History of Miller Group Media
The Miller family’s involvement with local media began in 1946 when Mr. and Mrs. Peter Miller, Jr., purchased the Peru News-Herald. Shortly thereafter, they purchased the LaSalle Post-Tribune and merged the two newspapers into the Daily News-Tribune.
In 1947 Peter Miller purchased LaSalle County Broadcasting Corp., which operated radio station WLPO-AM a 250-watt daytime non-directional station. WLPO-FM went on the air in December 1974, as a 100-watt monaural FM station. In 1967 the station’s signal was upgraded to 3000 watts and in 1979 the call letters were changed to WAJK.
The NEWShopper was added as a total-market-coverage product, to complement the NewsTribune, in early 1970s, as a means for advertisers to get their message to non-subscribers at a low cost. A business could run the same advertisement in each publication and receive a discounted rate for the “pick-up” advertisement.
In the mid-1970s, NewsTribune advertising director Lou Lesniak approached Peter Miller, Jr., with the idea of adding a farm publication as a monthly addition, available to NewsTribune subscribers and local area farmers. Illinois AgriNews was started as an offshoot of the NewsTribune. Its success was such that it was spun off as a weekly publication and Indiana AgriNews was added. Illinois and Indiana AgriNews are now circulated weekly throughout the two states with subscribers and readers throughout the Midwest, the USA and internationally.
Peter (Pete) Miller III joined the operation in 1982. He changed the name of the daily print publication to the NewsTribune.
In 1999, LaSalle County Broadcasting Corp. purchased WKOT. The call letters were changed to WLWF and known as 96.5theWOLF in 2010.
Pete Miller served as president of the newspaper operations, publisher of the NewsTribuneand general manager of the radio stations. In March 2002 he named Joyce McCullough publisher of the NewsTribune.
Peter Miller, Jr., died in January 2004.
In 2005, Pete named Joyce McCullough general manager of the radio stations. Pete maintained the title of president.
Pete Miller died in February 2011.
After Pete’s death, Catherine (Cathy)Miller assumed the role of chairman of the board and named Joyce McCullough president of media operations. Joyce continued in her role as NewsTribune publisher and radio station general manager.
