedia Group, which also owns four other local radio stations, WDZQ, WKIO, WSOY and WSOY-FM. Studios and offices are located on North Water Street. It is one of the oldest radio stations in Illinois, and one of the few that still carry a three-letter call sign along with WGN and WLS in Chicago.

WDZ operates on 1050 kHz, a clear channel frequency reserved for Mexico. By day, WDZ is powered at 1,000 watts non-directional. It must reduce power to 250 watts at night so it does not interfere with other stations on the frequency. WDZ is diplexed (i.e., shares the vertical radiator) with WSOY. The transmitter site is on St. Louis Bridge Road at Wesley Road in Decatur.