© 2024 NPR Illinois
The Capital's Community & News Service
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
This page captures the history of the 91.9 FM Mechanicsburg signal, Illinois Issues, the 89.3 FM Pittsfield signal, and other projects of NPR Illinois.

WUIS Just Turned 40

State Week 1976
WUIS

A new radio station came into the world at noon on January 3, 1975. The first voice broadcast on WSSR-FM was that of Dale Ouzts, director of broadcast services for Sangamon State University, reading technical specifications about the station. Next was a newscast from Rich Bradley, who would continue to be the station's news director for 35 years.

WSSR became WSSU, which eventually gave way to WUIS. Thanks to Bradley's archiving and current WUIS engineer Greg Manfroi's efforts to preserve and extract sound from the fragile tape, we can hear some of what Springfieldeans would have heard during those early broadcast days.

Brian Mackey formerly reported on state government and politics for NPR Illinois and a dozen other public radio stations across the state. Before that, he was A&E editor at The State Journal-Register and Statehouse bureau chief for the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin.
Related Stories