WMKD (105.5 FM, "Country 105," formerly known as "Big Country 105.5") is a

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, ...

formatted

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 ...

serving Pickford, Michigan and the

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is the only city in, and county seat of, Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With a population of 13,337 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the second-most populated ...

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 ...

markets. WMKD's 55,000-watt signal covers most of the eastern Upper Peninsula and far northern lower Michigan. Although a construction permit for 105.5 WADW was granted in 1993, the station did not sign on until 2001. WADW was originally known as "Memories 105.5" and aired a mix of oldies from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, marking the first time an oldies station had been on the air in the Sault Ste. Marie area. The station was soon sold to Starboard Media and was taken silent while Starboard prepared to broadcast its

Relevant Radio Relevant Radio (corporate name Relevant Radio, Inc.) is a radio network in the United States, mainly broadcasting talk radio and religious programming involving the Catholic Church. It is the largest Catholic radio network by owned station base. R ...

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religious Religion is usually defined as a social system, social-cultural system of designated religious behaviour, behaviors and practices, morality, morals, beliefs, worldviews, religious text, texts, sacred site, sanctified places, prophecy, prophecie ...

format on 105.5. WADW broadcast intermittently through the next three years, alternating between periods of silence and automated

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smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

music. In the summer of 2005, Starboard sold the station to current owners Northern Star Broadcasting, who changed the call-sign to WMKD in November of that year, and briefly turned it into a simulcast of Traverse City modern rock station WJZJ. The station debuted its current country music format a few months later, maintaining a similar playlist & branding as

WMKC WMKC (102.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to Indian River, Michigan. It airs a country music format called Big Country 102.9. The station is owned by Black Diamond Broadcast Holdings, LLC. History: A Dentist's Dream Beginnings WMKC ("MacKina ...

St. Ignace St. Ignace is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...

/ Indian River. Northern Star Broadcasting sold the station to Sovereign Communications in 201

Syndicated programming at WMKD includes the morning drive program ''

Big D and Bubba The Big D and Bubba Show is a nationally syndicated radio show airing six days a week on approximately 80 country music FM radio stations. The show is syndicated by Compass Media Networks. Live shows are broadcast from 6 to 10 AM (Eastern Tim ...

'', ''Country Top 30 with

Bobby Bones Bobby Bones (born Bobby Estell) is an American radio and television personality, best known for hosting the nationally syndicated ''The Bobby Bones Show'', originating at KISS-FM in Austin, TX, and for his role as a full-time mentor on ''America ...

'', and ''

The Lia Show ''The Lia Show'', formerly known as ''Neon Nights'' and ''Cryin’, Lovin’ or Leavin’'', is a nationally syndicated country music and entertainment radio program hosted by Lia Knight (born in Kentucky). The program airs nightly from 7 pm to ...

'', while the station also broadcasts

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races and Eastern Upper Peninsula Athletic Conference basketball & football games. Local on-air personalities include DJs Allan Gibbs and Mark SanAngelo, and chief meteorologist Karl Bohnak.

Sources

Michiguide.com - WMKD History

External links

WMKD website
* MKD-FM Country radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 2001 {{Michigan-radio-station-stub