WGXI

Last updated

WGXI
1420AM 98.5FM Cow Country logo.png
Broadcast area Sheboygan County
Frequency 1420 kHz
BrandingCow Country
Programming
Format Classic country–classic rock
AffiliationsMidwest Farm Report
Ownership
Owner
  • Stu Muck and David Hendrickson
  • (Galaxie Broadcasting, LLC)
History
First air date
April 1954;70 years ago (1954-04)
Former call signs
  • WPLY (1954–1991)
  • WJUB (1991–2018)
Call sign meaning
Galaxie Broadcasting (station owner)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 32846
Class D
Power
  • 500 watts (day)
  • 62 watts (night)
Translator(s)
  • 98.5 W53CW (Plymouth)
  • 107.3 W297CK (Sheboygan) (WCLB)
Repeater(s) 950  WCLB (Sheboygan)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website cowcountry.us

WGXI (1420 AM) is a radio station licensed to Plymouth, Wisconsin and serving the Sheboygan County area, which features a classic country/rock hybrid format under the branding "Cow Country 1420AM 98.5FM". WGXI is affiliated with the Midwest Farm Report, Bill Baker's Dairy Minute, weather forecasts from WISN-TV in Milwaukee, and carries Plymouth High School boys varsity football. The station's studios are located on WI 57 North just east of Plymouth, with its transmitter behind the studio building. WGXI also utilizes an FM translator station, W253CW (98.5), which also broadcasts from the same facility and allows a clear stereo signal to be carried at all hours throughout most of Sheboygan County.

Contents

Additionally, Galaxy Broadcasting operates WCLB (950), licensed to Sheboygan, as a simulcast of WGXI's programming under an operating agreement with that station's owner, Mountain Dog Media, to serve the eastern portion of Sheboygan County. WCLB is translated via FM on W297CK (107.3), also licensed to Sheboygan. WCLB's AM transmitter is located in Sheboygan Falls, with W297CK's transmitter located behind the Sheboygan County Detention Center on Sheboygan's south side.

Station history

The station flipped to an adult standards format in 2003, shifting to it shortly after WCLB in Sheboygan converted to ESPN Radio and the launch of WSTM, which allowed the offloading of some programming onto that FM signal. WGXI previously aired a Christian format, and as WPLY, adult contemporary, country music and Top 40 formats. It was the AM sister to WXER (104.5), also Plymouth-licensed, from its launch in 1990 until its 1995 sale to other interests who moved the station's broadcast facilities (though not main transmitter) closer to Sheboygan, where a secondary translator was eventually established.

After Evangel Ministries purchased WSTM in early 2017 with the then-WJUB to convert WSTM to its general contemporary Christian "The Family" format, WJUB was considered a surplus asset in the sale and was sold to Galaxie Broadcasting, a company made up of Stuart Muck and longtime WJUB on-air programmer and personality David Hendrickson, who continued to maintain the station's format as-is since Galaxie's purchase was completed. [2] The first effect of the sale was the affiliation with the Marquette basketball network. [3]

In early 2018, the station also filed for an FM translator station with the FCC as part of the agency's January 2018 AM revitalization translator window, transmitting from Plymouth on 98.5 at 250 watts. [4] [5] With WCLB signing on their translator in mid-November 2018, WGXI was the last of Sheboygan County's three AM stations to launch an FM translator.

The station changed its call sign to WGXI on April 5, 2018. Galaxie had attempted to re-acquire the former WPLY calls from the Roanoke, Virginia sports radio station that currently holds them, but was refused.

The translator did launch on October 30, 2019; with it, the standards format was dropped for a more FM-viable Soft/Gold AC format, and rebranded as "Love 98.5". [6] After gauging listener feedback during a break in the format between Thanksgiving and Christmas for Christmas music, the station returned a number of standards to its playlist in 2020.

On January 20, 2021, WGXI changed their format to a classic rock/country hybrid, branded as "Cow Country", in honor of Antoinette, the locally known fiberglass Holstein cow statue standing outside the former Plymouth Utilities building downtown. [7] [8]

Addition of WCLB simulcast

Over the last week of 2023, WCLB's former operator (who provided the station's programming remotely, with its owner maintaining the actual facilities) wound down its programming agreement with Mountain Dog Media to carry its Rhythmic Top 40 format as Z107, and the station went silent over the New Year's weekend into 2024. During the afternoon of January 2, 2024, that station came back on the air, now simulcasting WGXI; Dave Hendrickson had been an on-air personality on WXER before WCLB's sale to Mountain Dog, and took on additional duties with WCLB before moving on to what was then WJUB in the early 2000s.

There has been no paperwork regarding a sale of WCLB to Galaxy Broadcasting, although the simulcast consolidates the two commercial Sheboygan County stations not owned by Midwest Communications into one unit. It also brings a solid FM signal for WGXI into Sheboygan via the FM translator; though WGXI has a translator itself, it has limited reach into Sheboygan. The arrangement was announced on January 9 after a soft launch through WGXI's social media channels. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSRV</span> Radio station in Gainesville, Georgia

WSRV – branded 97.1 The River – is a commercial radio station licensed to Gainesville, Georgia, and serving Metro Atlanta. It is owned by the Cox Media Group. WSRV broadcasts a classic rock radio format. The studios and offices are in the Cox Television and Radio Facility on West Peachtree Street near the Brookwood neighborhood of Atlanta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMNV</span> Regional Mexican radio station in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area

KMNV is a commercial AM radio station licensed to St. Paul, Minnesota, and serving the Twin Cities radio market. It is owned by Santamaria Broadcasting and broadcasts a Spanish-language radio format featuring Regional Mexican music with some weekday comedy shows. KMNV's radio studios and offices are in Richfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KEEY-FM</span> Country music radio station in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area

KEEY-FM is a commercial FM radio station licensed to St. Paul, Minnesota, and serving the Minneapolis-Saint Paul radio market. It broadcasts a country music radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on Utica Avenue South in St. Louis Park. KEEY-FM carries two syndicated programs from co-owned Premiere Networks: CMT Nights with Cody Alan, heard overnight, and The Bobby Bones Show, heard Sunday evenings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WDDW</span> Radio station in Wisconsin

WDDW is a Spanish-language FM radio station licensed to Sturtevant, Wisconsin, and serving Milwaukee and Racine. It is owned by Bustos Media, with studios on South 108th Street in West Allis. WDDW is known as "La Gran D", and plays traditional Regional Mexican music.

WAGG is a commercial radio station licensed to Birmingham, Alabama. It is owned by SummitMedia and broadcasts an urban gospel radio format that targets Birmingham's African-American community. The studios and offices are in the Cahaba neighborhood in Southeast Birmingham, along with six other stations owned by SummitMedia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSIX-FM</span> Country music radio station in Nashville

WSIX-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Nashville, Tennessee. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station broadcasts a country music format. WSIX's studios are located in Nashville's Music Row district and the transmitter site is in Forest Hills, Tennessee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAUK</span> Radio station in Jackson, Wisconsin

WAUK is a commercial progressive talk radio station licensed to the Washington County community of Jackson, Wisconsin, and serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It is known on-air as The Sha 101 FM in reference to the station's Waukesha based FM translator. The station's studios and offices are in downtown Waukesha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGUE (AM)</span> Radio station in Turrell, Arkansas, serving Memphis, Tennessee

WGUE is a commercial AM radio station in Turrell, Arkansas, serving the Memphis metropolitan area. WGUE is owned by Butron Media Corporation and airs a Regional Mexican radio format. The transmitter is off Legion Road in West Memphis, Arkansas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRPT</span> Radio station in Devine–San Antonio, Texas

KRPT is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic country format. Licensed to Devine, Texas, United States, the station serves the San Antonio area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. The KRPT studios are located in the Stone Oak neighborhood in Far North San Antonio, and the transmitter site is in Pearsall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWSJ</span> Radio station in St. Johns, Michigan

WWSJ is an AM radio station broadcasting from St. Johns, Michigan on 1580 kHz, featuring a black gospel format. The station transmits with 1,000 watts during the day using a directional antenna that sends the signal primarily to the north and south. At night, it operates with a 3 watts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLKN</span> Radio station in Cleveland, Wisconsin

WLKN is a radio station licensed to Cleveland, Wisconsin with an adult contemporary format consisting mainly of music from the 1980s until the current day, serving the lakeshore cities of Sheboygan and Manitowoc/Two Rivers, Wisconsin, along with Manitowoc and Sheboygan Counties in general. The station's studio is located in Manitowoc, and the station is owned by Seehafer Broadcasting. The station's transmitter is located north of Cleveland, in the Town of Newton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBFM</span> Radio station in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

WBFM is a country music station licensed to Sheboygan, Wisconsin. WBFM is owned and operated by Midwest Communications under the sub-branding of Sheboygan Radio Group, which owns seven radio stations in Northeast Wisconsin and three other radio stations in the Sheboygan market. It shares studios with WHBL, WXER, and WHBZ on Washington Avenue in Sheboygan, with the station's transmitter and antenna based behind the studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXER</span> Radio station in Plymouth, Wisconsin

WXER is a Hot AC FM radio station broadcasting on 104.5 MHz in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, which is owned by Midwest Communications. The station is licensed to the city of Plymouth and broadcasts from a tower southwest of the city.

WPCK is a radio station licensed to Denmark, Wisconsin and serving Green Bay. The station is owned and operated by Educational Media Foundation. WPCK's transmitter is located off Finger Road in Montpelier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFFF (FM)</span> Radio station in Bennington, Nebraska

KFFF is a radio station with a classic country format. Licensed to Bennington, Nebraska, United States, the station serves the Omaha area. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia and licensed as iHM Licenses, LLC. The station's studios are located on Underwood Avenue in Omaha, while their transmitter is located on Farnam Avenue in Midtown Omaha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPCA (AM)</span> Radio station in Waupaca, Wisconsin

WPCA is a radio station broadcasting an active rock format. Licensed to Waupaca, Wisconsin, United States, the station is currently owned by Donald Grassman and Keith Bratel, through licensee Tower Road Media.

WZBU is a daytime-only radio station licensed to the Calumet County community of New Holstein, Wisconsin, the station serves the Appleton-Oshkosh area, located to the northwest of Chilton. The station is owned by Sage Weil and Michael Crute, through licensee Civic Media, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCLB</span> Radio station in Sheboygan, Wisconsin

WCLB is a radio station in Sheboygan, Wisconsin which airs a hybrid classic country/rock format simulcast from WGXI (1420) in Plymouth. WCLB's license is owned by Mountain Dog Media, a company owned by former State Senator Randy Hopper, with WGXI's owner, Galaxie Broadcasting, providing its programming from its studio facility on WI 57 in Plymouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSTM (FM)</span> Radio station in Wisconsin, United States

WSTM is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Inspirational format licensed to Kiel, Wisconsin, and broadcasting from the WXER transmitter west of Plymouth on WI 67. The station is currently owned by The Family Radio Network, carrying a format shared with sister stations WEMI in Appleton, WEMY in Green Bay and WGNV in Milladore known as "The Family". Studio facilities are located in Appleton.

WNES is a classic country-formatted radio station that is licensed to and located in Central City, Kentucky, United States. The station is currently owned by Starlight Broadcasting Co., Inc.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WGXI". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ Jacobson, Adam (October 10, 2017). "'The Breeze' Blows Toward A Galaxie". RBR. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  3. ↑ Pederson, Jeff (February 2, 2018). "Falls radio vet steps into ownership role". Plymouth Review/Sheboygan Falls News. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  4. ↑ Venta, Lance (February 7, 2018). "Looking At The 873 New Translator Applications". RadioInsight. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  5. ↑ Ellis, Jon. "2018 AM Revitalization Translators". Northpine. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  6. ↑ Ellis, Jon (October 30, 2019). "Wis. Station Changes Format with Launch of FM Signal". Northpine. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  7. ↑ Cow Country Herded Into Sheboygan Radioinsight - January 20, 2021
  8. ↑ "Antoinette the Cow". Vamonde. Sheboygan County Historical Society & Museum. Retrieved January 7, 2022.
  9. ↑ "As long as we've got your attention on this snowy day. Cow Country Radio has expanded our coverage area and can now be heard in the Sheboygan area on 107.3FM in addition to our primary signals in Plymouth..." Facebook. WGXI. January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 10, 2024.

43°44′33″N87°56′21″W / 43.74250°N 87.93917°W / 43.74250; -87.93917

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.