July 16, 2025
Local News

Broadcasting live from Gurnee Mills

Four radio stations eye imminent launch date in mall location

By MICHELE LEIVAS

Jeremy Ewing of Waukesha, Wis., a glazier with BGS Glass, uses sound-proof tape to reinforce the sound barrier of a window in one of the four Alpha Media radio stations under construction in the north end of Gurnee Mills. The radio stations are WXLC, WIIL, WLIP and WKRS. (Candace H)

GURNEE – The audio consoles and microphones are installed and ready, waiting for the on-air talent to come in and begin airing their shows and playing their music.

Through an expanse of fortified, soundproofed glass, the radio personalities will be able to look out at the stage and pavilion area of Gurnee Mills’ north wing – an area that has long sat empty but soon will host special performances and other events.

This has been a long time coming, but four of Alpha Media’s local radio stations – WLXC 102.3-FM, WIIL Rock 95.1-FM, WLIP 1050-AM and WKRS ESPN Desportes 1220-AM – soon will be officially moved into Gurnee Mills and their “ON AIR” signs will glow red.

The plan to move from the radio stations’ current locations – one in Waukegan, one in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin – stretches back to 2017 after the Waukegan stations suffered severe flooding and water damage from heavy rainfall that summer and began looking for a new location, said Karl Wertzler, Alpha Media general manager of the four stations.

Alpha Media, the stations’ parent company, decided to consolidate four of its regional stations in the area and considered roughly 50 locations, Wertzler said, ultimately deciding Gurnee Mills presented the greatest potential. The proposal was brought before the Gurnee Village Board in February 2018. Last spring the board approved $200,000 in incentives – to be disbursed over three years – to help offset renovation costs incurred by Alpha Media while transforming two retail suites in Gurnee Mills into an 8,600-square-foot area to house the four radio stations and their accompanying staff.

“The village does see it as a big win for Gurnee Mills,” said Jack Linehan, assistant to the Gurnee village administrator. “We think it’ll be a good non-traditional, non-retail anchor for the mall that can really help draw people in with various events and programs that we think it’s gonna be beneficial for the mall in general.”

The village also is working with WXLC 102.3-FM to host a weekly live call-in show called “Gurnee’s Got It” to connect with and inform the station’s Lake County audience of local businesses, events and personalities that Gurnee has to offer.

“We’re very excited about it,” Village Economic Development Director Ellen Dean said. “We definitely want to use this opportunity to reintroduce [people] to things they may have missed or forgotten about or just never knew about.”

Transforming the suites has taken the “better part of six to nine months,” Wertzler said, but “everyone sees the light at the end of the tunnel, and everybody knows that excitement that is to come. We’re thrilled about it, we’re looking forward to it and we’re very, very close to getting in there.”

As part of their agreement with the village and Simon Malls, Gurnee Mills’ parent company, the radio stations will be bringing at least 32 events to the north wing of Gurnee Mills, including mini concerts and other special events, although Wertzler expects they will far exceed that number from year to year.

“One of the things that I’ve heard from so many of the tenants, so many of the people, is it’s almost the ‘forgotten wing’ so to speak, and we want to make it the most memorable wing in a very, very short fashion by bringing some events and mini concerts to the stage,” he said.

The radio stations also plan to partner with some of the tenants within the mall and already have launched events and giveaways to draw their listeners to their new home. Partnering with Marcus Theaters, the mall’s in-house movie theater, WXLC and its on-air talent will be inviting some of their listeners to join them for a special viewing of “Leap Year,” the 2010 romantic comedy starring Amy Adams, on Leap Day, Feb. 29. The screening will be followed by a tour of the new stations and a special reception, including giveaways, in the pavilion area.

The grand opening of the new location has been fluid for some time, although all parties are aiming for the end of February or beginning of March. Wertzler said there will be a special ribbon-cutting March 12.

“This is a really cool, vibrant mall, and we’re only going to make it more cool once we’re established,” Wertzler said.