WIKB-FM

WIKB-FM
City	Iron River, Michigan
Broadcast area
Branding	True Country 99-1 FM
Frequency	99.1 MHz
First air date	1981
Format	Country
ERP	60,000 watts
HAAT	150 meters
Class	C1
Facility ID	49683
Callsign meaning	Iron Mountain, Kingsford Brietung Township
Owner	Stephen Marks (Iron River Community Broadcasting Corporation)
Website	wikb.com

WIKB-FM (99.1 FM, "True Country 99-1") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Iron River, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1981.

WIKB-FM dropped its former adult contemporary format as "The Breeze" for the current format and the handle "99-1 The Bull" at the end of Memorial Day Weekend 2010. The change comes after former Armada Media CEO Jim Coursolle and his wife, Diane, closed on a purchase of a two-thirds interest in owner Heartland Communications from Granite Equity Partners in May 2010. Also involved in the deal are sister station WFER AM 1230 (which switched from adult standards to talk radio) and stations in Ashland, Park Falls, and Eagle River, Wisconsin. Coursolle has said he felt a country format would give WIKB-FM a stronger association with a long-running rodeo in Iron River. ()

However, with the format change came a shift from mainly locally originating programming (with the exception of Delilah nights) to Dial Global's True Country satellite feed, with the only locally originating programming being the station's "Shopping Show" hosted by Marian Volek. It has been reported that the station's listenership has declined significantly since the change; in addition, parts of the station's listening area can already receive country stations from Iron Mountain and other nearby cities, whereas the former "Breeze" was the only mainstream AC format serving the area.

Previous to the AC format, WIKB-AM and FM simulcast a long-running "Solid Gold Classics" format featuring music from the 1960s through the 1980s. The former WIKB-AM (now WFER) has returned to a classic hits format since the two stations were sold in the summer of 2015.

WIKB-FM was sold effective June 30, 2015 to Stephen Marks' Iron River Community Broadcasting Corporation, at a purchase price of $488,000. The sale included sister station WFER, as well as co-owned WCQM and WPFP. With the ownership change the station's country music format was retained but overhauled, with the "Bull" moniker and most satellite programming (except for the syndicated Big D and Bubba morning show) dropped and the music now programmed locally. Also, the station's signature "Telephone Time" program was brought back and now runs for three hours daily from 9 a.m. to noon.

References

Michiguide.com - WIKB-FM History

External links

Query the FCC's FM station database for WIKB

Radio-Locator information on WIKB

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WIKB

Radio stations in the Iron Mountain, Michigan area

By FM frequency	90.7 91.5 93.1 94.3 95.3 96.7 98.1 99.1 100.7 101.5 106.7

By AM frequency	1230 1450

By callsign	W237AW WEUL WFER WHTO WIKB-FM WIMK WJNR-FM WMIQ WMVM WOBE WVCM WZNL

Nearby radio markets Houghton Marquette Door County Green Bay Wausau–Stevens Point See also List of radio stations in Michigan

Country radio stations in the state of Michigan

Stations	WFYC - Alma WATZ-FM – Alpena WBCH-FM – Hastings WBCM – Boyne City WBCT – Grand Rapids WBGV – Marlette WBMI – West Branch WCEN-FM – Hemlock WCMM – Gulliver WCUP – L'Anse WCZE - Harbor Beach WDRQ - Detroit WFBE – Flint WFXD – Marquette WGDN-FM – Gladwin WGNC-FM - Constantine/South Bend, IN WGRY-FM – Grayling WHKB – Houghton WIBM - Jackson WIKB-FM - Iron River WITL-FM – Lansing WJMS – Ironwood WJNR-FM – Iron Mountain WJPD – Ishpeming WKCQ – Saginaw WKFR-HD2/W273AR - Paw Paw/Kalamazoo WKJC – Tawas City WKKM-LP - Harrison WKZC – Scottville WLAW – Newaygo WLCO – Lapeer WLEW – Bad Axe WLST – Marinette, Wisconsin WMIC – Sandusky WMIM – Luna Pier WMKC – Indian River WMKD – Pickford WMLM – Saint Louis WMRP-LP - Mundy Township WMUS – Muskegon WNBY – Newberry WNWN-FM – Coldwater WQTE – Adrian WRCI/W246BW – Three Rivers WRGZ – Rogers City WSAQ – Port Huron WTCM-FM – Traverse City WTIQ - Manistique WTNR – Holland WTWS – Houghton Lake WUPG - Republic WUPY – Ontonagon WWBR – Big Rapids WWDK – Jackson WWSS – Tuscarora Township WWWW-FM – Ann Arbor WYCD – Detroit WYKX – Escanaba WYTZ – Bridgman

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Michigan

Coordinates: 46°06′04″N 88°32′24″W / 46.101°N 88.540°W / 46.101; -88.540

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/29/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.