WGKC

WGKC (105.9 FM, "U.S. 105.9") is a country music radio station licensed to Mahomet, Illinois and broadcasting in the Champaign-Urbana, Illinois radio market. The station is owned by SJ Broadcasting, LLC.

History

WGKC was originally WHZT and was started by Adlai Stevenson IV, grandson of former presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson II, in 1990. WHZT was later owned and operated by Odyssey Communications, Inc. Oddyssey ran the syndicated Z-Rock format. Z-Rock was known as the station in Champaign-Urbana with the hearse.

Odyssey Communications sold WHZT in 1996 to Liberty Radio II, Inc. The new owners dropped the Z-Rock format and the WHZT call letters. On November 15, 1996 WHZT became Classic Rock 105.9 WGKC. The station gained its name from WCKG in Chicago, which was a classic rock station at the time. The first song played on WGKC was "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones.

WGKC was mostly jockless minus a live and local morning show hosted by Dennis Miller (not the comedian). In 1999, Liberty Radio moved syndicated morning duo Bob and Tom from sister station, WZNF "Rock 95-3", to WGKC.