In 1989, WSSY began to air a hard rock and heavy metal format branded "G-Force", though brokered ethnic and religious programming continued to air mornings and early afternoons. In 1990 the station's call letters were changed to WKTA. By early 1991, "G-Force" had ended, and the station aired brokered ethnic and religious programming. The hard rock and heavy metal format would again appear on WKTA as "Rebel Radio", a brokered format launched by G-Force alumni Scott Davidson. WKTA would become a flagship station for the hard rock network, which was syndicated to other stations in the midwest. New Life Russian Radio broadcast from Northbrook, Illinois on 1330 AM WKTA, featuring call-in shows, international news, and European music.