WMIC (660
AM) is a
full service Full service or Full Service may refer to:
* Full-service radio, a wide range of programming
* Full Service Network, a communications company
Entertainment
* "Full Service", a song by the New Kids on the Block from their album ''The Block''
* F ...
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
Sandusky, Michigan
Sandusky is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,679 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Sanilac County.
Geography
* According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all land.
* It is ...
at 660 kHz on the AM dial, with an power output of 1,000 watts. WMIC covers
Sanilac County, Michigan
Sanilac County ( ) is a county located in the Thumb region of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 40,611. The county seat is Sandusky. The county was created on September 10, 1822, and was fully organized on D ...
and
The Thumb
The Thumb is a region and a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, so named because the Lower Peninsula is shaped like a mitten. The Thumb area is generally considered to be in the Central Michigan region, east of the Tri-Cities and north of M ...
area of Michigan. The station is owned by
Sanilac/GB Broadcasting
Sanilac Broadcasting and GB Broadcasting own and operate three radio stations in Sanilac County, Michigan, and are local American Broadcasting Company, ABC affiliates. They are:
*WMIC 660 AM, Sandusky, Michigan, Sandusky, The Thumb's Information St ...
and broadcasts from studios on Elk Street in Downtown Sandusky, along with sister stations
WTGV
WTGV-FM (97.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits/oldies format, serving Sandusky and the Thumb and Blue Water area of Michigan. WTGV is owned and operated by Sanilac Broadcasting.
History
The station began broadcasting in 1971 ...
and
WBGV
WBGV (92.5 FM, "Country 92.5") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Marlette, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1999. It serves the central area of Michigan's Thumb, and parts of the Blue Water Area. It can ...
. Its programming is also simulcasted on
FM Translator
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
W237EQ, also licensed to
Sandusky at 95.3 MHz, with an
effective radiated power
Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...
of 250 watts.
WMIC's transmitter is located south of Sandusky off Cooper Road Road in
Sanilac County. WMIC provides a strong signal to both eastern Michigan and western
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
due to its low dial position and corresponding long wavelength. On clear weather days, the station can be heard as far away as
Roscommon
Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads.
The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...
,
Ann Arbor
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...
, and
Lansing
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...
. The station, however, must sign off at sunset to protect
WFAN
WFAN (660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, carrying a sports radio format known as "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New York metropolitan area while ...
New York, a 50,000 watt
clear channel radio station.
History
WMIC was first granted a construction permit to operate at 1560 kHz on May 10, 1965, and at a thousand watts maximum power. The station was authorized to operate only from sunrise to sunset, protecting
WQXR. Transmitter facilities were constructed along Cooper Road near M-19, about a mile and a half south of Sandusky. Shortly before sign-on, the station set up studios at 19 South Elk Street in downtown Sandusky.
The call letters were assigned that October. Unforeseen delays resulted in extensions being granted, pushing its actual sign-on date to 1968. Prior to sign-on, the station was granted pre-sunrise authority of 500 watts, which allowed it to sign on two hours before local sunrise, keeping its sign-on time consistent to 6:00am daily. The call letters were previously used by a
Defunct radio station in St. Helen, MI.
In 1969, George Benko, a Croswell resident, bought into Sanilac Broadcasting Company. He and his family still control the station today.
In 1971, WMIC-FM signed on the air, giving Sandusky radio listeners local service after sunset, but this would change six years later, when both entities would separate programming and WMIC-FM would become
WTGV
WTGV-FM (97.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits/oldies format, serving Sandusky and the Thumb and Blue Water area of Michigan. WTGV is owned and operated by Sanilac Broadcasting.
History
The station began broadcasting in 1971 ...
.
In 1987, WMIC moved to the stronger dial position of 660 kHz, but retained its same power values and daytime-only status.
In 2021, Sanilac Broadcasting added
FM Translator
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
W237EQ 95.3
FM. The addition of this translator allows WMIC to have 24-hour programming for the first time. 95.3
FM is not affected by
WFAN
WFAN (660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to New York, New York, carrying a sports radio format known as "Sports Radio 66 AM and 101.9 FM" or "The Fan". Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station serves the New York metropolitan area while ...
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, and
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
rules allow
FM Translator
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
s to continue to broadcast, even if their parent station is of daytime only status.
Programming
WMIC features a
full service Full service or Full Service may refer to:
* Full-service radio, a wide range of programming
* Full Service Network, a communications company
Entertainment
* "Full Service", a song by the New Kids on the Block from their album ''The Block''
* F ...
radio station that consists of syndicated
news talk
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
programs weekday afternoons with
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
evenings and weekends.
*Eddie Fury, who spent much of his career at Thumb area competitor
WLEW-FM
WLEW-FM (102.1 FM) is a radio station in Bad Axe, Michigan, serving the Thumb area of Michigan, United States. It is owned by Thumb Broadcasting and broadcasts from studios on South Van Dyke Road in Bad Axe. Unusual for small-town radio statio ...
, hosts "The Morning Fury" weekdays 6 to 9am.
*A country classics show hosted by Paul Osentoski is aired weekdays from 9am-Noon.
*Local news and information blocks air weekdays at noon and 5pm.
*"
Swap Shop" a buy, sell, and trading show from 1 to 2 pm weekdays, and 8 am Saturdays.
*
Dan Bongino
Daniel John Bongino (born December 4, 1974) is an American conservative political commentator, radio show host, and author. He served as a New York City Police Department (NYPD) officer from 1995 to 1999 and as a Secret Service agent from 1999 ...
is heard weekday afternoons on tape-delay from 2 to 5pm, his show airs live nationwide from noon to 3pm. Bongino's show take the place of
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American conservative political commentator who was the host of '' The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nationally syndicated on AM and FM r ...
, who was heard in the same time slot on the station for over three decades.
[ - About Us]
*Conservative talk shows, including
The Jesse Kelly Show
''The Jesse Kelly Show'' (formerly known as ''America Now'' and ''The Buck Sexton Show'') is a three-hour early evening conservative talk radio show hosted by Jesse Kelly, and carried by Premiere Networks, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, Inc. It is ...
and Caravan to Midnight hosted by
John B. Wells rounds out WMIC's evening lineup.
* On the weekends, the station carries Today's Homeowner with
Danny Lipford, Outddor Magazine with Mike Avery, a
traditional 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 inno ...
music show, and a
Polka
Polka is a dance and genre of dance music originating in nineteenth-century Bohemia, now part of the Czech Republic. Though associated with Czech culture, polka is popular throughout Europe and the Americas.
History
Etymology
The term ...
music show, hosted by Paul Osentoski, a member of the Michigan Polka Hall of Fame.
* Staff list includes reporter and General Manager Bob Armstrong, Assistant Manager Nick Lien, Program Director and Morning Show Host Eddie Fury, News Director Dave Fredrick and Paul Osentoski.
Being a full service radio station, WMIC finds itself in competition with many area radio stations for listeners, including co-owned
WBGV
WBGV (92.5 FM, "Country 92.5") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Marlette, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1999. It serves the central area of Michigan's Thumb, and parts of the Blue Water Area. It can ...
which has a 24 hour country format. Port Huron radio stations
WSAQ
WSAQ (107.1 FM) is a country music radio station licensed to Port Huron, Michigan, with an effective radiated power of 6,000 watts. WSAQ covers St. Clair County, Michigan and Lambton County, Ontario as well as portions of Macomb, Lapeer, and Sa ...
(country) and
WPHM
WPHM (1380 AM) is a news/talk/sports radio station licensed to Port Huron, Michigan, with a power output of 5,000 watts, covering much of The Thumb area of Michigan. The station is owned by Radio First and broadcasts from studios on Huron Avenue ...
(news-talk) compete with WMIC from the south. Other Thumb area stations with similar formats include
WLEW in Bad Axe and
WKYO
WKYO (1360 AM) is a radio station licensed to Caro, Michigan broadcasting a full-service classic country format. In addition to its classic country format the station features a strong commitment to local news and information from around Caro and ...
in Caro.
References
External links
Michiguide.com - WMIC History
{{coord, 43, 23, 34, N, 82, 49, 57, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
MIC
Country radio stations in the United States
Sanilac County, Michigan
Radio stations established in 1968
1968 establishments in Michigan
MIC