How We Got Here
97X History
2000
Radio/television initiative started under Pastor Warren Heckman, Lake City Church in Madison, Wisconsin.
2001
Lake City Church applies to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to construct a low-power FM station on 97.1 FM in Madison. In anticipation of a future over-the-air radio station, an online streaming station of Christian rock/Christian hit music is started by Tom Weeden and Dave Batz under various names, eventually becoming 97X.fm.
2004
The FCC issues Lake City Church a construction permit, granting permission to begin constructing a new FM radio station.
2007
After fundraising, equipment purchases and donations, and a long search for an appropriate tower site, the FCC grants low power FM license to Lake City Church as WIXL-LP. Broadcasts to Madison on 97.1 FM (as "97X") begin on August 12, 2007 as streaming also continues online at 97x.fm.
2010
Lake City Church and Mad City Church merge, forming City Church. 97X continues expanding its music library to include more genres of Christian music rarely heard on Christian stations.
2020
City Church expands its vision as a collaborative region-wide radio station that offers an option for music immersion of Christian rock and hip hop music available locally and globally; a website of Christian-based resources and a community of listeners where God's love can be heard by turning the station on and the world off.
2020 became a year of great heartache as the COVID-19 pandemic stretched across the globe leaving despair and fear in its wake. But out of chaos and confusion, God's light rises to bring hope and joy in a time when it is hard to come by. The world wants to repress us with political division, racial tensions, pandemic fears and social media lies, but God's words, the very words that bring life and peace and joy, can set our world free.
We at 97X choose life through the words we listen to and the Rock we promote.
97X Radio – Music on. World off.