WDKE (96.1 FM; "Duke FM") is a

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 ...

broadcasting a

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 ...

format. Licensed to

Coleraine, Minnesota Coleraine is a city in Itasca County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,970 at the 2010 census. The community was named after Thomas F. Cole, President of the Oliver Iron Mining Company. U.S. Highway 169 serves as a main route in ...

, United States, the station serves the

Iron Range The term Iron Range refers collectively or individually to a number of elongated iron-ore mining districts around Lake Superior in the United States and Canada. Much of the ore-bearing region lies alongside the range of granite hills formed by ...

area. Established in 1995 as KGPZ, the station is owned by

Midwest Communications Midwest Communications is a Wausau, Wisconsin-based radio broadcasting company. It owns 82 radio stations located primarily within the Midwest United States, in Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Illinois and ...

. In April 2012, KGPZ changed to "Z96 North Country", adding more New Country hits and no longer broadcasting

Citadel Media Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which w ...

's "

Real Country Real Country is a 24-hour radio format produced by Westwood One. Real Country is marketed at the demographic of men aged 35 to 64. Its programming consists of a fairly broad playlist of "Today's Stars and the Legends." Classic country is the st ...

" network. The station now directly competed with

WUSZ WUSZ "Radio USA" (99.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a U.S. radio station in Hibbing, Minnesota, serving the Iron Range region. The station airs country music, and is owned by Midwest Communications. Sister Stations Midwest also owns Seven radio statio ...

(99.9 FM). On January 1, 2017, as a result of a sale between

Red Rock Radio Red River Broadcasting is a television broadcasting company based in Fargo, North Dakota. It operates Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox affiliates in the Fargo, North Dakota and Duluth, Minnesota–Superior, Wisconsin television markets. Curtis Squi ...

and Midwest Communications (Midwest acquired KGPZ in the sale), 96.1 adjusted their format to classic country, as "96.1 Duke FM"; the sale essentially turned KGPZ from a rival to WUSZ into a flanker for it.Red Rock Sales Lead to Multiple Flips in Northern Minnesota
/ref> On January 30, 2017, KGPZ changed their call letters to WDKE, to go with the "Duke FM" branding.

Former logo

References

External links

* * * * Country radio stations in the United States Radio stations in Minnesota Midwest Communications radio stations Radio stations established in 1995 1995 establishments in Minnesota {{Minnesota-radio-station-stub