WDKF

For the Kettering, Ohio radio station that held the call sign WDKF at 99.9 FM from 2011 to 2012, see WCHD.

WDKF
City of license	Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Broadcast area	Green Bay and Northeast Wisconsin
Branding	93.5 & 99.7 Duke FM
Slogan	Plays the Legends of Country
Frequency	99.7 MHz
First air date	February 1982 (as WSBW at 100.1)
Format	Classic Country (WGEE simulcast)
ERP	46,000 watts
HAAT	156 meters (512 ft)
Class	C2
Facility ID	42090
Transmitter coordinates	44°38′8.00″N 87°37′37.00″W / 44.6355556°N 87.6269444°W / 44.6355556; -87.6269444Coordinates: 44°38′8.00″N 87°37′37.00″W / 44.6355556°N 87.6269444°W / 44.6355556; -87.6269444
Callsign meaning	W DuKe FM
Former callsigns	WSBW (2/1982-2/1989) WQZZ (2/1989-9/1990) WHET-FM (9/1990-7/1993) WGEE-FM (7/1993-9/1996) WLTM (9/1996-4/2002) WLYD (4/2002-2/2006) WZBY (2/2006-8/2009) WRQE (8/2009-9/2010) WZDR (9/2010-3/2015)
Former frequencies	100.1 MHz (1982-1986)
Owner	Duey E. Wright (Midwest Communications, Inc.)
Sister stations	WGEE, WIXX, WNCY-FM, WNFL, WTAQ (AM/FM), WYDR
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	935dukefm.com

WDKF (99.7 FM) is a radio station licensed to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, USA, the station serves the Green Bay area simulcasting co-owned WGEE with a classic country format as Duke FM. The station is currently owned by Midwest Communications, broadcasting from both its main transmitter in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin.^[1]

History

The station that would become WZDR launched in the early 1980s at 100.1 FM (eventually moving to 99.7 by 1986). Compared to its simulcast partner in the Fox Valley, WZDR's format history has been mostly unstable. The station started out in the early 80s under the WSBW call sign (not to be confused with the current WSBW in Sister Bay, Wisconsin) and aired a locally originated adult contemporary format through studios in downtown Sturgeon Bay. An ownership change in 1989 would see WSBW become WQZZ, with the station now using a satellite-fed AC format, the same service used by its sister station in the Fox Cities, the similarly-callsigned but separately-operated WOZZ. In the fall of 1990, WQZZ became WHET-FM and adopted a new satellite-fed top 40 (CHR) format as "99.7 The Heat" to compete with Top 40 station WIXX; the station would go to an all-local Top 40 operation 2 years later.

By 1993, new FCC rules allowed companies to own a 2nd FM frequency in a market, and WHET's owners would sell the station to Midwest Communications that year. Midwest planned to replace the "Heat" format to avoid direct competition with its heritage Top 40 station, WIXX, plans that were furthered along by severe storms that twice knocked WHET off the air in June and July 1993; the second storm permanently ended "The Heat," as Midwest used the outage to repair the signal and begin its transition to country. By August 1993, the station became "99 Country," using the WGEE-FM call sign (mirroring that of its heritage country sister station, the current WTAQ) and using a 24/7 local operation in comparison to its mostly satellite-fed competitor, WJLW.

WGEE-FM remained as "99 Country" until September 1996, when FCC ownership rules were further loosened, allowing Midwest Communications to purchase WNCY-FM "Y100", which by then surpassed WJLW and WGEE-FM to become the dominant country station in the area. Midwest would keep country on WNCY and change WGEE-FM to an adult contemporary station under the WLTM call sign. In 1998, Midwest would move WLTM to a simulcast with its similarly-formatted WROE (see above), a simulcast that would last until March 19, 2001, when WLTM adopted a more upbeat hot AC format as "Magic 99.7", with a schedule featuring Rick Dees' syndicated morning show.

On March 25, 2002, 99.7 switched formats again to a brand new (for Northeast Wisconsin) Rhythmic format as WLYD ("Wild 99-7"), while sister heritage Top 40 sister station WIXX gravitated to a more rock-leaning top 40 format.^[2] Although designed to be a flanker station for WIXX, "Wild 99-7" and its unique format for Green Bay would soon become one of the better-rated stations in the Green Bay market. "Wild 99-7" forced top 40 station WKSZ "95.9 Kiss FM" (WIXX's competition) to flip to Hot AC as "Mix 95.9" in April 2003.

On February 18, 2006, "Wild 99-7" would end allegedly as 'poor advertising sales' on the station forced Midwest to flip WLYD to a more advertiser-friendly adult hits format under the new call sign of WZBY ("99.7 The Bay"). One month later in March 2006, WKSZ reverted to its "95.9 Kiss FM" Top 40 format with a rhythmic lean to pick up on former "Wild 99-7" listeners. WZBY would evolve to classic hits by September 2008, and in early 2009, began a simulcast on translator W270AJ (101.9 FM) to help with 99.7's signal issues in the immediate Green Bay area. On September 15, 2009, WZBY and its "Bay" format would give way with a secnd simulcast with the Fox Valley's WROE, this time under the similar call sign of WRQE.

"The Drive's" original logo (c. 2010)

At 5 PM on September 3, 2010, Midwest Communications dropped the AC format a second time. The stations became WYDR (94.3) and WZDR (99.7/101.9), and adopted a classic hits/classic rock hybrid format as "The Drive," a format similar to that of WDRV in Chicago and sister classic rock station WOZZ, which adopted a mainstream rock format at the same time and date as "The Drive's" debut (and using 99.7's former WRQE call sign).

On March 16, 2015, WZDR and translator W270AJ switched from a simulcast of WYDR 94.3 FM ("The Drive") to a simulcast of classic country-formatted WGEE-FM 93.5 FM, branded as "Duke FM" (under new calls, WDKF).^[3]

Previous logo

References

↑ "WDKF Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
↑ http://www.northpine.com/broadcast/archive/news0302.html
↑ Duke Expands in Green Bay

External links

Query the FCC's FM station database for WDKF

Radio-Locator information on WDKF

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WDKF

Radio stations in the Door County, Wisconsin market

By AM frequency	910

By FM frequency	88.5 89.7 90.5 91.3 91.7 91.9 93.9 96.7 97.7 98.9 99.7 102.1 103.1 103.3 104.1 105.1 106.9

By callsign	W255AQ W276BC W277BP WBDK WDKF WDOR WDOR-FM WHDI WHND WLGE WPFF WPVM WQDC WQQA WRKU WRLU WRMW WSBW

Nearby radio markets Green Bay Sheboygan Traverse City–Petoskey Iron Mountain See also List of radio stations in Wisconsin

Radio stations serving Green Bay and Northeastern Wisconsin

(see also: Appleton-Oshkosh)

by FM frequency	88.1 88.5 89.3 89.7 90.1 90.5 91.3 91.5 92.7 93.1 93.5 94.3 94.7 95.9 96.9 97.5 98.5 99.7 100.3 101.1 101.5 101.9 102.7 103.1 103.5 104.3 104.9 105.7 106.3 106.7 107.5

by AM frequency	980 1050 1150 1280 1360 1400 1440 1530 1590

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.550

by callsign	KIG65 W209BM W226BD W270AJ WAPL WAUN WCUB WDKF WDUZ WDUZ-FM WEMY WGBW WGEE WHBY WHID WIXX WJOK WKRU WKSZ WKZG WLAK WNAM WNCY-FM WNFL WOGB WORQ WPCK WPFF WPNE WPVM WQLH WRMW WRVM WTAQ WTAQ-FM WYDR WZOR

Nearby radio markets Fox Cities Milwaukee–Racine Sheboygan–Manitowoc Wausau–Stevens Point Door County Iron Mountain See also List of radio stations in Wisconsin

Country radio stations in the state of Wisconsin

By call letters	KDWZ - Superior/Duluth MN WACD – Antigo WAQE – Rice Lake WATQ – Chetek WAXX – Eau Claire WBFM – Sheboygan WBKY – Portage WBSZ – Ashland WCOW-FM – Sparta WCQM – Park Falls WCUB – Two Rivers WCYE – Three Lakes WDDC – Portage WDEZ – Wausau WDKF – Sturgeon Bay WDLS – Wisconsin Dells WDMP – Dodgeville WDMO – Baldwin WDMP-FM – Dodgeville WDUX – Waupaca WEKZ – Monroe WFON - Fond du Lac WGEE – New London WGLR-FM – Lancaster WHDG – Rhinelander WHIT – Madison WHSM-FM - Hayward WHTL-FM – Whitehall WISS – Berlin WIXK – New Richmond WJMC-FM – Rice Lake WJMQ – Clintonville WJMT – Merrill WJVL – Janesville WKQH – Marathon WKTI – Milwaukee WLTU - Manitowoc WMAD – Sauk City WMBZ – West Bend WMIL-FM – Waukesha WNCY-FM – Neenah-Menasha WNFM – Reedsburg WNRG-FM – Brookfield WOBT – Rhinelander WOCO – Oconto WOKY – Milwaukee WPCK – Denmark WPKR – Omro WPLT – Spooner WQCC – La Crosse WQPC – Prairie du Chien WQRB – Bloomer WRDN – Durand WRJC – Mauston WRLU – Algoma WSLD – Whitewater WTCH – Shawano WTMB – Tomah WVRE – Dickeyville WVRQ-FM – Viroqua WWQM-FM – Middleton WXRO – Beaver Dam WYTE – Marshfield

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

Midwest Communications

Indiana	Evansville WABX WIKY-FM WLFW WSTO Terre Haute WBOW WDKE WDWQ WIBQ WMGI WPRS

Michigan	Battle Creek WNWN-FM WTOU Coldwater WTVB Holland WHTC WYVN Kalamazoo WKZO WNWN WQLR WVFM WZOX Lansing WJXQ WLMI WQTX WWDK

Minnesota	Duluth KDAL KDAL-FM KDWZ KTCO WDSM WDUL Hibbing KMFG WMFG WMFG-FM WNMT WTBX WUSZ

North Dakota	Fargo KFGO KMJO KOYY KRWK KVOX KVOX-FM

South Dakota	Sioux Falls KELO KELO-FM KELQ KQSF KRRO KTWB KWSN

Tennessee	Knoxville WDKW WIMZ-FM WJXB-FM Nashville WCJK WJXA

Wisconsin	Appleton WGEE WYDR Green Bay WDKF WIXX WNCY-FM WNFL WTAQ/WTAQ-FM Wausau WDEZ WIFC WOZZ WRIG WSAU WSAU-FM Sheboygan WBFM WHBL WHBZ WXER

Website mwcradio.com

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