WEPS FM

20/05/2026

From celebrating 75 years of WEPS, to expanding multilingual programming, earning media recognition, and creating thousands of minutes of original content, this year was one for the books. 🎙️✨

WEPS 88.9 FM continues to amplify student voices, share meaningful stories, and bring our community together in new ways every day. Thank you to everyone who listened, supported, collaborated, and celebrated with us throughout the year.

Here’s to the moments that informed, inspired, and connected us, and to everything still ahead.

12/05/2026

As an end of the year treat, members of the radio clubs at Larkin High School, South Elgin High School, Kimball Middle School, and Washington Elementary School visited the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago to learn about the history of television and radio broadcasting.

As a reminder, WEPS will be off air with student programming beginning on Memorial Day, through the summer recess. Local programming will return in August.

01/04/2026

A special guest stopped by while on his national book tour! At 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 9 and 16, tune in to 88.9 FM to hear author Miguel Briones read Macho No Machismo, as part of our Books, Blankets, and Bedtime radio segment. "Grab your ringside seat to a lucha match generations in the making. Watch Macho Manuel confront the formidable El Machismo y La Machista, as they vie for the coveted title of MACHO". Missed a broadcast? Listen on the WEPS Books, Blankets, and Bedtime Spotify, starting on April 9.

18/03/2026

It was a blast hosting members of the Elgin History Museum at the station on Tuesday, which included former students and a former teacher of the once-offered radio class.

Hearing their stories about WEPS in the 1960s and ’70s was a powerful reminder that, while times have changed, the heart of the station really hasn’t. WEPS has always been a place where students can find their voice, build confidence, and develop communication skills that stay with them for life.

Decades later, that mission is still going strong, and its impact is just as meaningful today.

13/02/2026

06/02/2026

📻 New programming for the week of Feb. 9:

Spark, the district's podcast, has a science-filled 15 minutes. Featuring an interview with a STEM Academy alumnus working in the tech field, as well as a discussion about the significance of the U-46 Planetarium and Observatory, this is an episode you don't want to miss! Listen on Monday and Wednesday at 7 a.m., or Tuesday and Thursday at 4 p.m. Miss it on the radio? Listen on Spotify: https://info.u-46.org/Spark2

From Larkin High School's radio club, an insightful round-table discussion of students and teachers about what it means to be bilingual, as well as music and a live guitar performance. Tune in Monday at 4 p.m., or Tuesday and Thursday at 7 a.m.

Washington Elementary School students are also on air Monday morning with a new show, immediately following Spark.

And at 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday, two new books are being started for our Books, Blankets, and Bedtime program! Listen to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, immediately followed by Peter Pan. Comment on this post for a chance to win our book and blanket giveaway!

U-46 Spark · Episode

01/02/2026

WEPS is proud to partner with the Elgin History Museum to bring you "Elgin 100 Years Ago", an award-winning program featuring one-minute vignettes from Elgin newspapers printed 100 years ago. Hear tales of city hall politics, police, sports, society, news, and more. Tune in weekdays at 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. on WEPS, right before student programming.

13/01/2026

The week of January 19th wraps up our Winnie-the-Pooh series, and covers chapters 17-20 of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, during Books, Blankets, and Bedtime at 7 p.m., Monday through Thursday on 88.9 FM. In the coming weeks, tune in to hear Aesop's Fables and Peter Pan!

📖 Want a free book and blanket? Listeners to our Books, Blankets, and Bedtime series just have to leave a comment on THIS POST, and you'll automatically be entered into our weekly drawing to select an English or Spanish children's book, and an embroidered U-46 blanket!

Missed an episode, or want to listen on your own time? Find us on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3fEtjfuFuiHAZoAx2gpwNF

Disclaimer: No purchase is necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. This giveaway is sponsored by School District U-46. One winner will be selected each week to receive a book with an approximate retail value of 10 dollars. Odds of winning depend on the number of eligible entries received. One entry is allowed per household per week. The winner will be notified within 15 days of selection and must claim their prize within 30 days. The prize must be picked up at the U-46 Educational Services Center in Elgin. Unclaimed prizes will be donated to the U-46 Educational Foundation.

Podcast · School District U-46 · Listen as we read a collection of classical literature for preschool and grade school aged children. Also available in the Elgin area on 88.9 FM beginning at 7:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday during the academic year.

29/12/2025

Thank you to the Daily Herald for coverage of the many benefits of our radio clubs, and our forward-facing vision for the station!

Most anniversaries are celebrated by looking back. Elgin Area School District U-46’s radio station is honoring its 75th year by focusing on the future. WEPS-88.9 FM, the oldest continuously oper...

22/12/2025

Tune in to history on Dec. 25! Orson Welles' renowned 1939 Campbell Playhouse radio play of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, which originally aired on CBS, will be broadcast at 7 a.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m. Starring Oscar-winning actor Lionel Barrymore as Ebenezer Scrooge, the story follows Dickens' classic plot of miserly Scrooge being visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley, and the spirits of past, present, and yet-to-come, to learn empathy and kindness. The 1939 broadcast is considered by many radio historians to be a masterful example of mid-20th-century radio artistry, showcasing how sound effects, music, and outstanding acting from the Mercury Theatre cast create an immersive experience. Listen on 88.9 FM in the Elgin area!