WDZZ-FM (92.7

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 ...

, "Z92.7") 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 an

urban adult contemporary Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...

format, licensed to

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

, and under ownership of

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...

. Its studios are located south of the Flint city limits and its transmitter is north of downtown Flint.

History

WDZZ was founded by Vernon Merritt in 1979 as the Flint area's first FM station to target African-American audiences, playing a mixture of

disco music Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric piano ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

which eventually evolved into mainstream Urban Contemporary. It is believed that the call letters were a tribute to the song "

Dazz "Dazz" is a song by R&B/funk band Brick. "Dazz" is a combination of disco, funk and jazz, hence the title "Dazz", a combination denominator for "Disco Jazz". Released in 1976 from their debut album '' Good High'', it would become their bigges ...

" by the group

Brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

; "Dazz" was an amalgamation of "disco" and "jazz". Before the sign-on of 92.7, WAMM 1420 now

WFLT WFLT (1420 AM) is a radio station broadcasting an Urban Gospel format. Licensed to Flint, Michigan, it first began broadcasting as WAMM in 1955. As WAMM, 1420 AM was the area's premier African-American-oriented R&B station for years. The station ...

served as Flint's Rhythm & Blues Station, with its only competition being Saginaw's

WWWS WWWS (1400 AM) is a radio station broadcasting an urban oldies format. Licensed to Buffalo, New York, United States, the station serves the Buffalo-Niagara Falls area. The station features programming from Westwood One. It is owned and operat ...

which did not provide a clear signal over much of the Flint area. WDZZ had an immediate impact, as the station debuted at number one in the Arbitron ratings in its first full ratings period (which was Spring 1980, as Flint was only measured by Arbitron once per year at that time), with a share of over 11 per cent. WAMM never recovered and soon flipped formats to the

Music of Your Life Music of Your Life is an American syndicated music radio format featuring adult standards music. First created by recording executive Al Ham in 1978, the format achieved popularity in the 1980s among AM radio stations in the United States and Ca ...

as WFLT, eventually settling into the urban gospel format it has today. WDZZ would become Mainstream Urban with the addition of Hip Hop in 1989 and was using the Moniker "DZ93". WDZZ has gone through several R&B formats including Mainstream Urban (including rap and hip-hop tracks) and Gospel on Sunday Mornings. The station is licensed for and formerly broadcast in

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

, the only one of Cumulus Media's Flint stations to do so. In 1998 WDZZ,

WWCK-FM WWCK-FM (105.5 MHz, "CK105.5") is a radio station in Flint, Michigan, broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR) format. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and has programmed its current format since 1989. Its studios are located south of the Flint city l ...

, and

WRSR WRSR (103.9 FM, "The Fox") is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Owosso, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1965 under the WOAP-FM call sign. Its transmitter is located east of Owosso, while its studios are loca ...

were sold from Connoisseur to Cumulus Media. Current DJs include Rickey Smiley, August, Chris McKinney, Keith Sweat and Sunday Morning Gospel Host Eugene Brown. WDZZ currently ranks at #1 (13.1) in the Flint market according to the Fall 2020 Nielsen Audio Ratings release.

References

Michiguide.com - WDZZ-FM History

External links

* DZZ-FM Radio stations established in 1979 1979 establishments in Michigan Cumulus Media radio stations {{Michigan-radio-station-stub