WGRD-FM (97.9

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 a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

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 ...

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

. It is owned by

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 ...

and it broadcasts a

mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

format. It is the

flagship station In broadcasting, a flagship (also known as a flagship station or key station) is the broadcast station which originates a television network, or a particular radio or television program that plays a key role in the branding of and consumer loyal ...

of ''

The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show ''The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show'' is a syndicated morning talk radio show broadcast primarily from the Townsquare Media radio station WGRD-FM in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The show is hosted by Gregg "Free Beer" Daniels, Chris "Hot Wings" Miche ...

'', a syndicated comedy and talk morning program. WGRD's studios and offices are on Ottawa Avenue NW in Grand Rapids. WGRD-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...

(ERP) of 13,000

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 ...

s. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

is on 92nd Street SE at High Point Drive in Cutlerville.Radio-Locator.com/WGRD
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History

College years and Top 40

The station

signed on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...

the air on .. Its original

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 ...

was WXTO, owned by the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids The Diocese of Grand Rapids () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in western Michigan in the United States. It comprises 80 parishes in 11 counties. It is a suffragan see to the Archdiocese of Detroit. The mother church of the dioces ...

. It was a

college radio Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produced ...

station operated by Aquinas College, which gave students training in broadcasting and also aired

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

religious programs. It was sold to a commercial broadcasting operation, which also owned WGRD 1410 AM in Grand Rapids and

WTRU WTRU (830 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Kernersville, North Carolina, and serving the Piedmont Triad. It is owned by Truth Broadcasting and carries a Christian talk and teaching radio format. Truth Broadcasting is own ...

1600 AM in

Muskegon Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...

. Regional Broadcasters, Inc. took full control of the station in 1971 and changed its call letters to WGRD-FM. The station's transmitter and tower remained on the Aquinas College campus until 1974. WGRD 1410 AM was a daytime-only station, hence the call letters, which stood for "Grand Rapids Daytime". In 1971, WGRD 1410 AM, which had had a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

music format in place since 1959, was struggling in the ratings against pop-rock competitors

WLAV WLAV-FM (96.9 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It is owned by Cumulus Media and it broadcasts a classic rock format. The studios and offices are in the First Community Bank Building on Monroe Center Street NW in ...

1340 AM and 95.7 WZZM-FM (then known as "Z96", now

WLHT-FM WLHT-FM (95.7 MHz) is a hot adult contemporary music formatted radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan, owned by Townsquare Media. WLHT's studios are located on Ottawa Avenue Northwest in downtown Grand Rapids, while its transmitter is located ...

). Management decided to move the struggling Top 40 format onto its FM station as "The New 98 Rock, WGRD-FM". That made the

FM stereo FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high-fidelity sound ...

station the primary frequency while having the AM continue to simulcast. The newly revamped WGRD-FM quickly became the dominant Top 40 station in the market and continued to be for over two decades. During the mid-1970s, WGRD was frequently the #1 station (12+) in the Grand Rapids market. In the 1979 Fall

Arbitron ratings Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...

period, WGRD was on top with a 19 share. By 1985, the station was known as "98 Rock, WGRD". It earned a 12.2 share (12+) in the Summer 1986 Arbitron ratings. That was helped by the popular "98 Rock Morning Show" hosted by Johnny "Big John" Howell, Robert "Radar" Shroll, and Jennifer Stephens.

Alternative and Mainstream Rock

By the summer of 1994, WGRD-FM's station moniker was "Grand Rapids #1 Hit Music Station! 98 WGRD". But its Top 40 sound found increasing competition from other area radio stations with similar formats. By 1995, WGRD-FM had lost significant market share to 104.5

WSNX WSNX-FM (104.5 MHz "104-5 SNX") is a top 40 (CHR) radio station located in iHeartMedia's Grand Rapids, Michigan headquarters. The station is licensed to Muskegon, in Western Michigan with the station serving the Grand Rapids area, and is one ...

in Muskegon, which had flipped from

adult contemporary music Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, sou ...

to Top 40/CHR. WSNX was programmed by former WGRD music director J.J. Duling and began to eclipse WGRD in the area radio ratings. During 1995, WGRD began phasing in popular

alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...

and

modern AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...

songs to the

playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player, either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs that can be played once or in a loop. ...

. Over the next several months, the Top 40 hits were heard less and less, with WGRD beginning to promote itself as alternative rock. In 2000, WGRD was acquired by Regent Broadcasting, which changed its name to Townsquare Media ten years later. In August 2010 a reunion of more than 60 former WGRD staff members was held in Grand Rapids which included market legend Bruce Grant, the original program director from 1948, and dozens of other personalities from the AM 1410/FM 97.9 history. During 2010, WGRD began to shift its focus from alternative rock to

. This was due to a format hole in the market being created by longtime rock station 94.5 WKLQ switching to

sports talk Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sport, sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often-low comed ...

. WGRD's target demographic is Men ages 18–34 and a secondary of Men 25-54 (Arbitron demographics).

Free Beer and Hot Wings

'' is WGRD's comedy/talk wake-up program. It is syndicated by

Compass Media Networks Compass Media Networks is an American radio network. The company launched in January 2009. It is owned by former Westwood One CEO and former COO of Connoisseur Media, Peter Kosann. The company focuses on radio and offers representation and m ...

and heard across the U.S., mostly on rock stations. It began airing on WGRD in 2004. The cast consists of five members: Gregg "Free Beer" Daniels, Chris "Hot Wings" Michels, Steve McKiernan, Kelly Cheesborough and Maitlynn Mossolle. The show is now syndicated in 38 markets throughout the United States.

Sources

WGRD Website

References

External links

WGRD Website
* {{coord, 42.796, N, 85.649, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title GRD-FM GRD-FM Active rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1962 Townsquare Media radio stations