WDEO is a radio station broadcasting on 990 kilohertz in Ypsilanti,

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. Broadcasting Catholic programming, WDEO is operated by Ave Maria Radio. Some programming is locally produced, and some is simulcast from

EWTN The Eternal Word Television Network, more commonly known by its initials EWTN, is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in ...

's "Global Catholic Radio" shortwave network.

History

WDEO began operations in 1962 as WYNZ, a 250-watt daytimer on 1520 AM with a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

format, which changed to

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...

in 1964 and then religious programming in 1968. Two young DJs who would go on to long careers in radio started at WYNZ: 14-year-old Jim Kerr, who got on the air by selling airtime to local merchants; and Jim Harper, a teenaged friend who took over Kerr's show one week. Kerr later spent over twenty years in New York as

WPLJ WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmi ...

's morning man (1974–96), while Harper became a Detroit radio legend, retiring from

WMGC-FM WMGC-FM (105.1 Hertz, MHz "105.1 The Bounce") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan. It is owned and operated by the Beasley Broadcast Group and airs a classic hip-hop radio format. WMGC-FM broadcasts with 50,000 w ...

at the end of 2011.WXYZ.com
/ref> (Harper returned to radio in 2017, doing a weekly show on

WLXT WLXT (96.3 FM, "Lite 96.3") is an adult contemporary radio station licensed to Petoskey, Michigan, at an ERP of 100,000 watts, covering most of northern Michigan. It is owned by Trish MacDonald-Garber, whose family has owned the station for ove ...

in Petoskey, Michigan.) In 1974, the station changed its calls to WYFC with the format remaining Christian-based. By the early 1980s, WYFC had become one of the first stations in the area to feature the emerging field of what would become known as contemporary Christian music. In late 1986, the station moved to its current 990 AM frequency and became WWCM (known as simply "WCM" on the air). The format remained Contemporary Christian. In the late 1990s, WWCM's daytime power increased to 9,200 watts, giving the station much better coverage of the metropolitan Detroit area. WCM also broadcast in AM Stereo (which was dropped after the station changed format). Former

Domino's Pizza Domino's Pizza, Inc., trading as Domino's, is an American multinational pizza restaurant chain founded in 1960 and led by CEO Russell Weiner. The corporation is Delaware domiciled and headquartered at the Domino's Farms Office Park in Ann Arbor ...

owner

Tom Monaghan Thomas Stephen Monaghan (born March 25, 1937) is an American entrepreneur who founded Domino's Pizza in 1960. He owned the Detroit Tigers from 1983 to 1992. Monaghan also owns the Domino's Farms Office Park, located in the Ann Arbor Charter Tow ...

purchased WWCM in 1999 and changed it to WDEO, using the same calls and

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

format formerly heard on AM 1290 in Saline (now WLBY). The station's studios were also moved from their longtime location on Cross Street in Ypsilanti into the Domino's Farms complex near Ann Arbor.

Ave Maria Radio

In addition to WDEO, Ave Maria Radio is heard on WMAX in Bay City.

also carries some programming produced by Ave Maria Radio including ''Catholic Connection'' with Teresa Tomeo and ''Kresta in the Afternoon'' with Al Kresta.

References

External links

FCC History Cards for WDEO
{{coord, 42, 15, 53, N, 83, 36, 47, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title DEO Catholic radio stations DEO Radio stations established in 1962 1962 establishments in Michigan

History

Ave Maria Radio

See also

References

External links