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| Broadcast area | Milwaukee metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 920 kHz |
| Branding | Fox Sports 920 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WISN, WKKV-FM, WMIL-FM, WRIT-FM, WRNW | |
| History | |
First air date | August 31, 1947 (as WEXT at 1430) |
Former call signs | WEXT (1947–1950) |
Former frequencies | 1430 kHz (1947–1950) |
Call sign meaning | Mil-WOKY, phonetically pronounced like Milwaukee |
| Technical information [1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 63917 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | 42°58′32.05″N88°3′56.32″W / 42.9755694°N 88.0656444°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (via iHeartRadio) |
| Website | fsr920 |
WOKY (920 kHz, "Fox Sports 920") is a commercial AM radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It is one of two sports radio stations owned by iHeart in Milwaukee. WRNW focuses on Wisconsin-based sports shows, while WOKY mostly airs national programs from Fox Sports Radio, including Dan Patrick and Colin Cowherd. WOKY's studios and offices, which became the home of all iHeart Milwaukee stations in 2000 after a building expansion, are on West Howard Avenue in Greenfield.
By day, WOKY is powered at 5,000 watts. To protect other stations on 920 AM from interference, it reduces power at night to 1,000 watts. It uses a directional antenna with a four-tower array. The transmitter site is behind the studios in Greenfield. [2] WOKY broadcasts using HD Radio technology. [3]
The history of WOKY can be traced back to WEXT, a 1,000-watt daytimer radio station at 1430 kHz in Milwaukee. [4] It was founded by what would become the Bartell Group: Lee, David, Gerald, and Rosa Bartell (later Evans) which began operations on August 31, 1947. WEXT, the Milwaukee market's fifth radio station, did fairly well with a broadcast schedule that included popular music and ethnic programming, including a polka music show hosted by local radio legend John Reddy. Gerald Bartell and Rosa Bartell met Ralph Evans II while the three worked at the student radio station of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Gerald and Rosa worked on programming and Evans was an electrical engineering student.
In the wake of WEXT's success, the Bartell family applied for full-time broadcast operations, and the result was a move down the dial to AM 920 in September 1950 and a new call sign, WOKY. [5] (The 1430 frequency was reassigned in 1951 to WBEV in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, 50 miles northwest of Milwaukee.) WOKY initially aired a full-service variety format similar to WEXT's, including popular music shows and programs oriented toward housewives and children.
Over time, contemporary music became the primary component of WOKY's schedule, with disc jockeys choosing the songs they played based on the Billboard and Cash Box best-seller charts and on local record sales. WOKY soon became Milwaukee's second Top 40 music station after WRIT (now WJOI).
WOKY served as the city's premier Top 40 station during most of the 1960s and 1970s. It was known for much of that time as the "Mighty 92." Along with Chicago Top 40 giants WLS and WCFL, the Mighty 92 was also a favorite of teenagers in Western Michigan who picked up the signal from across Lake Michigan.
Popular disc jockeys on WOKY, during the Top 40 years, included Bob White, "Mad Man" Michaels, "Lucky" Logan, Mitch Michael, Sam Hale, Ron Riley (later with WLS Chicago), Bob Barry, Carl Como, Paul Christy, Michael Lee Scott, Jim Brown, Pat McKay, Jack McCoy, Ronnie Knight, Johnny Dark, Craig Roberts, Jack Lee, Robb Edwards, Gary Price, Gene Johnson, Jon "Rock 'n Roll" Anthony, Big Ron O'Brien, Barney Pip (later with WCFL Chicago) and Bob Collins (later with Chicago's full-service giant WGN). A popular station catchphrase during the early 1970s was "WOKY Plays Favorites". WOKY is also noteworthy for being the first station in Milwaukee to broadcast traffic reports from a helicopter, courtesy of air personality Art Zander and his feature "The Safer Route". [6]
As FM stations became the choice for radio listeners looking for contemporary music, WOKY shifted to an adult standards format in early-1982. It became a full-time affiliate of Al Ham's Music of Your Life format, based in Connecticut.
To keep up with demographic trends, WOKY tweaked the format over the years, gradually shifting to a middle of the road-oldies hybrid that mixed 1950s–1970s pop hits with classic and current adult contemporary music, with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond and The Carpenters being mainstays of the format. Starting in 2005, WOKY began programming oldies all day on Fridays, complete with the station's old jingles and other elements. For many years, WOKY was a success in the ratings, though many of its listeners were older than the demographics that many advertisers actively seek. Starting in 1993, the station was known for pioneering marathons of Christmas music beginning on Thanksgiving Day and continuing through the holiday season.
In 1997, WOKY and co-owned WMIL-FM were bought for $40 million by Clear Channel Communications, the forerunner of iHeartMedia. [7]
WOKY was briefly the Milwaukee outlet for Delilah in a burn off move after sister station WLTQ (now WRNW) converted to a classic rock format (Delilah was later heard in Milwaukee on WMYX-FM). WOKY also carried Milwaukee Panthers basketball game broadcasts from 2003 to 2007 when the team moved to WISN. The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball games can be heard on WOKY.
On January 2, 2007, after concluding its Christmas holiday programming, WOKY came back with a new approach: an oldies format emphasizing hit songs from the 1960s and 1970s. The "Mighty 92" name returned full-time, as did many of the classic jingles the station played in its Top 40 heyday. On nights and weekends, the station used Dial Global's satellite-delivered "Oldies Channel" (now Kool Gold from Westwood One). With the new format, WOKY did not flip to all-Christmas music in 2007. Instead, like sister station WRIT-FM, WOKY played a few Christmas tunes every hour. Today, the former Mighty 92 format can be heard in Milwaukee on WRIT-FM 95.7-HD2.
On September 18, 2008, after playing "Hello, Goodbye" by The Beatles, the station changed to classic country music as "The Wolf". [8] The format was already being heard on sister station 106.1 WMIL-FM's HD Radio subchannel. The subchannel version had been automated but when it debuted on AM 920, it featured several of WOKY's airstaff. [9] The Wolf was sub-branded as MIL-WOKY, Milwaukee's Country Connection.
On December 1, 2011, the station announced it would become the Milwaukee home of NASCAR radio coverage from all three NASCAR radio networks and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network for the Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400. NASCAR moved to WOKY from ESPN Radio outlet WAUK, which days before announced the removal of all auto racing programming to focus on solely on traditional sports. In September 2012, WOKY also added nationally broadcast college football and NFL from the Westwood One Network, including "The NFL on Westwood One."
On January 2, 2013, Clear Channel Milwaukee announced that WOKY would drop classic country and adopt a sports radio format on January 7. [10] (In reality the branding launched on January 5 during the station's broadcasts of Wild Card Weekend games from Dial Global.) Branded as "The Big 920," the new WOKY schedule became a near-simulcast of its Madison sister station, WTSO ("The Big 1070"), featuring Wisconsin-based local sports shows hosted by Brian Posick, Mike Heller, Matt Lepay and Mike Lucas. Also heard were national shows featuring Jay Mohr , The Dan Patrick Show , and NBC Sports Radio, along with live event broadcasts that have been airing previously on WOKY, notably football, NASCAR, and the Milwaukee Panthers. [11] The move made WOKY the third English-language all-sports station in the Milwaukee market, joining WAUK, WSSP, along with news/talk-formatted WTMJ's commitment to evening sports talk and play by play coverage of Milwaukee Brewers baseball and Green Bay Packers football.
On December 2, 2013, Learfield Sports and the University of Wisconsin–Madison announced that WOKY would become the Milwaukee station for Wisconsin Badgers broadcasts, replacing longtime affiliate WTMJ, effectively making the team exclusive to iHeartMedia in the two largest cities in Wisconsin, with iHeart's WIBA-AM-FM in Madison acting as the flagship stations of the Badgers. As part of the deal, WOKY will air all Badgers sports broadcasts. Football and men's basketball are simulcast with WRIT-FM due to WOKY's weak nighttime signal. [12]
In 2018, Milwaukee got two FM sports stations. On November 1, WKTI (94.5 FM), owned by Good Karma Brands, became "ESPN 94.5 Milwaukee." In response, four weeks later, iHeart also changed one of its FM stations to sports. On November 27, 2018, WRNW flipped from Top 40 to sports radio as 97.3 The Game. All of WOKY's local programming was moved to 97.3 FM with 920 AM mostly carrying Fox Sports Radio's daily lineup. [13]
In 2018, WOKY acquired the rights to the Milwaukee Admirals. The team had previously been heard on sports talk rival WSSP 1250 AM (then known as “105.7 The Fan”).
The station became known as "Fox Sports 920" on November 18, 2024 with the loss of its remaining local programming from WTSO for all-national content. [14]
WTMJ is a commercial AM radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Owned by Good Karma Brands, the station has a news/talk radio format. Its sign-on dates back to 1922 and for most of its history it was owned by The Milwaukee Journal newspaper. On weekdays, it airs news blocks during drive time, local talk shows in middays, sports in the evening and syndicated shows in late nights. It is the flagship station for Milwaukee Brewers baseball and Milwaukee Bucks basketball.
WKKV-FM, also known as V-100.7, is an urban contemporary radio station owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. serving the Milwaukee area. The station broadcasts with an ERP of 50 kW and is licensed to Racine, Wisconsin. Its studios are located in the Milwaukee suburb of Greenfield.
WDUL is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Superior, Wisconsin. It airs a top 40 (CHR) radio format and is owned and operated by Midwest Communications. Midwest's six Duluth-Superior radio stations share studios at 11 East Superior Street in downtown Duluth, Minnesota.
WXSS is a commercial radio station licensed to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and serving Greater Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin. It broadcasts a Top 40 (CHR) radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its studios are on 11800 West Grange Avenue in Hales Corners.
WRNW is a commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, known as "97.3 The Game". It airs a sports radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are on West Howard Avenue in Greenfield.
WMYX-FM is a commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US. Calling itself "99-1 The Mix", it was the first station in the U.S. to use the "Mix" moniker. WMYX-FM has been airing roughly the same hot adult contemporary radio format since late 1981. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc., along with sister stations WXSS-FM and WSSP. WMYX's studios and transmitter are co-located in Hales Corners. The playlist consists of current hits and recent hits from the 2000s and 2010s. WMYX is responsible for the activation of the Milwaukee metropolitan area Emergency Alert System.
WMIL-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Waukesha, Wisconsin, and serving the Greater Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin radio market. It carries a country music radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on West Howard Avenue in the Milwaukee suburb of Greenfield.
WKTI – branded 94.5 ESPN Milwaukee – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Owned by Good Karma Brands, WKTI is an affiliate for ESPN Radio. WKTI is known as ESPN Milwaukee; also jointly identified as ESPN Wisconsin alongside Madison-based sister station WTLX, which simulcasts much of WKTI's local programming. WKTI also serves as the flagship station for the Marquette Golden Eagles; and the radio home of Mark Chmura, Mark Tauscher, Tony Smith and Steve True. WKTI shares its transmitter and tower facility with WTMJ-TV from its former studio located off of Capitol Drive in Milwaukee, an Art Deco facility known as "Radio City", in tribute to the New York complex of the same name. WTMJ radio, WKTI and WGKB moved to a new studio within the Third Street Market Hall in downtown Milwaukee at the end of 2022.
WRIT-FM is a radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It carries a classic hits radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. The rest of the year, WRIT focuses on hits from the 1980s and 1990s, along with a few '60s, '70s and early 2000s titles. WRIT is used as an overflow for sports coverage when there are conflicts on co-owned sports radio station WRNW 97.3 with Wisconsin Badgers football and basketball or Green Bay Packers football.
WJOI is a commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is known on-air as "Joy 1340/98.7". WJOI is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Milwaukee Radio Group, with radio studios and offices on Milwaukee's West Side. The transmitter is on West Martin Drive in Milwaukee. Programming is also heard on 99-watt FM translator W254CU at 98.7 MHz.
WISN is a commercial AM radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It broadcasts a news/talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are on Howard Avenue in the Milwaukee suburb of Greenfield.
WZTI is a commercial radio station licensed to Greenfield, Wisconsin, and serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It airs an oldies radio format, featuring hits from the 1960s and 1970s, known as "Fonz-FM". It is owned by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, a partnership between Times-Shamrock Communications and All-Pro Broadcasting, along with sister stations 102.1 WLUM-FM and 93.3 WLDB. Its studios are on Good Hope Road in Menomonee Falls.
WSSP is a commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, owned by Audacy, Inc. It airs a sports radio format known as "105.7 The Fan". Most of its programs are from Infinity Sports Network and the BetQL Network.
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.
WXXM is a commercial radio station licensed to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and serving the Madison metropolitan area. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, and broadcasts an adult hits radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. The station is noted for its runs as an alternative rock station during the 1980s and 1990s and as a progressive talk station in the 2000s and 2010s.
WIBA-FM (101.5 MHz) is a radio station licensed to Sauk City, Wisconsin, United States, serving Madison and south central Wisconsin. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia and broadcasts a classic rock music format on its primary HD radio, while its HD2 channel carries an oldies format that is simulcast to analog translator station W265CV.
WTSO is a commercial AM radio station in Madison, Wisconsin, known as "1070 The Game." The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc., and airs a sports radio format. The offices and studios are on South Fish Hatchery Road in Fitchburg.
WZEE (104.1 FM) is a radio station licensed to Madison, Wisconsin and serving South Central Wisconsin. Known on-air as "Z104," the station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia and broadcasts a top 40 (CHR) music format.
The Packers Radio Network is a broadcast radio network and the official radio broadcaster of the Green Bay Packers, fully under the team's control in regards to technical productions and on-air personnel. The network's flagship is iHeartMedia's WRNW in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and its coverage is also heard nationwide through NFL Game Pass, Sirius XM, and TuneIn.
The Bartell Group, later known as Bartell Broadcasters, Bartell Family Radio, Macfadden-Bartell, and the Bartell Media Corporation, was a family-owned company that owned a number of radio stations in the United States during the 1940s through the 1960s.
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