WIOG
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| Broadcast area | Bay City–Saginaw–Midland–Flint |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.5MHz(HD Radio) |
| Branding | 102.5 WIOG |
| Programming | |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Affiliations | Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WHNN,WILZ,WKQZ | |
| History | |
First air date |
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Former call signs |
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Former frequencies | 106.3 MHz (1969–1986) |
Call signmeaning | 106(original dial position) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 22675 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 86,000watts |
| HAAT | 244 meters (801 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°28′24″N83°50′40″W/ 43.47333°N 83.84444°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | wiog |
WIOG(102.5MHz) is acommercialFMradio stationairing atop 40 (CHR)format.It islicensedtoBay City, Michigan,and serves theGreater Tri-Citiesarea, includingSaginawandMidlandas well asFlint.It is owned byCumulus Mediawith studios on Champagne Drive North in Saginaw.
WIOG is aClass Bstation. But it isgrandfatheredat a higher power than would be permitted today. It has aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 86,000watts.(50,000 watts is the current maximum for Class B stations.) Thetransmittertoweris on Becker Road inBuena Vista Charter Township.[2]
History
[edit]WIOG and WGER
[edit]WIOG began broadcasting on 106.3 MHz, originally licensed to Saginaw. Later in the 1970s thecall signbecame WIOG (those call letters resembled the number "106," its dial position). The format shifted toalbum oriented rock(AOR). In 1980, with the addition of somediscoandpoprecords to its AORplaylist,WIOG moved to aTop 40format. It eventually took on the name "Hits 106" and became one of the most popular radio stations in the market.
The 102.5 frequency was originally home to WNEM-FM (laterWGER), which was one of the pioneers ofFM stereobroadcasting in Michigan. With its big signal, WGER was one of the most successfulbeautiful musicstations in Michigan. It played quarter-hour sweeps of mostly soft instrumental music,cover versionsof popular adult hits,BroadwayandHollywoodshow tunes.[3]As late as 1985, when it was using TM Programming's beautiful music package, the station was posting #1 ratings among adult 25-54 listeners in the Saginaw and Flint markets, according to TM promotional literature of the time.[4]
Top 40
[edit]After the owner of WIOG bought WGER, then sold the old station at 106.3, WIOG and WGER switched call signs in September 1986. WGER moved itseasy listeningmusic to the lower powered 106.3 and WIOG's Top 40-CHR format was placed on 102.5. The move paid off, as WIOG quickly became a powerhouse in mid-Michigan broadcasting. In the fall of 1986, during an economic rescission, the radio station ran a new promotion known ad "Free Money". It was a chance to win $1,000 to $10,000 every hour. This helped the station meet an Arbitron rating of 30.3%.
WIOG got strong competition in the early 1990s from 100.5WTCF"The Fox", which soon surpassed WIOG as the dominant CHR station. Due to the competition and to a desire to appeal to more adult listeners, WIOG shifted to aHot Adult Contemporarysound in May 1992.[5]WTCF's departure from the CHR format in 1999, however, left the door open for WIOG to move back to CHR, which it did that July.[6]
Today WIOG remains one of the most popular stations in the Tri-Cities market. However, its showing in the Flint market is more modest due to competition from CHRWWCK-FM,rhythmicWRCLand active rockerWWBN.
NotableDJsat WIOG at the time include Dean Myers, Scott "Shannon" Seipel (not to be confused withScott Shannon), Renee Andrews, Bob Hughes, Jim Alexander, Rick Donahue, Keith Michaels, Steve Kelly, Wack and Tim Murphy. Rick Belcher was the Program Director at the time of WIOG's rating's domination.
References
[edit]- ^"Facility Technical Data for WIOG".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^Radio-Locator /WIOG
- ^YouTube "WGMZ Flint Michigan--Beautiful Music 1970s." Retrieved Jan. 22, 2024.
- ^(1)(Click on "Trade Publication Ad" #1 under the "TM Programming" bullet point.)ArchivedFebruary 1, 2008, at theWayback Machine
- ^"Radio & Records"(PDF).Radio & Records.No. 943. May 29, 1992. p. 38.RetrievedJuly 4,2020.
- ^"Radio & Records"(PDF).Radio & Records.No. 1307. July 9, 1999. p. 43.RetrievedJuly 4,2020.
External links
[edit]- WIOG official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 22675 (WIOG)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- WIOGinNielsen Audio's FM station database