WSNL (600 AM) 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
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. 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 ...
, it first began broadcasting in 1946.
The original call letters were WFLM, but the station was purchased in December 1946 by George W. Trendle and H. Allen Campbell, who changed the call letters to WTCB and made the station into Flint's
NBC Radio Network
The NBC, National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the Blue Network, NBC Blue Network it was ...
affiliate. The calls changed to WTAC October 13, 1948, still under Trendle and Campbell's ownership. WTAC popularly stood for "WE THE AUTO CITY", referring to
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
and
Buick
Buick () is a division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Started by automotive pioneer David Dunbar Buick in 1899, it was among the first American marques of automobiles, and was the company that established General ...
plants formerly located in Flint, but it actually stood for Trendle and Campbell.
Trendle and Campbell sold WTAC to a
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
-based group in 1954. Under the ownership of Radio Hawaii, Inc., WTAC shed its NBC affiliation to become one of Michigan's first
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 stations in 1956. Its original program director was Mike Joseph, who would launch the legendary
WKNR "Keener 13" in Detroit in 1963 and later went on to create the
Hot Hits Hot Hits was a radio format created by consultant Mike Joseph in the 1970s. That concept, which helped spur the birth of what is now known as CHR, also revitalized the Top 40 format and would play a role in bringing the format to the FM band throug ...
format in the early 1970s.
J.P. McCarthy
Joseph Priestley "J.P." McCarthy II (March 22, 1933 – August 16, 1995) was a radio personality best known for his over 30 years of work as the morning man and interviewer on station WJR in Detroit, Michigan.
Early life
J.P. McCarthy was bo ...
, later a Detroit morning institution for decades at
WJR, was WTAC's original Top 40 nighttime DJ in 1956. The station was also owned for a time by the Chess brothers, who owned and operated
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...
. Chess sold the station in 1961 to a Philadelphia group that included Gene Milner who became manager of the station.
"The Big 600" flourished as a Top 40 rock station during the 1960s and 1970s before changing to a
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
format in 1981. During WTAC run as a Top 40 rock station, WTAC's engineer was Robert "Bob" Garner, who hated rock music except for Chuck Berry's "My Ding-a-Ling." In its final years as a Top 40, WTAC helped introduce the
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
n
heavy metal band
AC/DC
AC/DC (stylised as ACϟDC) are an Australian Rock music, rock band formed in Sydney in 1973 by Scottish-born brothers Malcolm Young, Malcolm and Angus Young. Their music has been variously described as hard rock, blues rock, and Heavy metal ...
to American audiences. During the early and mid-1990s WTAC operated as a
contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...
station; the
WTAC calls are now used on
Smile FM
Smile FM is a network of non-commercial, contemporary Christian radio stations owned by Superior Communications, a nonprofit organization. Most programming originates from studios in Williamston, Michigan (just east of Lansing) and is relayed (wi ...
's 89.7 FM signal in the Flint area. Christian Broadcasting System purchased the station in 1997 and installed the current call sign and format.
The station has been based in
Grand Blanc Township
Charter Township of Grand Blanc is a charter township of Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 39,846 at the 2020 census, a slight increase from 37,508 at the 2010 census. The city of Grand Blanc was formed out of ...
for nearly its entire history; its studios were located near the corner of Hill and Center Roads for decades until moving to its current home on South Saginaw Street sometime in 2003.
Translator
References
Sources
Michiguide.com - WSNL History
External links
Official site
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SNL-AM
Radio stations established in 1946
1946 establishments in Michigan
SNL
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