WOKY
| File:WOKY 2008 Logo.png | |
| Broadcast area | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 920 (kHz) |
| Branding | "AM920 The Wolf |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic Country |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Clear Channel Communications |
| WISN, WKKV, WMIL, WQBW, WRIT | |
| History | |
Call sign meaning | "MILWOKY" |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 63917 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000 watts (day) 1,000 watts (night) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | am920thewolf.com |
WOKY (920 AM, "The Wolf") is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, radio station. They broadcast an classic country radio format emphasizing country from the 50s-80s. WOKY is owned by Clear Channel Communications.
History
Beginnings: WEXT
The history of WOKY can be traced back to WEXT, a 1,000-watt, daytime-only radio station in Milwaukee founded by brothers Lee and David Bartell 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 show hosted by local radio legend John Reddy.
WOKY/The Mighty 92
In the wake of WEXT's success, the Bartell family decided to try for a 24-hour broadcast facility, and the result was WOKY, which took to the air in September of 1950, at which time WEXT went off the air. WOKY initially aired a full-service variety format similar to WEXT's, including popular music shows and programs oriented toward housewives and children. In time, pop 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 official Top 40 music station after 1340 WRIT.
WOKY served as the city's premier Top 40 station during most of the 1960s and early 1970s, and was known as the "Mighty 92". Along with Chicago-based giants WLS and WCFL, WOKY was also a favorite of teenagers in western Michigan who were beyond the signal reach of Top 40 stations in larger west Michigan cities such as Muskegon and Grand Rapids.
Popular disc jockeys on WOKY during the Top 40 years included Bob White, "Mad Man" Michaels, "Lucky" Logan, Mitch Michael, Sam Hale, Ron Riley, Bob Barry, Carl Como, Jack McCoy, Johnny Dark, and the late Bob Collins (later of Chicago's full-service giant WGN.
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." [(http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~schuckwj/938.htm 1)]
Adult Standards Era
Due to competition from FM stations, WOKY shifted to an adult standards format in 1981.
To keep up with demographic trends, WOKY tweaked their format over the years, gradually shifting to a middle of the road/oldies hybrid that mixed uptempo 1950s-1970s oldies with classic and current adult contemporary music, with artists such as Frank Sinatra, Neil Diamond and The Carpenters being mainstays of the format. On Fridays, starting in 2005, WOKY began programming oldies for the entire day, complete with 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.
WOKY was briefly the Milwaukee outlet for the syndicated Delilah love songs show, previously heard on the late (and Clear Channel sister station) WLTQ 97.3 FM (now WQBW). Delilah is now heard in Milwaukee on WMYX-FM.
WOKY was famous for pioneering marathons of Christmas music beginning on Thanksgiving Day and continuing through the holiday season, beginning in 1993. The idea subsequently spread to other stations, and after September 11, 2001, many more stations (chiefly Adult Contemporary in format) around the country picked up on the idea of all holiday music. The Westwood One/Dial Global standards format that WOKY featured during non-local dayparts also shifts to 100% Christmas music between Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas, perhaps inspired by WOKY's success with the same.
The station was also the home for Milwaukee Panthers basketball game broadcasts from 2003 to 2007 when they moved to sister station WISN 1130.
The Mighty 92 Returns
On January 2, 2007, after concluding their 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) service.
With the new format, and to keep up with the baby boomers, WOKY did not flip to all-Christmas music in 2007. Instead, like sister WRIT, they played a few Christmas tunes every hour.
AM 920 The Wolf
The station changed on September 18, 2008 to their current classic country format[1], which was transferred from sister station WMIL-FM (106.1)'s HD Radio subchannel as an automated station to one featuring several of WOKY's airstaff [2]. The combined classic-current country stations now sub-brand as MIL-WOKY, Milwaukee's Country Connection.
HD Radio
WOKY broadcasts in AM HD Radio.
References
External links
- WOKY official website
- Bartell family biography with mentions of the radio stations the family owned, including WOKY
- Milwaukee radio: a retrospective
- Template:AMQ
- Template:AML
- WOKY in Nielsen Audio's AM station database