WSRW-FM

Last updated

WSRW-FM
Broadcast area Grand Rapids metropolitan area - West Michigan
Frequency 105.7 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingStar 105.7
Programming
Format Adult contemporary
Affiliations Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
WBCT, WBFX, WMAX-FM, WOOD, WSNX-FM, WTKG
History
First air date
February 26, 1962 (as WOOD-FM)
Former call signs
WOOD-FM (1962–2010)
Call sign meaning
Star West Michigan
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 73605
Class B
ERP 265,000 watts
HAAT 177 meters (581 ft)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website westmichiganstar.iheart.com

WSRW-FM (105.7 MHz "Star 105.7") is a commercial radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It airs an adult contemporary radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are on Monroe Center Street in Downtown Grand Rapids. [2] The transmitter is off Payne Lake Road in Middleville. [3]

Contents

WSRW-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio format. Smooth Jazz formerly aired on its "HD2" subchannel.

Superpower status

WSRW-FM is a Class B "superpower" station. [4] Its effective radiated power (ERP) is 265,000 watts. Because the station first went on the air in 1962, that higher power is grandfathered. Today, the Federal Communications Commission does not license FM stations for more than 100,000 watts (in this section of Michigan, the maximum power is 50,000 watts). With its antenna height above average terrain (HAAT) of 177 meters (581 feet), WSRW-FM should be powered with only 35,000 watts. [5]

With a good radio, WSRW-FM can be heard as far east as Fowlerville, Michigan, as far north as Big Rapids, Michigan, and as far south as LaGrange, Indiana. It has listeners in Kalamazoo, Muskegon and Lansing, and has been heard across Lake Michigan in Illinois and Wisconsin on rare occasions.

Grand Rapids is home to 2 other superpower FM stations, 93.7 WBCT and 104.1 WVGR. WBCT, a country music station also owned by iHeartMedia, runs at 320,000 watts, the highest for any FM station in North America. WVGR is an affiliate station of the Michigan Public radio network and operates at 96,000 watts.

History

Beautiful music WOOD-FM

On February 26, 1962, the station signed on for the first time as WOOD-FM. [6] It was the FM counterpart to Grand Rapid's leading station, AM 1300 WOOD. The stations were owned by Time-Life Broadcasting, a subsidiary of a major magazine and book publisher. WOOD-FM was separately programmed, airing a beautiful music format. The station played instrumental cover versions of popular songs as well as Broadway and Hollywood show tunes, with limited interruptions.

The easy listening format continued through the 1980s, although as time went on, more soft vocals were added to the playlist in an effort to attract younger listeners. By the mid-80s, the audience had gotten older, while advertisers usually seek younger demographics, so WOOD-FM ended the instrumentals, and became a soft adult contemporary outlet, calling itself "EZ 105.7."

Clear Channel ownership

Through the 1990s, the station's playlist was tweaked to become a brighter, more upbeat AC, which also meant dropping songs by "MOR" or "easy listening" artists such as Barbra Streisand, Barry Manilow, Dionne Warwick and The Carpenters. In 1996, WOOD-AM-FM were acquired by Clear Channel Communications, the forerunner to current owner iHeartMedia. [7]

Under Clear Channel ownership, WOOD-FM began calling itself "Star 105.7" in 2001.

WSRW-FM

After nearly a decade of using the moniker "Star 105.7," the call sign was changed on November 15, 2010. The new call letters were chosen to reflect the "Star" name, WSRW-FM. The station is required to use the "-FM" suffix due to an AM station also having the WSRW call letters, a co-owned station in Hillsboro, Ohio. The WOOD-FM call letters were later assigned to FM 106.9 in Muskegon, which had become a simulcast of AM 1300 WOOD's talk radio format.

WSRW-FM picked up Delilah's syndicated love songs show (replacing its locally based "EZ Love Songs") after Delilah was dropped by competitor WLHT. Delilah is syndicated by Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, the owner of WSRW-FM.

former logo WOOD-FM.jpg
former logo

By 2012, WSRW-FM was delisted from the Mediabase add board. [8] Clear Channel changed its name to iHeartMedia in the fall of 2014. WSRW had aired Casey Kasem's American Top 40: The '80s on weekends for several years. It has since moved to classic hits station WFGR.

Christmas music

Like many AC stations around the country, "Star" plays all Christmas music for a month or more, leading to Christmas. The practice began in 2001 with the station's changeover from "EZ 105.7" to "Star." At the time, it was not common for AC stations to adopt all-Christmas formats so early in the year. WSRW-FM was not the first station to go all-Christmas, nor was it even the first station in Grand Rapids to do so. Competitor WTRV had already done continuous Christmas music through the holiday season for a number of years, and still does today.

In 2001, "Star" promoted its holiday songs as musical "comfort food" after the catastrophic events of September 11, and the station has gone all-Christmas every holiday season since. As with many stations that switch to Christmas music, WSRW-FM generally experiences an uptick in ratings during the holidays.

Jingles

Since the launch of "Star" in 2001, WOOD-FM and WSRW use jingle packages designed for co-owned WLIT in Chicago. The jingles are produced by Reelworld. In 2004, the station broke away from the WLIT jingles and aired Reelworld's jingle package produced for another co-owned station, WNIC in Detroit. Since 2008, WSRW-FM has used ReelWorld One AC.

HD Radio

WSRW-FM is licensed for HD Radio operations: [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KSNE-FM</span> Adult contemporary radio station in Las Vegas

KSNE-FM is a radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary music format. Licensed to Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, the station serves the Las Vegas area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. Its studios are in Las Vegas a mile west of the Strip and its transmitter is on Black Mountain in Henderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSNX-FM</span> Michigan radio station

WSNX-FM is a top 40 (CHR) radio station located in iHeartMedia's Grand Rapids, Michigan headquarters. The station is licensed to Muskegon, in Western Michigan with the station serving the Grand Rapids area, and is one of two top 40/CHR stations in Grand Rapids along with WHTS. The studios are located at 77 Monroe Center in Downtown Grand Rapids while its transmitter is located near Sherman Blvd and Ensley Rd outside of Muskegon.

WJQK is a commercial radio station licensed to Zeeland, Michigan, and serving the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. The station broadcasts a Christian Adult Contemporary radio format and is owned by Lanser Broadcasting. It calls itself "Joy 99.3." The radio studios and offices are on 143rd Avenue in Holland. 99-3 JQK is a sponsor of the annual Unity Christian Music Festival. Lanser Broadcasting also owns WPNW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLIT-FM</span> Soft adult contemporary radio station in Chicago

WLIT-FM is a radio station in Chicago, Illinois. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary format. Its studios are located at the Illinois Center complex in the Chicago Loop, while the station transmitter is on top of the Willis Tower.

WOKY 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRVF</span> Radio station in Toledo, Ohio

WRVF is a commercial radio station in Toledo, Ohio, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to all-Christmas music for much of November and December. WRVF carries the syndicated Delilah music and call-in show in the evening. The radio studios and offices are at Superior and Lafayette in Downtown Toledo.

KVIL is a commercial radio station dual-licensed to Highland Park and Dallas, Texas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it serves the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in North Texas. The station's studios are located along North Central Expressway in Uptown Dallas. The station airs an alternative rock radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBCT</span> Country music radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan

WBCT is a commercial radio station licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, and owned by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are located at 77 Monroe Center in Downtown Grand Rapids. The station has had a country music radio format since July 24, 1992.

WBKV is a radio station in Buffalo, New York. It is owned by Educational Media Foundation and is a part of its K-Love network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFMK</span> Adult contemporary radio station in Lansing, Michigan

WFMK is an adult contemporary radio station licensed to East Lansing, Michigan and serving the Lansing radio market. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts in HD radio. WFMK is one of the oldest adult contemporary stations, as it has been carrying the format for almost 5 decades. The station also switches to an all-Christmas music format, temporarily replacing its AC format from mid-November through December.

WVFM is an adult hits radio station serving the Kalamazoo, Michigan radio market. The station has an ERP of 33 kW. They are owned by Midwest Communications. WVFM 106.5 is located on a crowded Frequency across south-west lower Michigan. The station covers all of Kalamazoo/Battle Creek area, can be heard well in the Grand Rapids area, and reaches as far north and east as Lansing and Jackson. During summer months, the station can be received to Flint and Ann Arbor on occasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMGF</span> Radio station in Mount Dora–Orlando, Florida

WMGF is a commercial radio station licensed to Mount Dora, and serving Orlando and Central Florida. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs an adult contemporary radio format, switching to a Christmas music for much of November and December. Its offices and studios are on Maitland Center Parkway in Maitland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WOOD (AM)</span> Radio station in Michigan, United States

WOOD is a commercial AM radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, serving West Michigan and owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It has a news/talk radio format and is simulcast on co-owned WOOD-FM in Muskegon at 106.9 MHz. The studios and offices are at 77 Monroe Center in Downtown Grand Rapids. Following a local weekday drive time show, "West Michigan's Morning News", the station carries nationally syndicated talk shows from Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, Dave Ramsey, Joe Pags, "The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show" and "Coast to Coast AM with George Noory". Most hours begin with an update from Fox News Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBEB</span> Radio station in Sacramento, California

KBEB is a commercial radio station in Sacramento, California, calling itself "92-5 The Breeze." It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a soft adult contemporary format. KBEB carries the syndicated "Delilah" call-in and request show in the evening. The studios are in North Sacramento near Arden Fair Mall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMTX</span> Radio station in Tampa, Florida

WMTX is a commercial radio station in Tampa, Florida, known as "Mix 100.7". It has an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. It is owned by iHeartMedia, with its studios and offices on Gandy Boulevard in Tampa. WMTX serves as the primary Emergency Alert System station for the Tampa Bay area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFBK-FM</span> News/talk radio station in Pollock Pines–Sacramento, California

KFBK-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Pollock Pines, California and serving the Sacramento metropolitan area. It simulcasts KFBK 1530 kHz. KFBK-AM-FM air a news-talk radio format and are owned by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are on River Park Drive in North Sacramento, near the Arden Fair Mall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBFX</span> Radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan

WBFX is a commercial radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It airs an oldies radio format and is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. Most songs are from the 1960s and 70s, with a few 80s titles. Key artists include The Beatles, The Supremes, Elton John, Stevie Wonder and The Eagles. WOOD-TV 8, the NBC Network affiliate for Grand Rapids, supplies some news and weather updates. WBFX's studios and offices are at 77 Monroe Center in downtown Grand Rapids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKG</span> Radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan

WTKG is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk/sports format consisting of news and sports. Licensed to Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States, and now owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., Previous to adopting the current calls and format in 1997, the station played country under the WJEF and WCUZ calls.

WTRV is a commercial radio station broadcasting an adult contemporary radio format. The station is licensed to Walker, Michigan, and serves the Grand Rapids metropolitan area radio market. WTRV is a Class A station, so it is limited to 3,000 watts. Its signal can be heard as far south as Otsego, far east as Ionia, and as far north as Fremont.

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

WMUS is a radio station broadcasting a country music format in Muskegon, Michigan. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WSRW-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ WestMichiganStar.iheart.com/contact
  3. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WSRW-FM
  4. ↑ ""Superpower" Grandfathered FM's". www.w9wi.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2004.
  5. ↑ "FMpower - Find ERP for an FM Station Class". December 17, 2015.
  6. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-92
  7. ↑ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1998 page D-220
  8. ↑ Mediabase AC Radio Station Add Board Reporters
  9. ↑ "Station Search Details".
  10. ↑ "Smooth Jazz Network affiliates".
  11. ↑ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=66 HD Radio Guide for Grand Rapids

42°39′18″N85°31′37″W / 42.655°N 85.527°W / 42.655; -85.527

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.