© 2026 NPR Illinois
For your right to be curious.
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Click here to register to attend the This I Believe - Meet the Authors event Nov. 4, 6 PM at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Free and open to the public.
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.Click to view the digital exhibit Sangamon Experience researched for the 50th anniversary of 91.9 FM.

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 hosts The 21st Show and formerly reported on state government.
Related Stories