WMAY

WMAY (970 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Springfield, Illinois, United States, featuring a talk radio format simulcasting with WMAY-FM (97.7). The stations are owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting and the license is held by Long Nine, Inc.[2] WMAY's transmitter and studios are located on North Third Street in Riverton, Illinois.

Programming is simulcast on two FM translators: W234CC (94.7 FM) in Sherman, Illinois, and W273DR (102.5 FM) in Springfield.[3]

WMAY first signed on the air on September 15, 1950.[4] It was owned by Lincoln Broadcasting. In 1963, the station was acquired by Springfield Broadcasting, a division of Stuart Stations. It aired a full service, middle of the road music format, using NBC Radio News for its world and national news coverage.

Mid-West Family Broadcasting bought the station in 1976, switching it to country music a short time later.[5] In the early 1990s, WMAY went with an oldies format, and it flipped to its current talk radio format in 1995. Mid-West Family Broadcasting also owns local stations 98.7 WNNS-FM, 97.7 WQLZ and 92.7 WMAY-FM.

Three of the most well-known broadcasters to pass through the studio were Bob Hale (hired directly from Clear Lake, IA after the Buddy Holly plane crash in 1959. He mc'd the show at the Surf Ballroom that night, gave casualties the next day, and was hired by WMAY; he purportedly made the coin flip between Ritchie Valens and Tommy Allsup for the final seat on the plane.); Cal Schrum ("The State Policeman's Friend," on the overnight shift; starred in many B western supporting roles and was beloved by law enforcement personnel working the "graveyard shift"); and Red Barnes (Gregory Harutunian), his 1980s successor who would "set the chickens free," in the early morning hours. The station was also known in the 1980s for its “Little Black Box” promotion that awarded keys to a new vehicle to the finder of a hidden box containing keys to a new vehicle. The station would air clues for listeners to scavenger hunt the surrounding metro area for the “black box”. The promotion ended around the time the station switched from its long-running Country format.

On August 28, 2020, Midwest Family announced that WUSW (now WMAY-FM) would drop its country format and begin simulcasting WMAY on September 1. The addition of 92.7 expanded WMAY's news/talk coverage to areas to the south and east of Springfield.[3]

On April 25, 2022, WMAY changed its format from news/talk (which continued on WMAY-FM 92.7 Taylorville) to classic hits, branded as "102.5 The Lake".[6]

On May 2, 2025, WMAY returned to news/talk, simulcasting WMAY-FM 92.7 Taylorville.[7] The classic hits format shifted to co-owned 99.7 FM.

Patrick Finkston is WMAY's lone local personality, hosting the station's morning show. The rest of the weekday schedule is nationally syndicated talk programs.

• FCC History Cards for WMAY
• Facility details for Facility ID 38348 (WMAY) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WMAY in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 138451 (W234CC) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W234CC at FCCdata.org
• Facility details for Facility ID 202958 (W273DR) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W273DR at FCCdata.org