The Big 89 WLS 890 AM live
Chicago's News & Talk
The Big 89 WLS at a glance
About The Big 89 WLS
The Big 89 WLS is Chicago's talk station. It broadcasts on 890 AM and serves the Chicago metropolitan area with the slogan "Chicago's News & Talk". The station is owned by Cumulus Media, and on this page you can listen to WLS live online, free. The online stream is offered to listeners inside the United States; outside the country it may not play because of rights restrictions.
Talk radio
WLS airs a talk radio format for Chicago, with news and conversation through the day.
The World's Largest Store
WLS signed on on April 11, 1924 — briefly as WES — and was founded by Sears, Roebuck, whose slogan "World's Largest Store" gave the station its call letters.
A 50,000-watt clear channel
WLS is a Class A station on the clear-channel frequency of 890 kHz, with 50,000 watts from a non-directional antenna. The transmitter site is on the southwestern edge of Tinley Park, in Will County. By day its groundwave signal covers parts of five states, and at night its skywave routinely reaches 38 states — which is why listeners far from Chicago know the station.
The transmitters
The main transmitter is a Nautel NX-50, with a Harris DX-50 as backup; both run in Modulation Dependent Carrier Level mode to save power.
Sister stations
In Chicago, Cumulus also owns WLS-FM and WKQX.
How to listen
You can hear WLS on the radio on 890 AM across Chicago and much of the Midwest, but you do not need a radio at all: this page plays the live stream in any browser, on a phone, tablet or computer. Press the play button at the top, wait a second or two for the stream to connect, and keep browsing while it plays — the player stays on as you move between pages. It is ideal for the drive home or a long night on the highway, and it costs nothing: no account, no subscription and no app to install.
Below the player you will find WLS's frequency and home city, the genres it plays, answers to common questions and a list of similar stations, so when you want a change you can jump to another station in the same format or the same area with one click.
- 100% free, no sign-up
- Live stream, 24 hours a day
- Listen from anywhere
- Works on phone and computer
How to listen to The Big 89 WLS live
In 3 simple steps, with nothing to install.
- 01Press play
Click the "Listen live" button at the top of this page.
- 02Wait a moment
The live stream starts loading within a few seconds.
- 03Enjoy
The Big 89 WLS plays right in your browser, with nothing to install.
Talk
Talk radio is America’s home of opinion and conversation: call-in shows, interviews and live debate on the stories everyone is talking about.
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US✶99CountryFrequently asked questions
Press play on this page to stream WLS 890 AM, free and with no app.
World's Largest Store — the station was founded by Sears.
At night its skywave signal routinely reaches 38 states.
WLS is owned by Cumulus Media.
Yes. You can listen to The Big 89 WLS live for free here on Radio Stations Hub, 24 hours a day.
Yes. The Big 89 WLS plays in your phone’s browser on Android or iPhone — there is no app to install. Just open this page and press play.
Yes. Connect your phone to the car stereo by Bluetooth or cable, open The Big 89 WLS here on Radio Stations Hub and enjoy the live stream on the road.
If the stream does not load, wait a few seconds and press play again — some streams take a moment to connect. You can also refresh the page or try another Talk, News, Country station meanwhile. Radio Stations Hub checks every stream automatically.