WBMI is an American
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
, licensed to
West Branch, Michigan
West Branch is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,139. It is the county seat of Ogemaw County. West Branch is mostly surrounded by West Branch Township, but the two are administered autonomo ...
, the seat of government for
Ogemaw County. The station broadcasts at the assigned frequency of 105.5
MHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...
with an
erp of 6,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s.
History
The call letters WBMI first were used by a station in Meriden, Connecticut. That station has been
WKSS
WKSS (95.7 FM) is an American radio station operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. in the Hartford- New Britain- Middletown, Connecticut, radio market. It broadcasts from its original transmitter site in Meriden, and has a rare dual city of license of Ha ...
since 1977 and has had a Top-40 format since 1984.
Early history as WBMB
WBMI of
West Branch, Michigan
West Branch is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,139. It is the county seat of Ogemaw County. West Branch is mostly surrounded by West Branch Township, but the two are administered autonomo ...
was the FM sister station of WBMB-AM, which first signed on the air June 7, 1972 at 1060
kHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...
with 1,000 watts output power, from transmitter facilities at 1245 Gray Road in West Branch. The construction permit for WBMB was first granted January 12, 1968, but encountered a delay due to a competing application from another applicant in August of that same year. Construction resumed in July 1971, after Ogemaw Broadcasting Company ultimately prevailed in legal proceedings.
The station was owned by Ogemaw Broadcasting Company, with studios located at 206 W. Houghton Avenue in West Branch. Gene Kauffman, an Escanaba resident, was the president and general manager. The station was owned by Jack E. (Gene) Kauffman, Dean W. Manley and Robert Marshall. Manley was the chief engineer who designed and built the station, Marshall was owner and publisher of the Ogemaw County Herald. Kauffman and Manley were each 25% owners and Marshall 50%.
WBMI signs on
WBMB was a daytime-only AM station for its entire existence. In 1977, Ogemaw Broadcasting Company was granted a construction permit to put WBMI on the air, under Ogemaw Broadcasting's ownership. Studios and offices were then moved down the street to 714 W. Houghton Avenue. WBMI signed on the air in 1980.
WBMB and WBMI were a typical small-market radio station of their time, with few employees working shared duties, world and national news provided by
Westwood One
Westwood One is an American radio network
There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass-media entertainment, and ...
, and a mass appeal format of
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
and
oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...
music on WBMB, with WBMI leaning more of a Top 40 sound. The two stations for a time, simulcast programming as WBMB was not able to provide listeners with local radio service at night.
Sale and Decline
The stations were sold to David Swittek, a TV engineer from Bay City, Michigan on a terms contract. He defaulted on the contract A few years later, On November 20, 1985, both stations were sold to Ashuelot Broadcasting, a company headed by Gene Flowers, who once served as general manager under Ogemaw Broadcasting's ownership. By this time, both stations simulcast each other 100 percent and switched to an adult contemporary format.
The stations were then again owned by Jack E. Kauffman and Robert S. Marshall, who assumed control when the previous owner declared bankruptcy on November 1, 1989, with Michael Baker assuming the role of president and general manager. The stations then went dark in 1991.
Rebirth
In the summer of 1993, WBMI returned to the air as "Kool FM 105.5" with the format provided via satellite by
Jones Radio Network
Jones Radio Networks & Jones Media Group were branches of Jones International before being sold to Triton Media Group. JRN and JMN provide local radio stations with satellite-delivered formats. They also offer other services to local radio such ...
after being sold to Ives Broadcasting of
Alpena, which also owned adult contemporary-CHR formatted
WHSB
WHSB (107.7 FM, "107.7 The Bay") is a 100,000-watt radio station licensed to Alpena, Michigan broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR) format. The station, which began broadcasting in 1964, has featured some type of contemporary music format since at least t ...
(Bay 108). Ives' intent was to cross-market several stations calling them the "Northern Radio Network". On-air functions originated from WHSB's studio location in Alpena, with no local presence in West Branch other than the transmitting antenna.
WBMB did not return to the air with WBMI, and under the Telecommunications Act of 1996, still having not returned to the air, its license was permanently canceled. In March 1999, the license for WBMI was transferred from Ives Broadcasting to Northern Radio Network, with no changes in ownership.
The Northern Radio Network effort ended in October 2000, with WBMI going silent once again. The following year, WBMI was sold to Independent TV Productions. Independent TV Productions resumed WBMI's operations with
Jones Radio Network
Jones Radio Networks & Jones Media Group were branches of Jones International before being sold to Triton Media Group. JRN and JMN provide local radio stations with satellite-delivered formats. They also offer other services to local radio such ...
's
Hot AC
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet s ...
format. During this time, the station imaged itself with various monikers, such as "Kool Mix 105.5" and "Channel 105.5." A few years later WBMI returned to
oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...
and then changed to
classic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country and western music hits from past decades.
Repertoire
The radio format specializes in hits from the 1950s through the early 1980s, and focus primarily on innov ...
, all also satellite-fed from Jones.
In July 2005, industry sources reported that husband and wife Kevin and Alana Beamish, of
Owosso, Michigan
Owosso is the largest city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,194 at the 2010 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Owosso Township on its west, but the two are administered autonomously. The city wa ...
agreed to purchase the station for $300,000.
In August 2005, a filing was submitted to transfer the license to a minority shareholder (Peggy Warner) on the basis that she had loaned money to the company. The transfer application included an agreement written by Mrs Warner purporting to transfer the license and related assets to herself. The FCC dismissed the application. Three days later, the application to transfer control of the license to the Beamishes was submitted and approved by the FCC, but the transfer was never consummated and the license stayed in the name of Independent TV Productions.
In April 2008, the license was successfully transferred to Peggy Warner. Management duties were assumed by longtime northern Michigan radio personality Charlie Cobb, a longtime fixture at
WKKM.
Application Search Details
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In August 2011, Cobb and Michael Fleming, entered into an agreement to purchase WBMI from Warner under the name CF Broadcasting, for $360,000. The FCC approved the sale on October 6, 2011.
Legal issues
In August 2019 CF Broadcasting attempted to transfer ownership of WBMI to a separate company also owned by Cobb and Fleming. That resulted in a lawsuit from Peggy Warner accusing CF Broadcasting of non-payment. A court-appointed receiver then took the station silent on January 25, 2020. On August 6, 2020 an Ogemaw County judge returned ownership of the station to Ms. Warner in return for her dropping a claim against property owned by Mr. Fleming. The station returned to the air in late October 2020.
Sources
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wbmi
BMI-FM
Classic country radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1977