Northern Star Broadcasting (formerly known as Calibre Communications) was a

radio Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...

broadcasting company which owned various radio stations in

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

from 1998–2016, with offices in Cheboygan and

Traverse City Traverse City ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Grand Traverse County, although a small portion extends into Leelanau County. It is the largest city in the 21-county Northern Michigan region. The population was ...

. Northern Star was owned by Reynolds Communications, ran by Del & Mary Reynolds. At one time or another, Northern Star Broadcasting owned eleven stations in

Northern Michigan Northern Michigan, also known as Northern Lower Michigan (known colloquially to residents of more southerly parts of the state and summer residents from cities such as Detroit as " Up North"), is a region of the U.S. state of Michigan. A popul ...

(nine as of 2016) and previously fourteen additional stations in Michigan's

Upper Peninsula The Upper Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Upper Michigan or colloquially the U.P. – is the northern and more elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; it is separated from the Lower Peninsula by t ...

, exiting Upper Peninsula markets in 2010 & 2011 after selling all but one repeater station to new owners, largely

Sovereign Communications Sovereign Communications, LLC is an American radio broadcasting company which owns 17 radio stations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with offices in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The company is owned and operated by William C. Gleich and Tim Sabea ...

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the second-most populated ...

in February 2010. Despite the sales, Northern Star's stations in Cheboygan, Mackinaw City, and Indian River could still be heard in much of the Eastern Upper Peninsula. In May 2016, and due to Northern Star vice president Mary Reynolds' health concerns, Reynolds Communications announced the sale of all but one of Northern Star's remaining radio stations to Black Diamond Broadcast Holdings (who previously owned

WUPS WUPS (98.5 FM) is a 100 kW radio station licensed to Harrison, Michigan and serving central and northern Michigan, with its chief focus on the Mount Pleasant area. The station, previously owned by Sindy Fuller, through licensee Bridge to Bri ...

in Harrison and WTWS in Houghton Lake) in a transaction worth $1,950,000, with

WCKC WCKC (107.1 FM, "The Drive") is a radio station in Cadillac, Michigan, owned by Up North Radio, LLC. WCKC airs a classic rock format. History In 1985 Donald "Doc" Benson, then-owner of WMKC-FM/WIDG-AM in St. Ignace, obtained the CP (Construction ...

in Cadillac instead being sold to Up North Radio (who own

WCDY WCDY (107.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to McBain, Michigan and serving the Cadillac area, broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR) format. The station was launched on November 6, 2010 with a temporary format of Christmas music. The permanent format ...

in McBain) for $180,000. Despite the sales of their remaining radio stations, Reynolds Communications will retain ownership of these stations' tower sites.

Radio Stations

Northern Michigan

All Northern Michigan stations were sold to Black Diamond Broadcasting in 2016 unless otherwise stated * 93.9 FM

WAVC AVC may refer to: Organizations * Asian Volleyball Confederation, the continental governing body for the sport of volleyball in Asia * Advanced Video Communications, owner of Stickam * ¡Alfaro Vive, Carajo!, a defunct left-wing group in Ecuador ...

(Mio; sold to Michigan Broadcasters in 2013) * 94.5 FM WLJZ (Mackinaw City; sold to Michigan Broadcasters in 2013) * 95.5 FM

WQEZ WQEZ (1370 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station broadcasting a soft adult contemporary format. Licensed to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States, the station serves the Clarksville-Hopkinsville area. The station is currently owned by the Fi ...

(Glen Arbor) * 97.7 FM WCHY (Cheboygan) * 98.1 FM

WGFN WGFN (98.1 MHz) is a radio station in Northern Michigan that airs a classic rock format under the branding of "The Bear", and is currently owned by Black Diamond Broadcast Holdings, LLC. WGFN is based out of Glen Arbor, Michigan, airing at 98 ...

(Glen Arbor) * 102.9 FM

WMKC WMKC (102.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to Indian River, Michigan. It airs a country music format called Big Country 102.9. The station is owned by Black Diamond Broadcast Holdings, LLC. History: A Dentist's Dream Beginnings WMKC ("MacKina ...

(Indian River, previously

St. Ignace St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...

) * 103.7 FM W279CC (Alpena) * 105.1 FM

WGFM WGFM (105.1 FM) in Cheboygan, Michigan and is an American radio station that airs a mainstream rock format branded as Rock 105 & 95.5. WGFM boasts a 43,000-watt signal which easily covers most of northern Lower Michigan from Grayling northward ...

(Cheboygan) * 106.3 FM WOEZ (Onaway) * 107.1 FM

(Cadillac; sold to Up North Radio in 2016) * 1240 AM

WCBY WCBY (1240 AM and W264CF 100.7 FM) is a radio station in Cheboygan, Michigan, broadcasting a classic country format delivered by Westwood One "Big Country Gold" is the slogan, which plays off sister country FM WMKC 102.9 known as "Big Country - 1 ...

(Cheboygan)

Western Upper Peninsula

All of Northern Star Broadcasting's stations in Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula were sold to

in 2010 * 92.3 FM

WJPD WJPD (92.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station licensed to Ishpeming, Michigan broadcasting a country music format. It serves the Marquette, Michigan, Marquette area. It can be heard as far east as Newberry, Michigan, Newberry, as far north as ...

(Ishpeming) * 93.1 FM

WIMK WIMK (93.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, licensed to Iron Mountain, Michigan. The station broadcasts an active rock format branded as 93.1 K-Rock. History WIMK began life in 1981 as a beautiful ...

(Iron Mountain) * 94.1 FM

WUPK WUPK (94.1 FM) is a radio station based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan licensed to Marquette, Michigan. The stations broadcast a soft adult contemporary format brand as 94.1 The Breeze. WUPK signed on as a simulcast of WIMK in the 1990s, an ...

(Marquette) * 94.3 FM WZNL (Norway) * 99.5 FM

WNGE WNGE (99.5 FM, "99.5 K-Rock") is a radio station licensed to Negaunee, Michigan, broadcasting an active rock format. The station first went on the air in July 2001. The station transmits its signal from an antenna with a height of with an ef ...

(Negaunee) * 1240 AM

WIAN Robert C. Wian (June 15, 1914 – March 31, 1992) was the founder of the Big Boy restaurant chain. The restaurant started as a 10-stool hamburger stand in Glendale, California, opening in 1936 with an investment of $300 raised from the sale of h ...

(Ishpeming) * 1320 AM

WDMJ WDMJ (1320 AM) is a news/talk radio station licensed to Marquette, Michigan, with a power output of 5,000 watts during the day and 135 watts at night, covering much of Marquette County, Michigan. It is the oldest continuously operating radio sta ...

(Marquette) * 1450 AM

WMIQ WMIQ (1450 AM, "Talk 1450") is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Iron Mountain, Michigan Iron Mountain is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,518 at the 2020 census, down from 7,624 at the 201 ...

(Iron Mountain)

Eastern Upper Peninsula

* 97.9 FM

WIHC WIHC (97.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is an American radio station licensed to Newberry, Michigan to serve the city of license, city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The station is owned by West Central Michigan Media Ministries, broadcasting a Christian ...

(Newberry; sold to West Central Michigan Media Ministries in 2011) * 99.5 FM

WYSS Wyss () is an Alemannic German, Alemannic form of the German surname Weiss (surname), Weiß used predominantly in Switzerland. It comes from Middle High German ''wīz'' (white, blonde) and Old High German ''wîs'' (wise, clever, experienced, knows ...

(Sault Ste. Marie; sold to

in 2010) * 100.7 FM W264CF (St. Ignace; sold to Black Diamond Broadcasting in 2016) * 105.5 FM

WMKD WMKD (105.5 FM, "Country 105," formerly known as "Big Country 105.5") is a country music formatted radio station serving Pickford, Michigan and the Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan & Ontario markets. WMKD's 55,000-watt signal covers most of the easte ...

(Pickford; sold to

in 2010) * 940 AM

WIDG WIDG (940 AM) is a radio station licensed to St. Ignace, Michigan, broadcasting a Catholic religious format. Until October 2008, the station was owned and operated by Northern Star Broadcasting and had aired ESPN Radio under the brand name ''AM 9 ...

(St. Ignace; sold to Baraga Broadcasting in 2008) * 1400 AM

WKNW WKNW (1400 AM) is a news/talk radio station serving Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. The station is the only dedicated privately owned news/talk station in the market, save for its tenure as an ESPN Radio affiliat ...

(Sault Ste. Marie; sold to

in 2010)

Station Timeline

DateFormat = yyyy ImageSize = width:750 height:auto barincrement:25 Period = from:1998 till:2016 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:36 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.742,0.727,0.852) id:line value:black id:bg value:white PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:1 color:tan1 from:1998 till:2016 text: 98.1 WGFN (1998-2016) bar:2 color:tan1 from:1998 till:2016 text: 105.1 WGFM (1998-2016) bar:3 color:tan1 from:1998 till:2016 text: 95.5 WJZJ/WQEZ (1998-2016) bar:4 color:tan1 from:1998 till:2016 text: 102.9 WMKC (1998-2016) bar:5 color:tan1 from:1998 till:2016 text: 107.1 WCKC (1998-2016) bar:6 color:tan1 from:1998 till:2016 text: 1240 WCBY (1998-2016) bar:7 color:tan1 from:1998 till:2013 text: 94.5 WLJZ/WOEZ/WJZJ (1998-2013) bar:8 color:tan1 from:1998 till:2013 text: 93.9 WAVC (1998-2013) bar:9 color:tan1 from:1998 till:2008 text: 940 WIDG (1998-2008) bar:10 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2011 text: 97.9 WIHC (2001-2011) bar:11 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2010 text: 92.3 WJPD (2001-2010) bar:12 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2010 text: 93.1 WIMK (2001-2010) bar:13 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2010 text: 94.1 WUPK (2001-2010) bar:14 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2010 text: 94.3 WZNL (2001-2010) bar:15 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2010 text: 99.5 WNGE (2001-2010) bar:16 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2010 text: 1240 WIAN (2001-2010) bar:17 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2010 text: 1320 WDMJ (2001-2010) bar:18 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2010 text: 1450 WIMQ (2001-2010) bar:19 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2010 text: 99.5 WYSS (2001-2010) bar:20 color:tan1 from:2001 till:2010 text: 1400 WKNW (2001-2010) bar:21 color:tan1 from:2005 till:2010 text: 105.5 WADW/WMKD (2005-2010) bar:22 color:tan1 from:2011 till:2016 text: 97.7 WQEZ/WJZJ/WOEZ/WCHY (2011-2016) bar:23 color:tan1 from:2012 till:2016 text: 100.7 W264CF (2012-2016) bar:24 color:tan1 from:2013 till:2016 text: 106.3 WJZJ/WOEZ (2013-2016) ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:2 start:1998 TextData = fontsize:L textcolor:black pos:(175,30) # tabs:(0-center) text:"Northern Star Broadcasting Timeline"

Former logos

References

{{Reflist

Sources

Michiguide.com - Northern Star Broadcasting
Defunct radio broadcasting companies of the United States Companies based in Michigan