The Michigan Radio Network (or MRN) was a satellite-distributed

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 te ...

service that provides actualities, newscasts, and

talk shows A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (20 ...

to affiliates in

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. It was most recently owned by Learfield Communications and had headquarters in

Lansing, Michigan Lansing () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, Michigan, Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County, Michigan, Eaton County and nort ...

. Over the years MRN had been around in various forms and names, and is a sister network to the Michigan Farm Radio Network.

History

The Michigan Radio Network can trace its roots to the Michigan Regional Network, the first radio network in Michigan. The modern incarnation of the Michigan Radio Network began in 1970 with the formation of the Michigan Farm Radio Network (MFRN) in

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. The network that came to be known as the Michigan Radio Network was first called the ''Michigan News Network'' (MNN). The MFRN and MNN were owned by a company called the Great Lakes Radio group, headed up by Jim Rayl. The Michigan News Network split from the Great Lakes Radio group in the 1980s and moved to

Caro Caro may refer to: Places * Caro, Michigan, United States * Caro, Morbihan, France * Çaro, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France Other uses * Caro (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Caro (surname), including a list of peo ...

. The MNN was bought by former Detroit Tiger

Denny McLain Dennis Dale McLain (born March 29, 1944) is an American former professional baseball player. He played for ten seasons in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher, most prominently as a member of the Detroit Tigers. In 1968, McLain becam ...

and headquarters moved to

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

. McLain, convicted of embezzlement and stealing from workers pensions, went bankrupt. The network was sold to back to Jim Rayl, still called the Michigan News Network, and now owned by Full Circle Broadcasting. Full Circle sold the MNN to Grosse Pointe Farms based Saga Communications, headed by Ed Christian. The name of the network was changed to the ''Michigan Radio Network''. The Michigan Radio Network (MRN) and MFRN was sold to Learfield Communications in December, 2014. In March 2016, it was announced that Learfield would end the Michigan Radio Network on March 31 due to financial reasons, and sell MRN's Lansing studios.

Programs

* Michigan Radio Network News, hourly one and two-minute newscasts. * Michigan Radio Network Sports, morning and afternoon sports updates. * Capital Pressroom with Rob Baykian, a thirty-minute weekly public affairs program. * Outdoor Magazine with Mike Avery, a three-hour weekend program about hunting and fishing, originating from WSGW.

Special events

The Michigan Radio Network covered events related to the

Michigan Legislature The Michigan Legislature is the legislature of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is organized as a bicameral body composed of the Senate (the upper chamber) and the House of Representatives (the lower chamber). Article IV of the Michigan Con ...

, including the annual State of the State address and election night coverage.

Affiliates

* WAAM, Ann Arbor * WAGN (AM), Menominee * WAKV, Otsego *

WATT The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

, Cadillac *

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 ...

, Alpena * WBCH (AM), Hastings *

WBCK WBCK (95.3 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States, owned by Townsquare Media. WBCK has a news/talk format. History WBCK began broadcasting with 1,000 watts on AM 930 in Battle Creek and surrounding area ...

, Battle Creek *

WBCM (FM) BCM may refer to: Automotive * Body Control Module, in automotive electronics Business * Boots Contract Manufacturing, previously part of Alliance Boots * Bravo Company Manufacturing, an American firearms manufacturing company * Bus contracting m ...

, Boyne City * WBMI, West Branch *

WBRN (AM) WBRN (1460 AM) is a north American radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Big Rapids, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1953. WBRN formerly rebroadcast on FM translator W299BE at 107.7 MHz in Big Rapids, which mad ...

, Big Rapids * WCBY, Cheboygan * WCCW-FM, Traverse City * WCCY, Houghton * WCSY-FM, South Haven * WDBC, Escanaba *

WDMJ WDMJ (1320 AM broadcasting, AM) is an oldies radio station licensed to Marquette, Michigan, with a power output of 5,000 watts during the day and 140 watts at night, covering much of Marquette County, Michigan. The station is owned by Armada Medi ...

, Marquette * WGHN (AM), Grand Haven * WGLM, Greenville * WHTO, Iron Mountain * WHYB, Menominee * WIDL, Caro *

WILS WILS (1320 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Lansing, Michigan. It is owned by MacDonald Broadcasting and airs a talk radio radio format, format. It features a local news department and a mixture of local ...

, Lansing * WIOS, Tawas City * WKHM (AM), Jackson * WKJC, Tawas City * WKYO, Caro * WLDN, Ludington * WMOM, Pentwater * WNBY (AM), Newberry * WNGE, Negaunee *

WPHM WPHM (1380 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Port Huron, Michigan. The station broadcasts a News/Talk/Sports radio format. It is owned by Radio First with studios on Huron Avenue in Downtown Port Huron. WPHM is powered at 5,000 watts. ...

, Port Huron * WQXO, Munising * WRCI, Three Rivers *

WRGZ WKLT 97.5 Kalkaska (Traverse City), WBCM 93.5 Boyne City (Petoskey) and WRGZ 96.7 Rogers City (Alpena) are classic rock-leaning mainstream rock stations simulcasting as "KLT The Rock Station". The stations serve all of northern lower Mic ...

, Rogers City * WSAQ, Port Huron * WSGW (AM), Saginaw *

WSOO WSOO (1230 AM) is a radio station in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The station airs a gold-based soft adult contemporary format during daytime hours, featuring music from the 1960s through the 2000s, and features paranormal talk programming in l ...

, Sault Ste Marie * WTIQ, Manistique * WTKG, Grand Rapids * WUPY, Ontonagon *

WXLA WXLA (1180 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Dimondale, a suburb of Lansing, Michigan. It is owned by MacDonald Broadcasting and airs a soft adult contemporary radio format. During the months of November and December, the sta ...

, Lansing * WZTK, Alpena

References

Defunct radio networks in the United States Radio stations disestablished in 2016 Defunct mass media in Michigan {{michigan-stub