WCGO (1600 AM) was a radio station licensed to Chicago Heights, Illinois, United States. The station ran 1,000 watts during the day and 23 watts at night.
Coverage area WCGO served southern Cook County, Illinois, most of central and eastern Will County, Illinois, and northern Lake County, Indiana during daytime hours, while its nighttime coverage was more limited. The station had a two tower directional array in northern Ford Heights, Illinois, and had a directional pattern to the northeast and southwest to protect WMCW in Harvard, Illinois and WARU in Peru, Indiana, which were on the same frequency.
History WCGO began broadcasting August 27, 1959 and was owned by South Cook Broadcasting, Inc.; Anthony Santucci, president; Anthony DiCarlo, vice president; Gustav Hahn, secretary; Tony D'Amico, treasurer.History Cards for WCGO, fcc.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2018.Ghrist, John R. (1996). Valley Voices: A Radio History. Crossroads Communications. p. 272-275. The station originally broadcast 1,000 watts during daytime hours only.
Full service years WCGO had long aired a full service format, airing a variety of local programming and playing Middle of the road (MOR) music, which in early years included pop standards and later on adult contemporary."Stations By Format", Billboard. October 16, 1965. p. 61-62. Retrieved December 16, 2018."Stations, everywhere: a listeners' guide to the AM and FM bands", Chicago Tribune Magazine. March 4, 1979. p. 37. Retrieved December 16, 2018.Chicago Radio Guide, Vol. 1, Issue 1. May 1985. Retrieved December 16, 2018."WCGO AM 1600", Radio Chicago. Winter 1990. p. 38. Retrieved December 16, 2018. Much of the station's local news, talk and community programming was simulcast on its sister station 102.3 WTAS in Crete, Illinois, until 1992.Osinchak, Sue. "The Morning Mom and Pop Talk Show", Radio Chicago. p. 20-21. Winter 1990. Retrieved December 17, 2018."Format Changes", The M Street Journal. Vol. 9, No. 32. August 12, 1992. p. 1. Retrieved December 17, 2018. In 1985, the station began airing the Warren Freiberg - Libby Collins Show, which had been heard on 106.3 WLNR in Lansing, Illinois since 1973. In 1992, the station shifted to an all talk format."Station Formats", Chicago Airwaves. August 1993. p. 13. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
In the summer of 1994, Anthony Santucci sold WCGO to M&M Broadcasting, a firm led by former Hammond, Indiana mayor Thomas McDermott, Sr. for $230,000."Transactions", Radio & Records. June 17, 1994. Retrieved December 17, 2018.Nidetz, Steve. "Channel 7 Zooms Ahead Of The Pack In 10 P.M. News Sweeps", Chicago Tribune. August 03, 1994. Retrieved December 17, 2018. In August 1994, WCGO began nighttime operations, with light adult contemporary music airing from 7 pm to 5:59 am, while talk programming continued to air during the day."Radio station now on air 24 hours", Times of Northwest Indiana. August 18, 1994. Retrieved December 18, 2018. In 1997, M&M Broadcasting sold the station to Q Broadcasting for $400,000.Public Notice Comment - BAL-19970127EH, fcc.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2018."Proposed Station Transfers", The M Street Journal. Vol. 14, No. 5. February 5, 1997. p. 8. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
Unforgettable 1600 In 1997, the station adopted an adult standards format, featuring programming from Stardust, and later its successors; Timeless Favorites, Timeless Classics and Timeless."Format Changes & Updates", The M Street Journal. Vol. 14, No. 32. August 13, 1997. p. 1. Retrieved December 19, 2018.Pecora, Jim. "WCGO radio is tuning back into area with 'adult standards' format", Orland Park Star. November 9, 1997. Retrieved December 19, 2018.Holecek, Andrea. "WCGO shuts off signal this weekend for Northwest Indiana", Times of Northwest Indiana. April 10, 2009. Retrieved December 17, 2018. During this period the station was known as "Unforgettable 1600"."WCGO Goes Dark, WONX -- Now WCGO -- Ups Power", All Access Music Group. April 13, 2009. Retrieved December 18, 2018. WCGO continued to air this format until the station was taken off the air in 2009.
End of operations In 2002, the station was purchased by Kovas Communications for $750,000, who intended to take it, along with 1580 WKKD and 1600 WMCW, off the air in order to enable co-owned station 1590 WONX in Evanston, Illinois to increase its daytime power."Kovas claims third AM in Chicago", Radio Business Report. July 15, 2002. Retrieved December 19, 2018."Changing Hands", Broadcasting & Cable. July 22, 2002. p. 29. Retrieved December 19, 2018. WCGO went silent on April 10, 2009,"WCGO Being Purchased By William Pollack", Chicagoland Radio and Media. May 11, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2018. and its license was surrendered to the FCC, enabling 1590 WONX to increase its daytime power from 3,500 watts to 7,000 watts."Call Letter Changes", Medium Wave News. May/June 2009. p. 11. Retrieved December 19, 2018. On April 13, 2009, 1590 WONX took on the WCGO call sign.Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Retrieved December 19, 2018. Kovas Communications had held a construction permit, which would have moved the station to Jenison, Michigan (near Grand Rapids), broadcasting on 1020 kHz at 10,000 watts during daytime hours only, though this move never occurred.
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