WATZ

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

WATZ

City of license	Alpena, Michigan
Broadcast area	[1]
Branding	NewsTalk AM 1450
Slogan	The Talk of Alpena
First air date	November 1946
Frequency	1450 kHz
Format	News-Talk
Power	1,000 watts
Class	C
Owner	Midwestern Broadcasting
Website	http://www.watz.com/

WATZ-FM & WRGZ

City of license	WATZ-FM: Alpena, Michigan WRGZ: Rogers City, Michigan
Broadcast area	WATZ-FM: [2] WRGZ: [3]
Branding	WATZ
Slogan	Today's Country
First air date	WATZ-FM: unknown WRGZ: 1983
Frequency	WATZ-FM: 99.3 MHz WRGZ: 96.7 MHz
Format	Country
Power	WATZ-FM: 17,000 watts WRGZ: 42,000 watts
Class	WATZ-FM: C2 WRGZ: C2
Callsign meaning	WRGZ: W Rogerz City
Former callsigns	WATZ-FM: none WRGZ: WVXA (4/1/88-5/30/06) WMLQ (3/5/84-4/1/88) WNSR (1/9/84-3/5/84) WOEA (7/19/83-1/9/84)
Owner	Midwestern Broadcasting
Website	http://www.watz.com/

WATZ is a group of three radio stations based in Alpena, Michigan. WATZ-FM (99.3) is a 50,000 watt country station and is the flagship of the group. Its signal is repeated by 42,000 watt WRGZ (96.7) in nearby Rogers City. WATZ (1450) is a 1,000 watt news/talk station. All three stations are owned by Midwestern Broadcasting Company.

[edit] History

WATZ-AM signed on the air in November, 1946 as a full-service local radio station and was, for many years, the only broadcaster in Alpena. In the late 1960s, WATZ-FM signed on as an adult contemporary station at 93.5 FM. By this time, the format of WATZ-AM was primarily country. In 1988, the format of WATZ-FM was changed to country and the signal moved to 99.3 so the station could boost its power from 3,000 to 50,000 watts. For the next several years, WATZ-FM and WATZ-AM simulcasted the same programming. In the mid-90s, WATZ-AM was broken off from WATZ-FM and given its current news/talk format. WATZ-FM became a 24-hour broadcaster in 1999, using a satellite feed from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Prior to this, the station went off the air at 1 a.m.

WRGZ began as the 26,000 watt WMLQ, "Mello-Q", an adult contemporary station at 97.7 FM, in 1983. The station went through numerous changes during the 1990s, including a move to the current 96.7 frequency and a long-running adult standards format as "Silver 97." In 1998, the station was purchased by Xavier University in Cincinnati and converted into a public radio station. It became a repeater of WVXU, the public radio station operated by the university. Its call letters were changed to WVXA.

In August 2005, WVXA was sold to Cincinnati Public Radio, although it continued to serve as a repeater of WVXU. At the same time, the station's power was increased to 42,000 watts. In March 2006, Midwestern Broadcasting purchased the station. After the sale was closed the following May, its call letters were changed to WRGZ and it began repeating WATZ.

WATZ-FM remains locally owned and operated by the same company that founded it in 1946. All of its programming from 5:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends is broadcast from the station’s studios in downtown Alpena. Whereas most other stations in the Alpena area are either largely satellite-fed, automated without jocks, or simulcasts of out-of-town stations, this station continues to offer a majority of local and live programming.

Steve Wright is the station’s operations and programming director, with Susie Martin serving as music director. The station sponsors a listener appreciation concert at Alpena’s "Brown Trout Festival" each summer and also sponsors a country concert at the Alpena County Fair every year.

Legendary WATZ air personality (and Michigan Country Music Hall of Famer) Don Parteka was a member of the air staff at WATZ from 1968 until his death in 2004, most recently serving as host of the station's popular Sunday polka show Sunday In Poland, as well as weekend features Country Gold and Gospel Music Time.

Another famous alumnus of WATZ is University of Michigan football announcer and WJR talk show host Frank Beckmann, who started his career at WATZ in the early 1970s.

[edit] Sources

[edit] External links

Radio stations in the Traverse City-Petoskey, Michigan market (Arbitron #192)

By frequency: (FM) | 88.1 | 88.5 | 88.5 | 88.7 | 89.3 | 89.7 | 89.9 | 90.5 | 90.7 | 90.9 | 91.1 | 91.3 | 91.5 | 91.7 | 92.1 | 92.5 | 92.9 | 93.5 | 93.7 | 93.9 | 94.3 | 94.5 | 94.9 | 95.5 | 95.7 | 96.3 | 96.7 | 96.7 | 97.5 | 98.9 | 98.1 | 99.3 | 99.3 | 100.7 | 100.7 | 100.9 | 101.5 101.9 | 102.9 | 103.5 | 103.9 | 105.1 | 105.9 | 106.7 | 107.1 | 107.5 | 107.7 | 107.9 || (AM) | 580 | 750 | 940 | 1110 | 1210 | 1240 | 1240 | 1270 | 1310 | 1340 | 1370 | 1400 | 1450