WXRT

WXRT, also known as WXRT 93.1, XRT, and 93-XRT is an adult album alternative (AAA) radio station in Chicago, Illinois. For many years their slogan has been "Chicago's Finest Rock". WXRT is a primary sponsor of the Chicago nonprofit Rock For Kids.

The station broadcasts from a transmitter atop John Hancock Center, and its studios are located at Two Prudential Plaza in the Loop.

History

WFJL-FM (93.1 MHz) went on the air in Chicago in 1947. WFJL was operated as a non-commercial station by Lewis College of Science and Technology (now Lewis University, "FJL" being an abbreviation for Frank J. Lewis). Lewis College sold WFJL-FM in 1958 to Louis Lee, who changed the call letters to WSBC-FM in 1959. Lee changed the call letters again in 1964 to WXRT-FM. Dan Lee, Louis Lee's son, sold WXRT in 1995; it is now owned by CBS Radio.

The format as it exists today began in 1972 as a nighttime-only freeform rock experiment, sharing the 93.1 frequency with a variety of different ethnic and foreign language programming that aired during the daylight hours. The part-time progressive rock format was gradually expanded, and by 1976 it aired 24 hours a day. By the 1980s the station played primarily new wave and alternative music of that time. As the 1990s approached the station opted to stay with its core audience and move to a AAA format. The office of the radio station was located at 4949 W. Belmont Ave. on the northwest side of Chicago, until September 6, 2008, when it was relocated to the NBC Tower in downtown Chicago. On March 16, 2010, it was again relocated to the Prudential Plaza. WXRT has ceased broadcast from its Belmont Ave. location on 2009. Since then the old WXRT and WSCR transmitter on Belmont Ave was never used and the offices remained vacant.