WMLQ (97.7 FM, "News 97 & 98") 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 ...

located in

Manistee, Michigan Manistee ( ') is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in southwestern Manistee County, Michigan, Manistee County, it is part of the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, Lower Peninsula. Manistee is the county seat of Manistee County ...

broadcasting a

news News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the tes ...

talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

format, simulcasting

WLDN WLDN is an FM radio station owned by Synergy Media and is licensed to Ludington, Michigan. WLDN broadcasts from studios in Ludington, Michigan along with sister stations WKLA, WWMN, WKZC, WMLQ, and WWKR. It runs a news/talk/sports format and ca ...

98.7 FM Ludington. The station began broadcasting in 1970 under the WMTE-FM call sign (the current

WMTE-FM WMTE-FM (101.5 MHz "Eagle 101.5") is a radio station located in Manistee, Michigan, United States, and owned by 45 North Media, Inc. WMTE-FM airs an adult hits format and positions itself as Uniquely Northern Michigan. History The station was ...

, at 101.5, is unrelated, but was a sister station of WMLQ for a short time in 2012 and 2013). In the 1980s, the station was WRRK, playing

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 " con ...

music. From 1995 to 2006, the station simulcast

WVXU WVXU (91.7 FM) is a public radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is owned by Cincinnati Public Radio, which also operates station WGUC and WMUB. It airs public radio news and talk syndicated programming from National Public Radio, Ameri ...

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

as WVXM, an affiliate of the "X-Star Radio Network," which featured a variety of programs, including news, talk, jazz, and adult standards. After WVXU was sold to the owners of classical station

WGUC WGUC (90.9 MHz) is a public FM radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is owned by Cincinnati Public Radio and has a classical music format. WGUC broadcasts using HD Radio technology and plays jazz on WGUC-HD2 and adult album alternative on WGUC- ...

in Cincinnati, all of WVXA's former repeater stations were sold off to other owners; 97.7 FM was purchased by Synergy Media, owners of

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

station

WWKR WWKR (94.1 FM, "K-Rock") is a radio station in Hart, Michigan, broadcasting a classic rock format. The station airs the satellite-fed "Rock Classics" format (a.k.a. "The Classic Rock Station") from Jones Radio Networks. History The station began ...

Hart, Michigan Hart is a city and county seat of Oceana County, Michigan The population was 2,126 at the time of the 2010 census. The city is located within Hart Township, but is politically independent. Hart is also home to the north end of the Hart-Montagu ...

. Synergy Media has installed a commercial Soft AC/Oldies/Easy Listening format on 97.7 FM as "The Coast." The WMLQ calls were formerly used in the 1980s and 1990s at an FM station in

Rogers City, Michigan Rogers City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,827 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Presque Isle County. The city is adjacent to Rogers Township, but is politically independent. Rogers City is located on La ...

, which coincidentally also operated on the 97.7 FM frequency (it later moved to 96.7) and also played an AC format, under the name "Mello-Q." Also coincidentally, the original WMLQ in Rogers City later became WVXA, also an X-Star Radio Network affiliate; it is now WRGZ and simulcasts

WATZ-FM WATZ-FM (99.3 FM, "99.3 WATZ") is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. The station is licensed to the city of Alpena. WATZ has been assigned the same call sign since it signed on in the late 1960s. The station, along with si ...

, a commercial

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, ...

station in

Alpena, Michigan Alpena ( ') is the only city in and county seat of Alpena County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census. After Traverse City, it is the second most populated city in the Northern Michigan region. The city i ...

. On February 1, 2016 WMLQ switched to a simulcast of news/talk-formatted

98.7 FM Ludington. The "Coast FM" format is now heard on 101.5 WMTE-FM. The station airs The Steve Gruber Show, the flagship program for

The Michigan Talk Network Michigan Talk Network (often abbreviated MTN) is an internet-distributed, syndicated talk radio service that has a variety of programs airing on 20 radio affiliates in the U.S. state of Michigan. It operates in coordination with its flagship sta ...

, on delay, in late mornings.

References

Michiguide.com - WMLQ History

External links

* MLQ Radio stations established in 1970 1970 establishments in Michigan {{Michigan-radio-station-stub