WOOD-FM

This article is about the current WOOD-FM in Muskegon, Michigan. For the station that bore the WOOD-FM call letters from 1962 to 2010, seeWSRW-FM.

WOOD-FM

Simulcast ofWOOD (AM),Grand Rapids
Muskegon, Michigan
Broadcast area	Grand Rapids metropolitan area West Michigan
Frequency	106.9MHz(HD Radio)
Branding	NewsRadio WOOD 1300 and 106.9 FM
Programming
Format	News/talk
Subchannels	HD2:WKBZsimulcast
Affiliations	CBS News Radio Fox News Radio Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks Grand Rapids Griffins Michigan IMG Sports Network Michigan Radio Network
Ownership
Owner	iHeartMedia, Inc. (iHM Licenses, LLC)
Sister stations	WKBZ,WMRR,WMUS,WSNX
History
First air date	November 1962(1962-11)
Former call signs	WMUS-FM (1962–1965) WFFM (1965–1970) WMUS-FM (1979–2005) WMUS (2005–2010)
Call signmeaning	FurnwoodBroadcasting; WOOD (AM) was funded originally byfurnituremanufacturers
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	25086
Class	B
ERP	50,000watts
HAAT	146 meters (479 ft)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	woodradio.iheart

WOOD-FM(106.9MHz) is acommercialradio stationlicensedtoMuskegon, Michigan,servingWest Michiganand is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc.Itsimulcastsanews/talkradio formatwithsister stationWOOD1300 AM.The studios and offices are at 77 Monroe Center in Downtown Grand Rapids. Following a local weekdaydrive timeshow, "West Michigan's Morning News", the station carriesnationally syndicatedtalk shows fromSean Hannity,Glenn Beck,Dave Ramsey,Joe Pags,"The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show"and"Coast to Coast AMwithGeorge Noory".Most hours begin with an update fromFox News Radio.

WOOD-FM has aneffective radiated powerof 50,000watts.Itstransmitteris off South Hilton Park Road in Muskegon.WOOD-FM broadcasts usingHD Radiotechnology. Its HD-2digital subchannelcarries programming from co-ownedWKBZ1090 AM.

History

The station originallysigned onasWMUS-FM in November 1947. It was originally on 100.5 on the FM dial. WMUS-FM was Muskegon's first FM station and came on the air just a few months after its AM sister,WMUS.By 1950, WMUS-FM had gonedark,but the station was revived in November 1962. It had moved to its current frequency of 106.9 MHz and a power of 2,850 watts, gradually increased to the current 50,000 watts over the years. WMUS-FM's original programming consisted of a simulcast of its AM sister station.

In 1965, WMUS 1090 changed format frommiddle of the road(MOR) tocountry musicas "Top Gun Radio". Rather than continue to simulcast, WMUS-FM separated programming and adopted the new call sign WFFM. In a "storecast" arrangement with Hasper's, a local grocery-store chain, WFFM aired instrumentaleasy listeningmusic in monaural sound, interspersed with promotional announcements about Hasper's.

The WMUS-FM call letters returned to 106.9 in 1970 and the station resumed its simulcast of the AM's country format.FM stereobroadcasting was added in 1975. WMUS-AM-FM was the main affiliate and flagship station for theGrand Valley State Lakerfootball radio network.Eventually the AM and FM signals switched roles, with the 50,000-watt stereo FM signal becoming the primary station and AM 1090 becoming the simulcast.

The AM-FM simulcast ended in April 2001 when AM 1090 changed to a news/talk format. The AM station took the call sign WKBZ which once belonged to one of WMUS' biggest competitor stations.

At noon on January 5, 2011, WMUS-FM ended its country sound. It then switched to a News/Talk format, simulcasting sister stationWOOD1300 AM.It turned off the stereo equipment and broadcasts in mono, better suited to a spoken word format. At the same time the WMUS calls and format were moved to 107.9 FM.It acts primarily to fill in gaps in the AM station's nighttime signal.

Signal

The station can be received across all of West Michigan and as far east as Alma, St. Johns, and Northwest Lansing, with reception also possible in Eastern Wisconsin acrossLake Michigan,especially inSheboyganandOzaukeeCounties. WOOD-FM's short-spaced allocation and higher power means that theBrookfield-licensedWRXShas a much smaller coverage area than mostMilwaukeestations due to the heritage of the 106.9 signal in Muskegon.WSAE106.9 "Home FM" inSpring Arbor, Michigan,often overpowers the frequency across south-west lower Michigan.

On June 21, 2021, a lightning strike at the tower site caused a fire that destroyed the transmitter building, temporarily knocking WOOD-FM off the air.

Programming

WOOD's program director Phil Tower leads an airstaff that includes anall-newsmorning program,West Michigan's Morning Newswith Steve Kelly, Bret Bakita, Lauren Smith, and Rick Albin.West Michigan Livefollows with host Justin Barclay. The rest of the day is filled by:Glenn Beck,The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,Sean Hannity,Dave Ramsey,Joe PagsandCoast to Coast AMwithGeorge Noory.Most of WOOD Radio's weekday lineup comes from iHeart'sPremiere Networks.

Weekend programs and hosts include: "Leo Laporte:The Tech Guy",Gordon Deal,"The Weekend with Michael Brown",Bill Cunninghamand "Jill On Money".

WOOD Radio's local newsroom provides local, regional and national news every day of the week, plus world and national news fromFox News Radio.It also utilizes reports and breaking news coverage through an ancillary affiliation withCBS News Radio.

WOOD Radio is the Grand Rapids home ofUniversity of MichiganWolverines footballandbasketball.It also carriesGrand Rapids Griffinsice hockey.

External links

• WOOD-FM official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 25086 (WOOD-FM)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
• WOOD-FMinNielsen Audio's FM station database