WKBZ (1520 AM)

Last updated
WKBZ
Broadcast areaMuskegon, Michigan
Frequency 1520 kHz
Programming
Format Defunct, formerly children's/CHR
Ownership
OwnerWLC Broadcasting
History
First air date
1963 (1963)
Last air date
2001 (2001)
Former call signs
  • WKJR (1963–1990)
  • WQWQ (1990–1992, 1992–1999)
  • WWEZ (February 1 – July 24, 1992)
Technical information
Facility ID 47109
Class B
Power
  • 10,000 watts day
  • 1,000 watts night

WKBZ was a radio station on 1520 kHz in Muskegon Heights, Michigan. It broadcast between 1963 and 2001 and was last owned by WLC Broadcasting.

Contents

History

The construction permit for WKJR, a daytime-only station on 1520, was obtained on September 27, 1962. The permit was owned by William and William Eugene Kuiper, doing business as the Muskegon Heights Broadcasting Company. The station hit the air in February 1963 [1] and increased its daytime power to 10,000 watts in 1971. The station suffered a humorous accident in 1975 when a field mouse crawled into the transmitter site, shorting out a transformer and keeping the station off the air for 45 minutes during its broadcast of a high school basketball game. [2]

In 1979, majority control was transferred to another Kuiper business—the Furniture City Broadcasting Corporation, which owned WFUR in Grand Rapids—which procured authorization two years later to broadcast at night with 500 watts. [3] March 1974 brought an FM sister station, WKJR-FM 101.7 (now WMRR); the stations broadcast religious programming. [1]

WKJR was acquired in 1990 by Pathfinder Communications Corporation as part of a $1.27 million purchase [4] and became WQWQ, call letters formerly on its sister FM, and that the AM station would use for almost all of the 1990s and through sales to Muskegon Lakeshore Broadcasting in 1994 and WLC Broadcasting in 1997. (The station briefly went by WWEZ for five months in 1992.) Upon becoming WQWQ, the station flipped to soft adult contemporary, and after trying hot AC that fall, moved back to soft AC in early 1991 in order to ensure an FM station did not fill the format void. [5] WLC was owned by Bishop Nathaniel Wells and flipped WQWQ back to a religious format, with gospel music and church services. [6] In 1998, as part of a bankruptcy settlement, WLC donated its WKBZ at 850 kHz to Grand Valley State University, which became WGVS. [7] The WKBZ intellectual unit, news/talk programming [6] and call letters were retained by the seller and moved to 1520 kHz.

However, WLC's financial troubles continued. After a sale to Harbor Pointe Broadcasting collapsed because the company went bankrupt, [8] the station went off the air in March 2001, when WLC Broadcasting became bankrupt and its assets claimed by creditors. The station became an affiliate of Radio Disney during its final two months of operation. [8] The station's license was officially cancelled in June 2002.

Related Research Articles

WWL is an AM radio station in New Orleans, Louisiana, owned by Audacy, Inc. WWL and 105.3 WWL-FM simulcast a news/talk format with sports talk at night. The studios are in the 400 Poydras Tower in the New Orleans Central Business District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKBZ</span> Radio station in Muskegon, Michigan

WKBZ is a news/talk radio station in Muskegon, Michigan owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.

WSLI is a non-commercial, listener-supported AM radio station which serves the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. The station is licensed to Kentwood, Michigan, a Grand Rapids suburb. It simulcasts Smile FM's contemporary Christian music format with sister station WSLI-FM 90.9 MHz.

WGVU-FM is an NPR member station serving Grand Rapids, Michigan. Owned by Grand Valley State University, it is simulcast in West Michigan. The main broadcast frequency is 88.5 MHz, which is licensed to Allendale, the Grand Rapids suburb that is home to Grand Valley State's main campus. It is simulcast on WGVS-FM 95.3 MHz, which is licensed to Whitehall and serves Muskegon. The format is talk radio from NPR, along with jazz.

WUBR is a radio station licensed to serve Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States. The station is owned by Ana and Freddy Cruz, through licensee Power 102.1 FM LLC. It used to air a Gospel music format but as of November 7, 2007 the station is listed as "licensed and silent" in the FCC database.

WTAR is a commercial radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, and serving the Hampton Roads radio market. WTAR is owned and operated by Sinclair Telecable, Inc. It broadcasts an talk radio format as "TalkRadio 96.5 & 850 WTAR". WTAR's studios and offices are on Waterside Drive in Norfolk.

WAIT was an AM radio station licensed to Crystal Lake, Illinois, and serving the Chicago metropolitan area. It was licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as a Class D station and broadcast only during daytime hours, signing off at sunset to protect KOA in Denver, the clear-channel station on 850 kHz.

WSMZ is an AM radio station in Muskegon, Michigan. It is the oldest radio station in Muskegon. The station is part of the contemporary Christian-formatted Smile FM network.

WXLA is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Dimondale, a suburb of Lansing, Michigan. It is owned by MacDonald Broadcasting and airs a soft adult contemporary radio format. During the months of November and December, the station switches to an all-Christmas music format. It uses the branding "Easy 93.3". The dial position refers to WXLA's FM translator, W227DO at 93.3 MHz in Lansing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLCS</span> Radio station in North Muskegon, Michigan

WLCS is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to North Muskegon, Michigan, it first began broadcasting under the WFMM call sign. The station is owned by Cumulus Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVIB</span> Radio station in Holton, Michigan

WVIB is a radio station broadcasting an urban adult contemporary format fed via satellite from Westwood One. The station is licensed to Holton, Michigan and serves the Muskegon market. It can be heard as far south as Allendale, Michigan, as far east as Lakeview, Michigan, and as far north as Ludington, Michigan. However, its range is limited by WBCH to the southeast and WSJP-FM to the west.

WMHG was a radio station in Muskegon, Michigan. It broadcast a MOR/oldies format. WMHG used ABC Radio Networks' satellite-delivered "Timeless Favorites" format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMRR</span> Radio station in Muskegon Heights, Michigan

WMRR is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Muskegon Heights, Michigan, it first began broadcasting under the WKJR call sign.

WGDN is a radio station licensed to Gladwin, Michigan broadcasting a religious format. It is a daytime only station broadcasting on a frequency of 1350 kHz at a power output of 250 watts, non-directional.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMLM</span> Radio station in Michigan, United States

WMLM was a radio station located in St. Louis, Michigan, broadcasting Westwood One's satellite-delivered Real Country format, a hybrid of classic and current country hits. WMLM mainly broadcasts to the north along the US-127 corridor, and is one of four radio stations to broadcast from Gratiot County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNIL</span> Radio station in Michigan, United States

WNIL is an AM radio station located in Niles, Michigan and broadcasting to the Niles-Buchanan region airing a classic hits-based adult contemporary format. It broadcasts on AM frequency 1290 kHz and 107.5 MHz; it is under ownership of Marion R. Williams.

WGHN is an AM radio station licensed to Grand Haven, Michigan. The station broadcasts an album-oriented rock format.

WTLM is an urban gospel radio station licensed in Opelika, Alabama, United States. The station is owned by San Antonio–based iHeartMedia, through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC. 1520 AM is a United States clear-channel frequency, on which WWKB and KOKC share Class A status.

KBSZ is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic rock radio format. Licensed to Apache Junction, Arizona, the station is owned by 1TV.com. The studios and offices are on Broadway in Miami, Arizona.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKJR</span> Radio station in Rantoul, Illinois

WKJR is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish Variety music format. It is licensed to serve Rantoul, Illinois, and broadcasts to the Champaign, Illinois, area. The station, established in 1963, is currently owned by Ruben's Productions, Inc.

References

  1. 1 2 "WKJR" (PDF). 1976 Broadcasting Yearbook. 1976. p. C-101. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Mouse Knocks Out WKJR-Radio". Ludington Daily News. UPI. January 18, 1975. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  3. ↑ FCC History Cards for WKBZ
  4. ↑ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 1, 1990. p. 115. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  5. ↑ Ross, Sean (February 23, 1991). "2nd-Generation Soft ACs Find Their Niche" (PDF). Billboard. p. 9. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Bishop's company buys three radio stations". The Times Herald. November 27, 1996. p. 3A. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  7. ↑ "WGVS AM 850 Muskegon". Michiguide. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "Former WKBZ 1520 AM Muskegon Heights". Michiguide. Retrieved September 7, 2019.

43°8′27.6″N86°14′49.2″W / 43.141000°N 86.247000°W / 43.141000; -86.247000

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.