WILZ (104.5 FM, "Wheelz 104.5") is a radio station broadcasting a

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

format in

Saginaw, Michigan Saginaw () is a city in Saginaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. It had a population of 44,202 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Saginaw River, Saginaw is adjacent to Saginaw Charter Township, ...

, owned by Cumulus Media. The station is the local affiliate of morning comedy program '' The Bob and Tom Show'', music show '' Nights with Alice Cooper'' and

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 Varsity team, varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan Army, Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the sc ...

football and men's basketball games.Michigan State Spartans Football Radio affiliates
Michigan State Football official site

History

104.5 FM began in the early 1990s as WUVE, an album oriented rock station that aired some programming from ABC/Satellite Music Network's " Z Rock" network (though not an official "Z-Rock" affiliate). The station became WMJA ("Magic") with a classic hits format in 1995, and then adopted its current calls and format in 1999 (possibly in tribute to former

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

album-rock station WLLZ 98.7 FM, now alternative rock station WDZH). WILZ's format was formerly simulcast on then-sister station WYLZ (100.9 FM) (now WLUN), licensed to Pinconning, Michigan. WYLZ has broadcast a variety of different formats since signing on in 1983. 104.5 and 100.9 together were known as "Wheelz 104.5 and 101" from 1999 to 2007. In June 2007, WYLZ was sold by

Citadel Broadcasting Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company founded and developed by Larry Wilson. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the count ...

(along with nine other stations) to The Last Bastion Station Trust, LLC, as part of ABC Radio's absorption into Citadel. Upon ending the simulcast, WYLZ switched to a satellite-fed

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 ("Mainstream Country" from Dial Global) under the "Thunder Country" moniker. Despite the programming changes, WYLZ continued to air play-by-play of Great Lakes Loons baseball during the summer of 2007. In the winter of 2008, the Great Lakes Loons finally took over ownership and changed the station to sports radio under new calls WLUN. Citadel retained WILZ until its merger with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.

References

Michiguide.com - WILZ history

External links

* {{Cumulus Media ILZ Cumulus Media radio stations Classic rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1995