WLEW (1340 AM) is a

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

Bad Axe, Michigan Bad Axe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Huron County in the Thumb region of the Lower Peninsula. The population was 3,021 at the 2020 census, making it the largest community in Huron County and second largest in t ...

, United States. with a power output of 1,000 watts, covering much of

Huron County, Michigan Huron County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 31,407. The county seat is Bad Axe. Huron County is at the northern tip of the Thumb, which is a sub region of Mid Michigan. It is a penins ...

. The station is owned by Thumb Broadcasting and broadcasts from studios on South Van Dyke Road in Bad Axe. Its

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

format simulcast on the FM band by WHST, licensed to

Pigeon, Michigan Pigeon is a village in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,208 at the 2010 census. The village is within Winsor Township. Geography *According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , ...

, at 94.1 MHz, with 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 ...

of 15,000 watts.

History

WLEW signed on February 11, 1950, at 1540

kHz 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 uni ...

with 250 watts of power under the ownership of the Saginaw Broadcasting Company. The station was purchased by the Stevens Wismer Broadcasting Company in 1953. Wismer also owned

WHLS WHLS (1450 AM) is an alternative rock radio station licensed to Port Huron, Michigan, with a power output of 1,000 watts, covering much of St. Clair County, Michigan. It is the oldest continuously operating radio station serving St. Clair Coun ...

and

WSAQ WSAQ (107.1 FM) is a country music radio station licensed to Port Huron, Michigan, with an effective radiated power of 6,000 watts. WSAQ covers St. Clair County, Michigan and Lambton County, Ontario as well as portions of Macomb, Lapeer, and ...

in Port Huron, WCSR in Hillsdale, and

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 ...

in Grand Rapids, among others. In 1955, the frequency changed to the current 1340

and was licensed for unlimited operations. The station, still under Wismer's ownership, began doing business as Thumb Broadcasting in 1957. In 1960, the station was upgrade to 1,000 watts of power using a two-tower directional antenna array. In 1966, Wismer applied for and received a license for WLEW to add an FM station at 92.1 MHz. This station would become WLEW-FM, which moved to the current 102.1 MHz in 1990. Both stations were later sold by Wismer to A. Arthur Aymen, who continued to do business as Thumb Broadcasting. In 1993, control of ownership was transferred to Aymen's sons, Richard and Matthew, who continue to own and operate the stations today. In 2021, Thumb Broadcasting was the highest bidder during a

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 j ...

frequency auction for a new FM license serving Pigeon, Michigan. Under the call letters WHST, the new station went on the air in late 2022 at 94.1 MHz, simulcasting WLEW's country format.

References

Sources

Michiguide.com - WLEW History

External links

LEW Country radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1950 1950 establishments in Michigan {{michigan-radio-station-stub