WUPN (95.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

) is an American FM

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...

licensed to serve the

community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...

Paradise In religion and folklore, paradise is a place of everlasting happiness, delight, and bliss. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical, eschatological, or both, often contrasted with the miseries of human ...

, an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

in Whitefish Township,

Chippewa County, Michigan Chippewa County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the eastern Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 36,785. The county seat is Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, S ...

. The station is owned by Timothy S. Ellis, through licensee TSE Broadcasting LLC. WUPN broadcasts a classic hits format to the

Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Sault Ste. Marie ( ') is a city in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Chippewa County, Michigan, Chippewa County and is the only city within the county. With a population of ...

, area.

History

In May 2007, Darby Advertising, Inc., applied to the

U.S. Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains ju ...

(FCC) for a

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

for a new broadcast radio station to broadcast on a frequency of 94.7

Megahertz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base ...

. The FCC granted this permit on November 4, 2008, with a scheduled expiration date of November 4, 2011. The new station was assigned

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

WUPN on November 14, 2008. In January 2011, with construction underway, WUPN applied to relocate its broadcast transmitter and change frequencies to 95.1 MHz. The FCC granted the station a modified permit on July 8, 2011, with the same scheduled expiration as the original permit, November 4, 2011. After construction and testing were completed in October 2011, the station was granted its

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which va ...

on January 23, 2012. The station began regular programming with its permanent Classic Hits format in October 2012. WUPN has been promoted on their website as an independent and locally focused alternative to the high number of regional stations owned by

Sovereign Communications Sovereign Communications, LLC is an American radio broadcasting company which owns seven radio stations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, with offices in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The company is owned and operated by William C. Gleich and Tim Sa ...

, and while not a classic rock station, it has been promoted there as a spiritual successor to the former "Classic Rock: The Bear" on 97.9

WIHC WIHC (97.9 FM) is an American radio station licensed to Newberry, Michigan to serve the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The station is owned by West Central Michigan Media Ministries, broadcasting a Christian talk radio format simulcasted f ...

in nearby Newberry. The station attracted early attention by hiring alumni of Sault Ste. Marie top 40 station

WYSS WYSS (99.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Branded as "99.5 Yes FM," the station has had a Top 40 (CHR) format since 1986. The station's slogans are "Sault Sainte Marie's Hit Music Station" and "All the Hits ...

as on-air personalities to effectively continue the former "Soo Morning Crew" morning drive programming that ended in 2010. Paul VanWagoner, a long-time morning host and program director at WKNW, worked at WUPN from its inception until leaving the area in December 2015. Former WYSS staffer and DJ Tim Ellis replaced him at that time, with fellow WYSS alum John Gilbert following suit in February 2017 in on-air and operations management roles. Effective December 1, 2018, Darby Advertising sold WUPN to Timothy Ellis' TSE Broadcasting LLC for $296,000. On April 30, 2024, WUPN rebranded as "94.5/95.1 The Bridge", simulcast with WSBX 94.5 FM Mackinaw City.WSBX & WUPN Bridge Together
Radioinsight - April 30, 2024

References

External links

WUPN official website
*

UPN The United Paramount Network (UPN) was an American broadcast television network that operated from 1995 to 2006. It was originally a joint venture between Chris-Craft Industries (later sold to News Corporation)'s subsidiary, United Television, ...

Radio stations established in 2011 2011 establishments in Michigan Chippewa County, Michigan Classic hits radio stations in the United States {{Michigan-radio-station-stub