WSBX (FM)
| Broadcast area | WYPV [1] WHAK Day [2] WHAK Night [3] |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 94.5 MHz 960 kHz |
| Branding | Your Patriot Voice |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Michigan Broadcasters, LLC |
| History | |
First air date | September 6, 1989 (as WSSW at 94.3) |
Former call signs | WSSW (10/8/86-7/19/93) WFGE (7/19/93-8/1/95) WLJZ (8/1/95-12/5/12) WOEZ (12/5/12-5/3/13) WJZJ (5/3/13-5/13/13) |
Former frequencies | 94.3 MHz (1989-1995) |
Call sign meaning | W Your Patriot Voice |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | WYPV: 53290 WHAK: 29289 |
| Class | WYPV: C2 WHAK: D |
| ERP | WYPV: 50,000 watts WHAK Day: 5,000 watts WHAK Night: 136 Watts |
| HAAT | 116 meters |
| Links | |
| Website | patriotvoice.net |
WYPV is an FM radio station at 94.5 MHz based in Mackinaw City, Michigan, which features a conservative talk radio format. Programming is simulcasted on WHAK-AM 960 licensed to Rogers City, Michigan.
History
The license for what is now 94.5 FM was first issued in February 1985. The station's original call letters were WSSW (for the station's founder, Sonora S. Wray), which were first issued in October 1986. After a series of construction-related delays, WSSW first signed on at 94.3 in 1989 with an automated MOR format, but went dark not long after that. The station, while at 94.3, was initially assigned a Class A power output of 3,000 watts, which made the station all but unlistenable outside of the Mackinaw City-St. Ignace area, a seasonal, tourist-driven market barely able to sustain the competing radio stations that were already on the air and firmly established. WSSW's management thought that perhaps packing the station with tourist-related information for the local area would help reverse its fortunes. The station did improve, but not enough. Wray sold the station to Robert A. Naismith in February 1992.
Naismith returned the station to the air with a hot adult contemporary format as WFGE, known as "Fudgie 94" (as in Mackinac Island's famous fudge). Then in 1995, the station changed calls to WLJZ and changed its frequency to 94.5 with an increase in power, which increased its broadcast area substantially to include most of the northern tip of the lower peninsula, bringing a better signal to Petoskey, Gaylord, and Rogers City and reaching almost as far north as Sault Ste. Marie (though the station did, and still does, suffer from interference from co-channel WCEN-FM in the southern fringes of its listening area). WLJZ adopted Jones Radio Networks' satellite-fed smooth jazz format as "Coast FM," simulcasting with WAVC 93.9 FM in Mio and WJZJ 95.5.
In 1998, "Coast FM," suffering from low ratings, was dropped in favor of "The Zone." WAVC eventually dropped out of the "Zone" network to simulcast country sister WMKC. For more on "The Zone," see WJZJ.
In 2006, WLJZ also abandoned the "Zone" simulcast in favor of a standalone Hot AC format using Waitt Radio's "AC Active" package, taking the name "Star 94.5, Today's Best Variety." This left WJZJ as the only remaining "Zone" station.
On April 1, 2008, WLJZ its format to classic country, also fed from Waitt Radio. The classic country package complemented the "Big Country Hits" contemporary-country format on sister stations WMKC and WAVC.
In April 2010, WLJZ announced on-air that its classic country format would be moving to AM sister station WCBY AM 1240, displacing the adult standards format formerly heard there. WLJZ's new format turned out to be classic rock, relaying "The Bear" format originating at 98.1 WGFN in the Traverse City area. According to the on-air announcements, the changes were due to low ratings and low advertising revenue for the classic country format.
On December 5, 2012 WLJZ changed their call letters to WOEZ.
On May 3, 2013 WOEZ changed their call letters to WJZJ.
On May 10, 2013 WJZJ changed its call sign to WYPV. This coincided with a planned station swap between Northern Star Broadcasting and Michigan Broadcasters, LLC involving 94.5 FM Mackinaw City and 106.3 FM Onaway. 94.5 FM picked up the "Patriot Voice" talk format formerly heard on 106.3, and 106.3 went to Northern Star to become WOEZ, relaying WQEZ 95.5 FM in the Traverse City area. At the same time, the "Bear" classic rock format moved to 97.7 WCHY licensed to Cheboygan.
References
External links
- Facility details for Facility ID WYPV ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database