About Us

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Shaw Media entered the northern Illinois radio market in April 2023 by acquiring a group of market-leading Illinois Valley stations. The addition of radio stations enhanced the company’s already vibrant mix of Northern Illinois digital and print media. The combination of print, radio, and digital offerings allows us to better serve our markets in unique ways. Our goal is to forge deep ties in our communities as we strive to help make them better places to live.

 

We are the proud owners of the third oldest, continuously owned and operated family newspaper in the nation. Our legacy of success dates back to our founding in 1851. We’re the number one source of independent local news and information in the communities we serve, and one of the nation’s largest newspaper publishers. That success is due to our talented group of employees who put their very best into Shaw Media’s award-winning daily and weekly print and digital publications located in Illinois and Iowa. Our history of success continues today.

The pedigree of Shaw Media reads like a fascinating lesson in American history—involving documented Mayflower ancestry and a government office in the Plymouth colonies; a daring, orphaned 14 year-old Pony Express rider turned printer/newspaper editor; the founding of the early Republican party; a partnership with Abraham Lincoln; and a determined businesswoman blazing professional trails in the early 1900s. It’s a story characterized by tenacity, drive, and vision—the same qualities that still define Shaw Media today.

The communities we cover make up a population of over three million people, and over one million households. We reach over two and a half million readers in print and online every month. We partner with thousands of small businesses, community non-profits, and municipalities to make our communities better places to live.

OUR STATIONS

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Walls 102

WALLS 102 is your live and local country station! More people listen to WALLS 102 during the workday than any other station. You can hear your favorite country hits in and around Oglesby, Ottawa, LaSalle, Peru, and Streator. Your home for wall-to-wall country! WALLS 102 is streaming online at walls102.com and on IOS and Android apps at WALLS 102.

Mornings with Dani  

Brought to you by: Steinberg Furniture, DJ’s Carpet Furniture & More, Koolmaster, Eureka Savings Bank, and Town & Country Services. Dani has been working in radio since she was a teenager! She loves a good cup of coffee, her daughters along with her clueless husband, and her dogs! You can listen to Dani, weekday mornings, 6am – 10am! 

Walls Midday Show 

Midday show is brought to you by Debo Ace Hardware. Sloppy Joe has been in the Illinois Valley for almost 20 years. He enjoys the breakfast of champions, which to him is cheesecake. Catch Sloppy Joe on the Midday show weekdays from 11am – 3pm! 

Walls Afternoons 

WALS Afternoons is brought to you by: First State Bank. A Peru, IL native! Annie has worked in radio all over the place, from Arizona to Oregon. Her guilty pleasure is watching the latest trashy t.v. show. Join Annie every weekday from 3pm – 7pm. 

Crook & Chase Countdown 

Each weekend, Crook and Chase count down the top 30 songs as reported by Mediabase 24/7. The show features four hours of hits, humor, and artist interviews. Listen every Sunday, 7am – 10am.  

zMAX Racing Country 

A weekly two-hour music intensive variety show featuring insights and interviews from behind the scenes of NASCAR and Nashville. Race to Walls 102 for zMAX Racing Country, Sundays 10am-Noon.

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Q Hit Music

Q HIT MUSIC is your Top 40 station with all the hits all the time! Playing all the hits in LaSalle, Bureau, and Putnam County! Q Hit Music is live, local, and streaming at qhitmusic.com and on the app for Apple and Android at Q Hit Music.

Q Hit Mornings

Q Hit Mornings is sponsored by DJ’s Carpet Furniture & More, and Eureka Savings Bank LaSalle. Downtown DBrown has been working in radio since she was a teenager! She loves a good cup of coffee, her daughters along with her clueless husband, and her dogs! Catch her during Q Hit Music’s Morning Show from 6am –10am. 

The Afternoon Daydream 

The Afternoon Daydream brought to you by Marquette Academy. Day is a Waukegan, IL native. Music is one of his lifelines. It keeps him going. Getting to talk about it to the masses is a plus. Hang out with Day, weekdays 3pm – 7pm. 

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Classic country wglc

CLASSIC COUNTRY WGLC is the area’s choice for classic country! Tune in for local spots, news, and agriculture. WGLC spreads to Northern LaSalle and Bureau Counties and is streaming online at wglc.net and on the app for Apple and Android at WGLC Classic Country.

The Breakfast Show 

The Breakfast Show is sponsored Liberty Village of Peru and Mendota Area Senior Services. Wake up with Chuck! Originally from Toledo, Ohio. You can catch him hangin’ out with his wife and son or doing a little bass fishing. The Breakfast Show – Mornings from 6am – 10am.

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classic hits 106

CLASSIC HITS 106 is the greatest “feel good” hits of the 80’s & 90’s. Bon Jovi, Cyndi Lauper, Journey, Madonna and more. From The Morning Mess with Sloppy Joe to the 106-minute commercial free Lunch Run. From the 5 After 5 with Chuck O’Brien in the Afternoon to Annie at Night playing all the hits.

Sloppy Joe & The Morning Mess

Sloppy has been with us for nearly 20 years. Prior to landing here in the Illinois Valley, Sloppy spent time “on the air” in Washington DC. Sloppy Joe is also one of the area’s most requested “live event” hosts. 

Chuck O’Brien in the Afternoon

Chuck has been in the region since 1984. In addition to holding down the fort on Classic Hits 106 weekday afternoons, Chuck can be heard hosting specials on Sirius/XM’s Elvis Radio. Chuck is also Program Director for WBZG, WSPL and WYYS, and is a 5-time recipient of Small Market Morning Show of the year from the Illinois Broadcasters Association.  

Annie at Night

Annie was born and raised here in LaSalle/Peru. Annie has also worked for stations in Arizona and Oregon, including a stint with the Real Country Network owned and operated by the late Buck Owens.

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WSPL 98.5

WSPL 98.5 is a good times, great oldies kind of station, you won’t be disappointed. Beatles, Beach Boys, Motown, and the greatest music ever made. 

Annie in the Morning and Elizabeth in the Afternoon

Annie in the Morning and Elizabeth in the Afternoon were both born and raised in the Illinois Valley. They truly know the people who live, work, and play in the area. Their keen sense of community is at the center of everything they do. It really is all about local relationships for these two.

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100.9 FM rocks!

100.9 FM ROCKS! is your all-around great rock radio station. Every city should have a Classic Rock station like this. Since 1970, WBGZ has been rockin’ the Illinois Valley. Generations of Classic Rock fans have grown up with this station. Back in the day WBZG helped launch the careers of groups like Head East and REO Speedwagon.

OUR STAFF

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Herb Cody

Vice President, shaw local radio

Herb’s career in radio spans over three decades, marked by diverse roles that showcase his expertise in the industry. Before joining Shaw Media as Vice President Shaw Local Radio, he served as Vice President and Market Manager for QueenB Radio in southwest Wisconsin. His career also includes significant experience as a consultant, radio host, and account manager, demonstrating his comprehensive understanding of the radio broadcasting sector. Herb’s dedication to local community service is evident in his involvement with various boards and committees, emphasizing his belief in the importance of local focus. His varied background has equipped him with the skills necessary for his current leadership role at Shaw Media.

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Dani Holland

Program Director/On-Air Radio Announcer, Shaw Local Radio

2024 marks my 18th year as a broadcaster. I grew up in Geneseo, IL where I got interested in radio when I was in high school. I dipped my toes into broadcasting by being second chair in announcing for my high school basketball team. My first radio job was in Kewanne, IL at Virden Radio Group in 2006 and I fell in love with it. I went to Western Illinois University for Broadcasting and Music Bussiness, where I was on-air for my college station and for the local stations in Macomb, IL. After college, I moved to Bloomington, IL where I worked for a Cummulus Media station. My old college roomate was leaving a radio station in Peru, IL and told me I should apply. So I did. I got the job and from there, my husband and I moved to the Illinois Valley. I have been on-air in the Illinois Valley since 2015. I am the Walls 102 morning show host from 6am – 10am, Monday through Saturday. Walls 102 is a Music Row reporting station, where I take calls from Nashville music promoters each week to add new and upcoming music to our country station. I organize interviews with up-and-coming country music artists as well. I schedule all the music and imagery for Walls 102, Classic Country WGLC, and for Q Hit Music 97.7 & 103.3. Since moving to the area, my husband and I have bought a house and have two beautiful daughters. We love this area and are proud to raise our girls in such a tight-knit community.

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Chuck O'Brien

Program Director/On-Air personality, Shaw Local Radio

I grew up in Toledo, OH where I jumped into the business at the ripe old age of 13. It all started behind the scenes as a studio board operator running Sunday morning church programming and Casey Kasem’s American Top 40. Since then, I have had a wonderful career working for great stations from Toledo to Quad Cities U.S.A. From being on the air to commercial production and station imaging to general programming … and yes, even sales, radio has always been in my blood. Even today, my greatest thrill is getting to tell a community’s story through the magic of our industry. 

On a side note, I have served as a special projects host for Sirius/XM’s Elvis Radio since 2010.

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Jeff Billig

Sales and Marketing Manager, Shaw Local Radio

Jeff has a passion for sales and marketing, and has dedicated his career to helping and serving his clients through marketing. Jeff has been in radio since 2006. With a love of music, finding a position in radio was a plus for Jeff. One of the many favorite things about this industry is meeting new people, and creating fun dynamic radio commercials for so many different kinds of businesses. Jeff has a history of creating some pretty fun commercials, and events for his clients.

Outside of work, Jeff loves spending time with his wife Cathy. They have two adult children outside of the house, Hanna in Illinois and Blake Oregon. Jeff and Cathy enjoy adventures and traveling from the east coast to the west coast. One of our favorite trips was a drive from Portland Maine, to Boston Mass, with a night in Kennebunkport Maine. Such a beautiful country we live in. Jeff also loves spending time at home cooking on his Big Green Egg, and working on his property

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Tina Devine

Traffic Manager, Shaw Local Radio

Tina Devine grew up in Bourbonnais, IL. She moved to the Illinois Valley area in 1994. She started her career in radio as a Traffic Programmer and has spent the last 19 years learning all she could about the business.  

Holding the position as Traffic Manager is demanding, yet she enjoys every minute of it. Traffic managers play a critical role in radio operations. Her duties are plentiful and include organizing content, scheduling advertising & programming, and ensuring accuracy in commercial logs to deliver the best content the listeners deserve.  

Her goal is to make sure clients are happy with their commercials and that their radio advertising experience is a success.  

When she is not working behind the scenes with her Shaw Media family, she is enjoying her own family including her Boston Terrier Emmitt. Yes, she is a Dallas Cowboy fan! 

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Summer Studstill

Promotions Manager, Shaw Local Radio

My family has been working in radio since the 1970s, so I’ve been coming into radio stations since before I could walk. Over the years, I’ve done a little bit of everything and worn a lot of different hats- from fill-in morning show host to programming assistant to impromptu salesperson.  

And working as the Promotions Manager here lets me do a little bit of everything as well! It’s a ton of behind-the-scenes work that ensures that every contest, event, or promotion that we do is successful.  

I love to put creativity into everything I do, so if I’m not at my desk, I’m probably buried in craft supplies both at the office and at home with many cats.