WKBZ
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WKBZ is a news/talk radio station in Muskegon, Michigan on the frequency of 1090 AM owned by Clear Channel Communications.
[edit] History of the original WKBZ
The original WKBZ went on the air in Ludington, Michigan in 1926 on 1500 AM. The city of license was later changed to Muskegon as well as the frequency. The station moved to Muskegon in the 1930's and is the oldest station serving Muskegon.
The frequency moved from 1500, to 1490, and finally to 850. During the 1990's, there were several ownership changes. In March 1999, a major reorganization occurred. The station was donated to Grand Valley State University and the callsign changed to WGVS. The callsign WKBZ, the station's staff, and programming were transferred to a sister station, WQWQ AM 1520. However the owner of WKBZ, WLC Communications, was financially troubled. The station went off the air in March 2001 when WLC Communications became bankrupt and its assets claimed by creditors. The station became an affiliate of Radio Disney durint its final month of operation. The station's license was officially cancelled in June 2002.
[edit] Current
The current WKBZ is the former WMUS-AM. WMUS-AM was originally an AM simulcast of country music station WMUS-FM 106.9 until April 2001, when both stations were sold to Clear Channel Communications. The AM facility adopted a news/talk format, while the FM facility remained unchanged. In April 2005, the call sign of WMUS-AM was changed to WKBZ, marking the return of the callsign to the radio market after 4 years of absence.
