WJIM-FM (97.5 FM, "975 Now FM") 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 st ...

Lansing, Michigan 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 ...

, broadcasting an adult leaning Top 40 (CHR) format. The station has had the WJIM-FM calls continuously since it signed on in 1960. For over three decades, WJIM-FM broadcast an

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, no ...

beautiful music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator mu ...

format, which evolved during the early 1990s into a soft adult contemporary sound. On Labor Day in 1995, WJIM-FM switched from AC to "

Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as wel ...

97.5." The change came days after

WIBM WIBM (1450 AM) is a country music station in Jackson, Michigan owned by Jamie McKibbin, through licensee McKibbin Media Group, Inc.. This company also owns news/talk WKHM AM 970 and hot AC WKHM-FM "K105.3". WIBM's programming is also heard on ...

dropped its longtime oldies format in favor of country to compete with WITL-FM. The station's "good times and great oldies" format was very popular in Lansing for over a decade, with the station consistently rated in the top ten (and frequently the top five) 12+ in the Arbitron ratings. On September 13, 2005, crosstown competitor

WHZZ WHZZ (101.7 FM, "Mike FM") is a radio station licensed to Lansing, Michigan with a variety hits format. History The station has gone through many different formats over the years. After beginning as a simulcast of WILS 1320 AM as WILS-FM in 1967 ...

101.7 FM abruptly flipped from adult-leaning CHR as "Z101.7" to Variety Hits as "Mike FM." WJIM-FM stepped in to fill the Top 40 void in the market two days later, as "Oldies 97.5" signed off with

Don McLean Donald McLean III (born October 2, 1945) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is best known for his 1971 hit song " American Pie", an eight-and-a-half-minute folk rock "cultural touchstone" about the loss of innocence of the early ...

's " American Pie" at 10 a.m. on September 15 and "The New 97-5" (usually just called "97.5, Lansing's New Hit Music Station") debuted in its place. Longtime "Oldies 97.5" morning man Rich Michaels moved to sister station

WMMQ WMMQ (94.9 FM) is an American classic rock radio station licensed to East Lansing, Michigan. The station is owned by Townsquare Media. History What is now the current incarnation of WMMQ began broadcasting in 1963 as WVIC-FM, the sister stat ...

. On September 7, 2007, the station repositioned from "The New 97-5" to "97-5 Now FM." The WJIM call letters have a history in Lansing of being associated with Top 40 music, as WJIM-AM 1240 was a leading Top 40 station in Lansing during the 1960s as "Big Jim 1240." On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which

Townsquare Media Townsquare Media, Inc. (formerly Regent Communications until 2010) is an American radio network and media company based in Purchase, New York. The company started in radio and expanded into digital media toward the end of the 2000s, starting wit ...

would acquire 53

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 ...

stations, including WJIM-FM, for $238 million. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition of

Dial Global Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The company w ...

; Townsquare and Dial Global were both controlled by

Oaktree Capital Management Oaktree Capital Management is an American global asset management firm specializing in alternative investment strategies. As of March 31, 2022, the company managed $164 billion for its clientele. The firm was co-founded in 1995 by a group that ...

. The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.

References

Sources

Michiguide.com - WJIM-FM History

External links

975 Now FM official website
* {{Townsquare Media JIM-FM Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Townsquare Media radio stations Radio stations established in 1960 1960 establishments in Michigan