WLMI

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WLMI
Broadcast area	Kane, Pennsylvania / Smethport
Branding	"Hometown Country 103.9 WLMI"
Slogan	"Today's New Country Hits and Your All-Time Favorites"
First air date	September 17, 1984
Frequency	103.9 (mHz)
Format	Contemporary country
ERP	6,000 watts
Owner	Colonial Radio Group, Inc.
Website	http://www.realcountry.fm/

WLMI is a commercial FM radio station, licensed to Kane, Pennsylvania. WLMI operates at the assigned frequency of 103.9 mHz and an effective radiated power of 6,000 watts. The station is owned by Colonial Radio Group and maintains studios and offices at 27 Fraley Street in downtown Kane.

Contents 1 History: McKean County's First FM 2 The Fall of WKZA 3 Hearst Sells to Beech Tree 4 WLMI Today

[edit] History: McKean County's First FM

WLMI began at a time when Kane was experiencing a sharp decline in its local economy. First coming on the air on September 17th, 1984, WLMI would be competing for advertising revenue with a well-established AM competitor, WKZA, that had been on the air since 1954, and had been controlled for many years by a New York-based company (the Bilbat Broadcast Bunch dba locally as Raise Kane Radio, Inc.) that had other stations in its portfolio in addition to its own.

However, it wouldn't take long for WLMI to make an impact on its competitor. WLMI was the very first FM station to come on the air in McKean County, with WBRR in Bradford coming on the air three years later. WQRM in Smethport and WHKS in Port Allegany would not come on the air until 6 and 7 years later, respectively. Though only 3,000 watts at the time of its debut, Kane was located at the top of a mountain, which allowed WLMI a huge coverage area from a relatively short antenna, thus enabling it to serve all of McKean County and parts of New York's Twin Tiers area, as well as a large portion of Warren County.

[edit] The Fall of WKZA

As WLMI began to entrench itself as a formidable competitor in town, many of WKZA's staff defected to WLMI, leaving Raise Kane Radio to put WKZA up for sale, finding that its profits were shrinking. Though a competitor buyout was speculated, WLMI did not show an interest in acquiring an AM station, and WKZA was sold for $75,000 to Bill Shannon Broadcasting in 1990.

The following year meant transactions for both WKZA and WLMI. Bill Shannon Broadcasting sold WKZA to Walter R. Pierre for $63,500 in December of 1991, with the FCC approving the transaction a month later. In December of 1992, WLMI was sold for $245,000 to William Hearst, president of Clarion County Broadcasting, which today owns WWCH-AM and WCCR-FM in Clarion, and would acquire WKQW AM-FM in Oil City in 2005.

WKZA became WQLE in an effort to reverse its sagging fortunes. The station finally failed for good in 1993, leaving WLMI as the only local radio station offering service to Kane.

Today, the WKZA calls belong to a CHR station at 106.9 mHz, serving Warren and Jamestown, NY. Their New Official website is www.wlmi.net

[edit] Hearst Sells to Beech Tree

Hearst decided to sell WLMI to Beech Tree Broadcasting, a company headed by Chuck Crouse, in 1993 for $300,000. Crouse then sold WLMI to its current owner for $366,000 in July of 2006.

[edit] WLMI Today

WLMI has always maintained its original call letters and a format that combines full-service news & information with country music. Under Colonial Radio Group's ownership, the station switched from ABC Satellite Music service to a locally programmed Contemporary Country music format. The station also offers ABC News & local news at the top of the hour, Paul Harvey, sports play-by-play, and a locally-produced polka show on Sundays.