WYSS
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| City of license | Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan |
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| Broadcast area | Sault Ste. Marie (MI-ON) |
| Branding | "99.5 Yes FM" |
| Slogan | Today's Hits |
| Frequency | 99.5 MHz FM |
| Format | Adult Top 40 (CHR) |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 77 meters |
| Class | C1 |
| Facility ID | 977 |
| Callsign meaning | From the "YES-FM" branding |
| Former callsigns | WSMM (?-3/1981) WLXX (3/1981-3/1986) |
| Affiliations | Kidd Kraddick in the Morning American Top 40 Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 |
| Owner | Sovereign Communications |
| Sister stations | AM: WKNW, WNBY, WSOO FM: WMKD, WNBY, WSUE |
| Website | YesFM.net |
WYSS is a radio station broadcasting at 99.5 FM in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Branded as "99.5 Yes FM," the station has had a Top 40 (CHR) format since 1986. Programming on Yes FM includes American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest, Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40, Romeo's Playhouse and Open House Party. WYSS also carries Lake Superior State University Lakers hockey broadcasts, becoming the Lakers' official on-air home in 2009.
WYSS is currently owned Sovereign Communications, who acquired it and fellow Sault stations WKNW and WMKD from Northern Star Broadcasting in 2010.[1] After the February 9, 2010 sale announcement and management change, some positions at the stations were eliminated as part of Sovereign's consolidation of its new and old Sault radio operations (see Infobox); morning host/program director Tim Ellis and John "Johnny G" Gilbert (an original 1985 "Yes FM" staffer) were among those retained by Sovereign and remaining on Yes FM.[2][3] Additionally, the station added the syndicated Kidd Kraddick in the Morning show to its morning drive-time slot in March 2010.
[edit] History
The station took to the air in July 1972 with 3,000 watts at 92.7 FM as WSMM, owned by Lock City Broadcasting. The station programmed a format of MOR and country music. Lock City sold WSMM to Chippewa Broadcasting in 1974, and a few years later the station moved from 92.7 to 99.5 with a dramatic power increase to 26,500 watts. During the late 1970's, the station featured a soft rock format. As WLXX (1981-1986), the station continued with its AC format and eventually added nighttime Top-40 programming.
In May of 1986, "Yes FM" was born when Martz Communications Group (d/b/a Algoma Broadcasting) purchased WLXX, changed the call letters to WYSS, and installed a full-time adult-leaning Top-40/CHR format to specifically target Canadian listeners in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Martz also brought the talk radio format to the Twin Saults in 1990 with the sign-on of an AM sister station, WKNW. Martz sold WYSS/WKNW to Northern Star Broadcasting in 2001. Under Northern Star's ownership, WYSS migrated to a Hot AC format for a time in the 2000s, but has since returned to its previous adult-leaning CHR presentation.
[edit] References
- ^ "Sovereign Communications acquires more radio stations", from Soo Evening News, 2/9/2010
- ^ "Radio jobs lost in transition", from Soo Evening News, 2/10/2010
- ^ "Major shake-up in Sault radio", from sootoday.com, 2/10/2010
[edit] External links
- Yes FM official website
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WYSS
- Radio-Locator information on WYSS
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for WYSS
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Coordinates: 46°23′49″N 84°23′53″W / 46.397°N 84.398°W
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