A Connoisseur Media FM has been forced to deliver its Classic Alternative programming exclusively via streaming audio since Thursday evening, as a strong July 2 storm sent the station’s tower just east of the Fox River in suburban Chicago toppling to the ground.
The powerful weather event impacted WERV-FM 95.9 “The River,” a Class A that has been in its current format since April 2024 and was sold to Connoisseur as part of its Alpha Media merger. Previous owners of the station include Digity LLC and NextMedia.
The tower is owned by Delray Beach, Fla.-based Vertical Bridge, and WERV was the lone radio station using the 353-foot structure. News of the downed tower was first shared on Facebook by Geary Morrill, Regional Director of Engineering at Connoisseur.
A request for a FCC Special Temporary Authority silent period is expected to be filed shortly.
