WDKL(102.7FM,K-Love) is acontemporary Christianformattedradio stationlicensed toMount Clemens, Michigan,and serving theDetroitmetropolitan area. The station is owned byEducational Media Foundation.The station broadcasts with 50,000 watts of power from an antenna located Northeast of the intersection of Gratiot Avenue and Fourteen Mile Road inClinton Charter Township,Macomb County,Michigan, and directs its signal mainly toward the north and east to avoid interfering withWWWW-FMinAnn Arbor.
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| Broadcast area | Metro Detroit |
| Frequency | 102.7MHz(HD Radio) |
| Branding | K-Love |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary Christian |
| Subchannels | HD2:Air1 HD3: K-Love 2000s |
| Affiliations | K-Love |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Educational Media Foundation |
| KDTI | |
| History | |
First air date | November 6, 1960 |
Former call signs |
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Call signmeaning | "Detroit K-Love" |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 54915 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 36,000watts |
| HAAT | 152 meters (499 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°32′39″N82°54′9″W/ 42.54417°N 82.90250°W |
| Translator(s) | 98.3 W252CP (Holly) 105.5 W288BK (Rochester Hills,relays HD2) 106.3 W292DK (Westland,relays HD2) 107.1 W296CG (Detroit,relays HD2) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live Listen live(HD2) Listen live(HD3) |
| Website | www |
WDKL is licensed forHD Radioservice, carryingAir1and K-Love 2000s on its subchannels.[3]
History
editWBRB-AM-FM
edit
WDKL began life on November 6, 1960, as WBRB-FM, the FM counterpart of Mount Clemens AM stationWBRB (1430 AM)and owned byMalrite Communications Group.[4]WBRB-FM was among the first stations to be directly built directly from the group-up by Malrite, which was originally a 50-50 partnership between Milton Maltz and Robert Wright; Wright divested his stake in the company by 1971. WBRB and WBRB-FM simulcast afull-service radiooutlet throughout the daytime targetingMacomb Countywith a mixture of music and local news bulletins. During non-simulcast dayparts (as WBRB was only licensed to broadcast during the day), WBRB-FM airedbeautiful musicprogramming and somecountry music.[5]
WLBS/WKSG
editIn 1978, Malrite put both stations up for sale. The FM outlet was first to find a buyer:Inner City Broadcasting Corporation,owners of New York's legendaryWBLS.[6]The next year, the call sign was changed to WLBS, which was switched to adiscoandjazzformat. WLBS during its disco phase was programmed by WBLS'sFrankie Crocker.The station evolved intourban contemporaryby 1981, but success was limited due to the station's weak signal. The local stations in Detroit of a similar format pounced on this weakness; urban competitors such as WJLB and former Top 40 stationWDRQin the market took the lead. Leadership in New York called for a change, and the station switched to a "Rock of the '80s" -stylenew wavemusic format in June 1982. This format was groundbreaking and innovative thanks to music director Robin Yarborough, who introduced many New Wave artists to the area. Limited success followed, but again, signal limitations were a big problem.[7]
In August 1984, WLBS flipped from New Wave toTop 40/CHRusing a format co-developed by consultantLee Abrams.[8]The station was a weak competitor of hit-music format leadersWCZYandWHYT,and so after only three months, the station changed its call letters and moniker to WKSG,Kiss 102.7,and adopted a 1950s-1970soldiesformat called "Kiss of Gold" developed by veteran Detroit programmer Paul Christy.[9][10]With broadcasters such as Christy, Johnny Molson, and Detroit radio legend Lee Alan (who hosted a syndicated show calledBack in the '60s Again), and despite competition in the format fromWHND,WMTG,andCKLW-FMin the late 1980s, WKSG did well untilWOMCchanged its format from Adult Contemporary to Oldies in 1989.
CD102.7/Z-Rock
editIn April 1991, WKSG became WXCD,CD102.7,"Detroit's Smooth Sounds," with anew age/smooth jazzformat, which returned the format to the Detroit airwaves after WVAE had changed to becomeWMXDin late 1989. The new age format barely registered at all in the ratings, and less than a year later, on March 13, 1992, WXCD became WDZR, airingABC Radio's satellite-fedZ-Rockformat of hard rock and heavy metal.[11]With a playlist that rocked harder than more establishedAORoutletsWRIFandWLLZ,WDZR achieved decent ratings for a time, but in 1996, ABC, having acquired the assets of Satellite Music Network, discontinued the Z-Rock format.
102.7 The Bear
editIn November 1996, WDZR changed its calls to WWBR,102.7 The Bear,"Detroit's Rock Animal," keeping the hard-rock format but transitioning to a local air staff withTed Nugentas morning personality.[12]"The Bear" eventually evolved into a "Classic Rock That Really Rocks" outlet to compete with softer-edged classic-rock competitorWCSX.
The end of "The Bear" came on January 16, 1999, following the station's sale from Allur Detroit toRadio One.At 6:33 p.m., after playingThe Doors' "When The Music's Over"(the same song that ended the legendaryWABXrock format in 1984), the station went silent for nearly 20 minutes and then emerged as anAdult Contemporarystation.[13]
Kiss 102.7
editThe first song played was "Just Another Day"byJon Secada.They also revived the "Kiss-FM" brand name as "The New 102.7 Kiss FM, with the Best Variety of Light Rock from the 80's, 90's and Today". The station also picked upDelilah Rene's syndicated nightly request program. The station requested the new calls WKSK, but went with WDMK ( "Detroit Michigan's Kiss" ) after failing to secure its first choice.[14]Then, on August 28, 1999, WDMK shifted to anUrban Adult Contemporaryformat to compete with powerhouse WMXD, retaining the "Kiss" name.[15][16]The fact that the mainstream AC format lasted only eight months led some to believe that Radio One had always planned to shift the station's format in an R&B direction and used the AC format as a smokescreen to catch WMXD off guard.
AsKiss 102.7,"Detroit's Adult R&B Station," WDMK remained low in the ratings until October 2002, when the station shifted its format toRhythmic Oldiesand hired away longtimeWJLBpersonality andDetroit PistonsannouncerJohn Masonto do the morning show. The change brought 102.7 its highest ratings in years, and listeners also welcomed the musical shift to more "old school" R&B as opposed to current hits byneo-soulartists which could already be heard on other stations in the market.
Hot 102-7
edit
On June 25, 2005, at 3 a.m., Radio One swapped the formats of WDMK and itsmainstream urban-formatted sister station WDTJ105.9 Jamz.The WDMK calls and "old school" format were moved to 105.9, with the "old school" format evolving into a very gold-basedUrban AC.Also making the switch was John Mason, who was switched to afternoon drive at the new105.9 Kiss-FMas the popular syndicatedTom Joynermorning show also moved to 105.9 from WMXD. 102.7 took on the mainstream urban format and new calls WHTD and monikerHot 102-7.[17]
On April 19, 2007,HOT 102-7re-branded itself asHOT1027Detroit(nowHotHipHopDetroit) while re-launching its website to focus merging newer interactive technologies with traditional radio. They, along withKBXX,wereRadio One's first stations to re-brand themselves with a new corporate initiative. The station was among the first in Detroit to use text messaging for radio contests (text-to-win instead of call-in-to-win). They also added podcasting features, instant messaging to the on-air personality, live chats and other features to the website. Ratings remained roughly the same, but website traffic grew close to those of its competitors.
For a brief period in 2007, the station carried the syndicated afternoon showTheWendy WilliamsExperience,and Wendy hosted her first Dons & Divas Party outside of New York City in Detroit that same year.
In April 2009, WHTD dropped the "Detroit" portion of their moniker, and reverted to just "Hot 102-7."
Praise 102.7
edit
On October 21, 2011, Radio One announced that they will begin operatingWGPR,a station owned by a localFreemasonsgroup, effective immediately, under a local marketing agreement. On October 24, 2011, at Midnight, Radio One discarded the Urban AC format on WGPR. Two days later, Radio One moved theUrban Contemporaryand "Hot" branding from WHTD to WGPR. WHTD becameUrban gospelasPraise 102.7on October 31, 2011 at midnight.[18]
The call letters on 102.7 changed from WHTD to WPZR at the same time as the format switch. The WHTD calls are now located at an AM station inToccoa, Georgia.
K-Love
editOn May 1, 2018, Urban One announced that they had sold WPZR to theEducational Media Foundationfor $12.7 million and three translators. EMF then announced its intentions to flip the station to itsK-Lovenetwork upon the sale's closure. At that time, Urban One planned on pairing the three translators (which had not yet been specified in the announcement) acquired with their existing translator at 99.9 FM,W260CB,to create "The Detroit Praise Network", and continue the gospel programming viaWDMK-HD2. W260CB had recently dropped its urban oldies format to simulcast WPZR.[19]
On August 9, 2018, upon the sale's closure, WPZR began broadcasting EMF's K-Love contemporary Christian format under new WDKL call letters.[20]
Summer Jamz
editSince 1997, the "Beat" and later "Hot" hip-hop franchise (firstWCHB-FM,then WHTD, and nowWGPR) has hosted Detroit's signature annual hip hop/R&B summer concert called Summer Jamz. At its peak as a free event during the first eight years, Summer Jamz attracted crowds of 20-30,000 people while located at Detroit'sHart Plaza.As a ticketed event in 2006, the event attracted over 15,000 at theMichigan State Fair.The 10th anniversary show in 2007, the station hosted Summer Jamz inPontiac's, much smaller amphitheatre and played to a seated capacity crowd of nearly 4,000. The event, now in the hands of WGPR, is expected to return toMichigan State Fair's larger capacity venue for future shows.
References
edit- ^"WPZR FM 102.7 Mt. Clemens/Detroit - Michiguide Dials (P)".michiguide.
- ^"Facility Technical Data for WDKL".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^https://hdradio /station_guides/widget.php?latitude=42.322261810303&longitude=-83.176307678223HD Radio Guide for Detroit
- ^"A Complete Free Press Tour Of Detroit's Dial".Detroit Free Press.Detroit, Michigan. May 15, 1966. p. Detroit 16,17,18,22.RetrievedOctober 31,2022– via Newspapers.
- ^"Now You Have a Choice, Direct from the Bar-B Ranch".Detroit Free Press.February 21, 1965. p. 11-C.RetrievedOctober 31,2022– via Newspapers.
- ^"New Sound: Macomb finds its voice is changing; station sold".Detroit Free Press.July 13, 1978. p. 3A.RetrievedOctober 31,2022– via Newspapers.
- ^Pearson, Carol (March 29, 1984)."Offbeat home for new music".Detroit Free Press.p. MS-1A,7A.RetrievedOctober 31,2022– via Newspapers.
- ^Molly Abraham, "Fourth Street Playhouse makes a move,"The Detroit Free Press,July 31, 1984.
- ^Gary Graff, "WKSG tunes in on the '60s, '70s,"The Detroit Free Press,November 10, 1984.
- ^https:// mcrfb /?p=20431Motor City Radio Flashbacks
- ^Neal Rubin, "Satellite radio sounds like 102.7's one hope,"The Detroit Free Press,March 6, 1992.
- ^"Great gonzos!,"The Detroit Free Press,October 26, 1996.
- ^"RandR"(PDF).americanradiohistory.
- ^John Smyntek, "WWBR lightens up music format,"The Detroit Free Press,January 18, 1999.
- ^John Smyntek, "WDMK kisses off old format,"The Detroit Free Press,August 27, 1999.
- ^"RandR"(PDF).americanradiohistory.
- ^Susan Whitall, "You're not hearing things: That's hip-hop, not R&B,"The Detroit Free Press,June 25, 2005.
- ^"Radio-One LMA's WGPR, Shuffles Detroit Formats".31 October 2011.
- ^"EMF Expands Into Detroit With Purchase Of 102.7 WPZR".
- ^WPZR Completes Rebrand as Detroit Praise Network as EMF Closes 102.7 PurchaseRadioinsight - August 9, 2018
External links
edit- Facility details for Facility ID 54915 (WDKL)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- WDKLinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- Michiguide - WHTD History