WERV-FM

WERV-FM, also known as 95.9 The River, is a classic hits radio station, playing familiar rock and pop songs that span from the early 1970s through the mid 1990s. Its digital HD 2 channel "The Rapids!" plays hard rock/heavy metal from the '70s through the late 1990s. The Aurora/Naperville, Illinois station serves the suburban Chicago market and is owned by Digity, LLC, through licensee NM License, LLC.

WERV broadcasts two channels in the HD Radio format.

History

This station was the radio dream of WLS Radio engineer Russ Salter, who put this station (then WKKD-FM); along with WKKD-AM on the air. WKKD-AM debuted in September 1960 and WKKD-FM in March 1961. Both stations broadcast out of a very small building, on the east side, on Plain Avenue. At the time, this was a remote part of the Aurora area. Studios, transmitters and the towers were all at this location.

In the 1960s the stations served the Will, Kane, Kendall and DuPage County areas (hence the call letters W-K-K-D) airing a full service format that focused heavily on Country music, with the FM extending the AM's programming into the evening hours. In 1966, veteran Chicago weathercaster Tom Skilling began his career at WKKD, while he attended High School in Aurora. By the early 1970s the stations had separated and the AM station changed its calls to WFVR (Fox Valley Radio) continuing to air a country music format.