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Format change near Menominee - 96.3 WSFQ

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MWmetalhead
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Format change near Menominee - 96.3 WSFQ

Post by MWmetalhead » Thu Jan 02, 2020 8:50 pm

Hot AC "Hits 96" is now known as 96-3 The Rock.

https://streamdb5web.securenetsystems.n ... lSign=WSFQ

I agree with Northpine.com that the music mix at night is Active Rock. I've not yet had an opportunity to listen during the daytime. Aside from the Menominee area, it appears this station might also place a halfway decent signal into the Iron Mountain area.

http://www.northpine.com/blog/2020/01/0 ... s-to-rock/

Initial impression: Too many stiffs in the playlist. Too much new age "butt rock." In a very brief time, I've already heard Saving Abel, Pop Evil and Shinedown. :barf



ftballfan
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Re: Format change near Menominee - 96.3 WSFQ

Post by ftballfan » Fri Jan 03, 2020 9:01 am

Somewhat of a surprising move. However, I did notice they remained All Christmas past 12/25 (branded as "Holiday Hits 96"); WSFQ is a fairly easy catch in Manistee over WKLA (which should be on 98.7 (with WLDN on 96.3), but that's a discussion for another day)



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Re: Format change near Menominee - 96.3 WSFQ

Post by MWmetalhead » Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:14 pm

Don't get me going on how terrible Ludington area radio sounds. :blink



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Re: Format change near Menominee - 96.3 WSFQ

Post by cckadlec » Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:37 pm

ftballfan wrote:
Fri Jan 03, 2020 9:01 am
Somewhat of a surprising move. However, I did notice they remained All Christmas past 12/25 (branded as "Holiday Hits 96"); WSFQ is a fairly easy catch in Manistee over WKLA (which should be on 98.7 (with WLDN on 96.3), but that's a discussion for another day)
You can actually look at my bandscans from this area and see how horrible Ludington's signal is on 96.3.

From Hart Rest Area (B96 on seek, Ludington in well on the side):

*96.3 WBBM IL Chicago / B96 / 3.3kw / 30dBµ, stereo (138 mi.)
96.3 WKLA MI Ludington / 96-3 KLA / 3.4kw / 30dBµ, stereo (18 mi.)
96.3 WSFQ WI Peshtigo / Hits 96 / 49kw / 20dBµ, mono (124 mi.)

From Meinert Park in Montague (Ludington already entirely gone):

*96.3 WBBM IL Chicago / B96 / 3.3kw / 20dBµ, mono (124 mi.)
96.3 WSFQ WI Peshtigo / Hits 96 / 49kw / 15dBµ, mono (134 mi.)

No sign of Ludington in Manistee either in all my scans. Here in Fremont, I can often pick them up, but the slightest enhancement and Lite wipes it out entirely, which is pathetic. 106.3 used to be in 24/7 with a good signal, even in the car. Of course, I mourn the absence of MOM-FM more than 96.3/106.3. Kinda. I mean, I sure do hear a lot of Suring and Chicago nowadays.

It'll be great for Hits 96 being rock. For me, it solves the problem of "was that Lite 96.3 or Hits?" because I ran into this everywhere as they played a lot of similar music and both could be heard hundreds of miles out. Now if only some of those darn 99.5 country stations would do some flipping.


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Re: Format change near Menominee - 96.3 WSFQ

Post by ftballfan » Sat Jan 04, 2020 11:06 pm

MWmetalhead wrote:
Fri Jan 03, 2020 6:14 pm
Don't get me going on how terrible Ludington area radio sounds. :blink
No wonder why 'TCM, Green Bay, and SiriusXM are so popular there!

If the WMOM license is allowed to expire, WKLA *should* apply to move from 96.3 to 102.7 (I think a Class A on 102.7 would be fully spaced to WRVM [or any null would be over Lake Michigan] on the WKZC/former WKLA-FM tower; WLDN would change COL back to Pentwater under this scenario [98.7's original COL was Pentwater before shifting to Ludington around the time of WKLA moving from 106.3 to 96.3]). The chances of all of the above happening are slim IMHO.

Back on the Marinette/Menominee topic, WSFQ going Rock makes sense as there are no local rock stations; the only rock stations that put any signal over the area prior to 96.3 flipping were:
93.1 WIMK (Iron Mountain) [marginal]
99.3 WOWN (Shawano) [fringe; they quietly flipped to classic rock recently]
105.3 WRLO (Antigo/Rhinelander) [fringe]
105.7 WAPL (Appleton/Green Bay) [marginal]
106.7 WKRU (Allouez/Green Bay) [fringe]
107.3 WUPF (Powers/Escanaba) [marginal]
Plus some occasional deep fringe signals from 95.5 WGFE and 98.1 WGFN



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