WUFN

WUFN is an FM station in Albion, Michigan, on 96.7 MHz and WUNN is an AM station on 1110 kHz in Mason, Michigan. Both are non-commercial, Christian stations owned by Family Life Radio.

Family Life Radio began in 1966 with a half-hour Christian program aimed at teenagers airing on WIBM-FM (now WWDK) on 94.1 in Jackson, Michigan. Warren and Char Bolthouse, founders of Family Life Radio, produced the program in a studio in the basement of their home on Jericho Road near the Kibby Road studio of WIBM. WIBM-FM had begun broadcasting in 1955, but was simulcasting WIBM-AM and had very few listeners.

Soon Warren and Char Bolthouse convinced Booth Broadcasting, the owners of WIBM, to allow them to program the station full-time. Since few people had FM radios in the mid-1960s, they agreed and Family Life Radio began programming the station from the studio in the middle of the Bolthouse basement. Listenership grew as churches in the Jackson area began to encourage their members to purchase an FM radio and tune in to the broadcasts.

As FM radio sales increased, Booth told Family Life Radio that he would resume control of the station programming. Family Life Radio looked to Mason, Michigan, half-way between Lansing and Jackson for the location of its first station. WUNN was founded in the late 1960s as a 1,000 watt daytime only AM station.

Family Life Radio began looking into the possibility of adding an FM station in the Jackson area so they could get better coverage in the area and provide programming during the night hours. Otis Meyer donated a piece of property to the station near Albion next to the I-94 freeway. A station license was purchased from WALM-FM who then built a new WALM-FM (now WBXX) on 104.9 in nearby Marshall, Michigan. Soon the tower of WUFN rose on the property and the station began operation in 1971 at 96.7 MHz from a trailer parked on the site. The trailer continued to be used until it was replaced by a Colonial style building in 1991. In December 2003 WUFN increased power from 1,500 watts to 3,200 watts. In 2005 a 36-watt translator began operating on 95.1 in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

After trying a Southern Gospel format on WUNN, it was decided to no longer provide separate programming and WUNN began simulcasting WUFN in 2006.

WUNN and WUFN were the first two stations in the Family Life Radio network that now includes 41 stations in Michigan, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Kansas, and California. Other Michigan stations are WUGN 99.7 MHz Midland, Michigan and WUFL 1030 kHz in Detroit. WUFN is also simulcasting on WBFN 1400 AM in Battle Creek, which is currently in Clear Channel Communications' Aloha Station Trust and is being gifted to Family Life Radio.

Translators

In addition to the main station, WUFN is relayed by an additional two translators to widen its broadcast area.

NOTE: W260BX lists WUNN-AM 1110 as its primary operating station.

References

Michiguide.com - WUFN History

External links

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Contemporary Christian radio stations in the United States
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Albion, Michigan
Radio stations established in 1971
Family Life Radio stations
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