WIKB-FM (99.1

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 a radio station broadcasting a classic hits format. Licensed to

Iron River, Michigan Iron River is a city in Iron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 3,007. The city is situated at the southeast corner of Iron River Township, but is administratively autonomous. History A post ...

, it first began broadcasting in 1981. The station is owned by

Morgan Murphy Media The Evening Telegram Company, d/b/a Morgan Murphy Media, is an American television and radio company based in Madison, Wisconsin. The company is named for publisher Morgan Murphy, who expanded the business after he took over from his grandfather, ...

History

WIKB-FM dropped its former

adult contemporary 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 ...

format as "The Breeze" for a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

format and the handle "99-1 The Bull" at the end of Memorial Day Weekend 2010. The change comes after former Armada Media CEO Jim Coursolle and his wife, Diane, closed on a purchase of a two-thirds interest in owner Heartland Communications from Granite Equity Partners in May 2010. Also involved in the deal are sister station WFER AM 1230 (which switched from

adult standards Adult standards (also sometimes known as the nostalgia or Big Band format) is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations. Adult standards started in the 1950s and is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly tho ...

talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...

) and stations in Ashland,

Park Falls Park Falls is a city in Price County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,410 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 2,462 at 2010 United States census, 2010. Located in the woods of north central Wisconsin, primarily ...

, and

Eagle River, Wisconsin Eagle River is a city and the county seat of Vilas County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,628 at the 2020 census. Because of the many lakes in the area, the city is a popular vacation and retirement destination. The area contai ...

. Coursolle has said he felt a country format would give WIKB-FM a stronger association with a long-running rodeo in Iron River.

However, with the format change came a shift from mainly locally originating programming (with the exception of

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ; ) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved by Samson, a Nazirite who possesses great strength and serves as t ...

nights) to

Dial Global Westwood One, Inc. is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1976. The c ...

's True Country satellite feed, with the only locally originating programming being the station's "Shopping Show" hosted by Marian Volek. It has been reported that the station's listenership has declined significantly since the change; in addition, parts of the station's listening area can already receive country stations from Iron Mountain and other nearby cities, whereas the former "Breeze" was the only mainstream AC format serving the area. Previous to the AC format, WIKB and WIKB-FM simulcast a long-running "Solid Gold Classics" format featuring music from the 1960s through the 1980s. The former WIKB (now WFER) has returned to a classic hits format since the two stations were sold in the summer of 2015. WIKB-FM was sold effective June 30, 2015, to

Stephen Marks Stephen Anthony Solomon Marks (born 23 May 1946) is a British fashion retailer and founder, chairman and chief executive of the French Connection brand.Chris Blackhurst'The Big Interview: Stephen Marks' ''London Evening Standard'', 26 May 2009 ...

' Iron River Community Broadcasting Corporation, at a purchase price of $488,000. The sale included WFER, as well as co-owned

WCQM WCQM (98.3 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Park Falls, Wisconsin, United States, the station is owned by Civic Media. History The station originally went on the air in 1968 as WNBI-FM (after having initi ...

and

WPFP WPFP (980 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a variety hits format. Licensed to Park Falls, Wisconsin, United States, the station is owned by Civic Media. History WPFP changed its format from sports talk to conservative talk on July 1, 2010. ...

. With the ownership change the station's country music format was retained but overhauled, with the "Bull" moniker and most satellite programming (except for the syndicated''

Big D and Bubba The Big D and Bubba Show is a nationally syndicated radio show airing six days a week on approximately 120 country music FM radio stations. The show is syndicated by Compass Media Networks. Live shows are broadcast from 6 to 10 AM (Eastern Ti ...

'' morning show) dropped and the music now programmed locally. Also, the station's signature "Telephone Time" program was brought back and now runs for three hours daily from 9 a.m. to noon. On December 9, 2019, WIKB-FM changed their format from country to classic hits, swapping formats with WFER. In September 2023, The Marks Group sold its Michigan broadcasting properties—

WBKB-TV WBKB-TV (channel 11) is a television station in Alpena, Michigan, United States, affiliated with CBS, NBC, American Broadcasting Company, ABC, Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Morgan Murphy Media, the station maintains st ...

WBKP WBKP (channel 5) is a television station licensed to Calumet, Michigan, United States, serving the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan as an affiliate of The CW Plus. It is owned by Morgan Murphy Media alongside Ishpeming-licensed ...

WBUP WBUP (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Ishpeming, Michigan, United States, serving as the ABC affiliate for the Central and Western Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is owned by Morgan Murphy Media alongside Calumet-licensed CW+ ...

, and the Houghton and Iron River radio stations—for $13.375 million to

. The deal was closed on December 4.

References

Michiguide.com - WIKB-FM History

External links

* IKB-FM Classic hits radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1981 1981 establishments in Michigan Iron County, Michigan {{Michigan-radio-station-stub