WLUM-FM (102.1

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

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 ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. The station airs an

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 ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

branded as "FM 102/1". The station is owned by the estate of former

Green Bay Packer The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. They are the third ...

Willie Davis and his company, All-Pro Broadcasting. WLUM is run as a partnership with co-owned

WZTI WZTI (1290 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Greenfield, Wisconsin, and serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area. It airs an oldies radio format, featuring hits from the 1960s and ...

and Shamrock Broadcasting's

WLDB WLDB (93.3 FM broadcasting, FM "B93.3 FM") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is owned and operated by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, a partnership between Times-Shamrock Communications and Wi ...

as a group called the Milwaukee Radio Alliance. WLUM-FM is a Class B FM station, 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 ...

(ERP) of 8,800

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 studios are on Good Hope Road in

Menomonee Falls Menomonee Falls is a village in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. Its population was 38,527 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most-populous village in Wisconsin. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. ...

and the transmitter site is in Milwaukee's North Side, near the

Milwaukee River The Milwaukee River is a river in the state of Wisconsin. It is about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed May 19, 2011 Once a locus of industry, the river is now the ...

at Lincoln Park.Radio-Locator.com/WLUM
/REF>

History

Showtunes (1960-1964)

WMKE (102.1 FM) launched in September 1960, broadcasting from studios located on North Avenue in Milwaukee with a format consisting primarily of Broadway show tunes. The owners boasted that they were the nation's first "all-tape radio station", meaning that all programming would originate from

reel-to-reel tape Reel-to-reel audio tape recording, also called open-reel recording, is magnetic tape audio recording in which the recording tape is spooled between reels. To prepare for use, the ''supply reel'' (or ''feed reel'') containing the tape is plac ...

or other tape formats, rather than

phonograph records A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The g ...

, as they believed tape delivered higher quality.

Gospel/R&B (1964-1979)

The station was later sold and became WAWA-FM in 1964. The new format featured black

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

during the day, and also featured after sunset the

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

format of the then-sister station WAWA (1590 AM) until 1979.

Disco (1979-1982)

Former Packer legend Willie Davis purchased the two stations, and on February 14, 1979, switched WAWA-FM to WLUM (short for We Love YoU Milwaukee!), and giving 102.1 FM its own distinct format focusing on

disco music Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightlife, particularly in African-American, Italian-American, Gay and Latino communities. Its sound features four-on-the-floor ...

. At the time that WAWA-FM became WLUM, they also became the second station in Milwaukee to adopt the Disco format, as WNUW had already beat them to it in October 1978, even though their success would be short lived by August 1979; by this point, WLUM would shift to a

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...

direction. The daytime-only 1590 AM, still WAWA, on 10/1/87 also picked up the WLUM call letters. The AM station was long hampered by a weak signal, and when All Pro Broadcasting purchased stronger 24 hour station WMVP (1290 AM), the format and programming moved there. As a result, 1590 AM went dark in 1988, and its broadcast license was turned in to the

FCC 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 ju ...

Rhythmic (1982–1991)

In 1982, WLUM began adding more

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

music. By the summer of 1983, the station's format morphed into a Rhythmic Contemporary Hits presentation with the brandings "WLUM FM 102", "WLUM 102 Milwaukee's Hot FM", "Club 102 WLUM", "Power 102 WLUM", "WLUM 102 FM". It settled on "Hot 102 WLUM", and aired a mix of

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

(including freestyle, house and club imports) and

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 ...

hits (including rock and modern/alternative tracks). By 1989, WLUM was featuring shows like "

Casey's Top 40 ''Casey's Top 40'' was a syndicated radio music program that was distributed by the Westwood One radio network. The show was a vehicle for former ''American Top 40'' host and co-creator Casey Kasem and ran for over nine years. Like Kasem's prio ...

" and "

American Dance Traxx ''American Dance Traxx'' was an American dance music countdown program that was syndicated by Westwood One and produced at KPWR/Los Angeles, California from March 1987 to December 1993. The three-hour program was distributed to more than 200 Top 4 ...

" as it began to shift further towards a dance-leaning direction that was loosely patterned after

Power 106 KPWR (105.9 FM) – branded as ''Power 106'' – is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. KPWR is owned and operated by Alex Meruelo's Meruelo Group, through licensee KPWR Radio Ho ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. Veteran Rhythmic program director and future consultant Rick Thomas was in charge, before moving on to launch XHITZ

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

's rhythmic format in April 1990. Also during this period, noted radio personality

Bubba the Love Sponge Bubba the Love Sponge Clem (born Todd Alan Clem, April 23, 1966) is an American radio personality who hosts ''The Bubba the Love Sponge Show'' on the radio station WWBA in Tampa, Florida, and the subscription service Bubba Army Radio. He can al ...

briefly did an air shift at Hot 102.

Top 40 (1991–1994)

By late 1991, WLUM evolved into a straightforward Top 40/CHR presentation. More

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

was added to the playlist by the following year, to better compete with upstart rival

WKKV-FM WKKV-FM (100.7 MHz), also known as ''V-100.7'', is an urban contemporary radio station owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. serving the Milwaukee area. The station broadcasts with an ERP of 50 kW and is licensed to Racine, Wisconsin. Its studios are ...

for the urban audience. By late 1993, WLUM began shifting back to a dance-leaning direction, and used the moniker "Hot 102 WLUM, Milwaukee's Party Station". This lasted until the Summer of 1994, when it shifted back to mainstream Top 40.

Alternative (1994–1998)

By 1994, WLUM began tweaking their on-air presentation. Hip-hop was slowly being phased out and more

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...

was added to the playlist, due to Davis' desire to distance his station from the violent image of most rap and hip-hop music, after finding out that the station had begun to carry a nightly hour of uncensored music after the FCC's " safe harbor" regulations were not in effect (a record homicide count in Milwaukee and several area violent crimes also played into the re-shift). This began to occur in earnest on December 1, 1993, when

Wauwatosa West High School Wauwatosa West High School is a comprehensive four-year public high school located in the city of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, United States. West opened in 1960/1961 as a sister-school to Wauwatosa East High School; together they are part of the Wau ...

assistant principal Dale Breitlow was murdered by a former student, and the station immediately pulled

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

's "

Dre Day "Fuck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')", or censored as a single (music), single titled "Dre Day", is a song by American rapper and record producer Dr. Dre featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg, Snoop Doggy Dogg and uncredited vo ...

" and

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. Eazy-E is often re ...

's " Real Compton City G's" in reaction, dropping their usual music and allowing those affected to call-in about how the shooting affected them. The modern rock music was well received by listeners, and in October of that year, the station adopted modern rock full-time, as "New Rock 102ONE", leaving the Milwaukee market without a Top 40 station until the launch of

WXSS-FM WXSS (103.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Wauwatosa, Wisconsin United States, and serving Greater Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin. It broadcasts a contemporary hit radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. Its studios are o ...

in 1998.

Adult alternative (1998-1999)

Over the years, the format underwent much tweaking. After adding more

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 ...

tracks to the playlist, the station shifted to an

adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, ...

format on June 23, 1998, at 5:00 p.m.. Artists played during this era included

Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

Nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

Melissa Etheridge Melissa Lou Etheridge (born May 29, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and guitarist. Her Melissa Etheridge (album), eponymous debut album was released in 1988 and became an underground success. It peaked at No. 22 on the Billbo ...

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

Dave Matthews Band Dave Matthews Band (also known as DMB) is an American rock band from Charlottesville, Virginia. The band's lineup consists of Dave Matthews (lead vocals, guitar), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), Tim Reynolds (lead guitar), R ...

, and

The Doors The Doors were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, comprising vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most influential and controversial rock acts ...

Active rock (1999-2002)

The move was unsuccessful, so in December 1998, WLUM switched to

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

with the syndicated

Mancow Muller Matthew Erich "Mancow" Muller (born June 21, 1966) is an American radio and television personality, actor, and former child actor. Considered a shock jock, his career has been well known for controversy and clashes with the Federal Communication ...

in the morning. They initially avoided much of the then-popular

nu metal Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, with a metal umlaut) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop music, hip hop, funk, industrial music, industrial, and grunge. Nu ...

music that

WLZR WLZR (1560 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio station, city of license, licensed to Melbourne, Florida, and serving the Melbourne-Titusville, Florida, Titusville-Cocoa, Florida, Cocoa area of the Space Coast. It is owned by Cumulus Media ...

played, but added a great deal to the playlist by 2001. Nonetheless, they were consistently a distant second to market leader WLZR. As a straight-ahead rock station, WLUM experienced some of its lowest ratings levels ever, with the bottom coming after the

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, which caused many rock stations to shift quickly from hard rock tracks inappropriate for play in the aftermath and change away from aggressive formats.

Alternative (2002-present)

In March 2002, WLUM began making more changes. Mancow's morning show was dropped, along with most of the hard rock music on the playlist, and modern rock music returned to the playlist. By September, the station was once again a full-time reporter to alternative rock airplay charts for radio industry trade magazines. The station still experienced low ratings, as it worked to shake its male-oriented hard rock image. The station made heavy use of consultants who crafted a rather tight playlist. In March 2003, the

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

-based ''

Bob and Tom Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) *Bob (dog), a dog that received the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II *Bob the ...

'' was added in the morning drive to compete against ''Bob & Brian'' up the dial on WLZR, but its older target audience (where it was often programmed on

stations) proved wildly incompatible for the rest of WLUM's younger-skewing broadcast day. The ''Bob and Tom'' agreement ran out in 2005, and a locally oriented morning show, "Kramp and Adler", debuted on St. Patrick's Day. This was a sign of more changes to come. On July 10, 2006, WLUM began stunting as "Quick 102" and started playing five-second song clips back-to-back. At the same time, via on-air promos, they poked fun at themselves and their many failed on-air tweaks and changes over the years. At 5:00 p.m. the next day, the modern rock format was relaunched with a new programming and on-air staff in place. The station admitted past mistakes, then announced their "independence", stating they were now free from corporate practices and radio consultants and pledged a stronger dedication to their listeners and the local community. As part of the new direction, Program Director Jacent Jackson rolled out a modified

format with a more diverse playlist, featuring, among other things, more

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United Kingdom, United States and New Zealand in the early to mid-1980s. Although the term was originally used to describe rock music released through independent reco ...

. The first song after the relaunch was "

Guerrilla Radio "Guerrilla Radio" is a song by American rock band Rage Against the Machine and the lead single from their 1999 album ''The Battle of Los Angeles''. It became the band's only Billboard Hot 100 song, charting at #69. The band won the Grammy Award f ...

" by

Rage Against the Machine Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...

. Jackson also added new DJs to the airstaff such as Michelle Rutkowski from

WKQX WKQX (101.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Chicago, Illinois, featuring an alternative rock radio format, format known as "Q101". Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Chicago metropolitan area. WKQX's ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, and changed the name of the station to "FM 102.1" with the slogan, 'Independent. Alternative. Radio.' The station also removed their last remaining syndicated show,

Loveline ''Loveline'' is a radio syndication, syndicated radio Talk show, call-in program in North America that features medical and relationship advice, often with guest appearances by actors and musicians. For most of its original run until ending in ...

, vowing to be 100% local in their on-air presentation. Later, the station sponsored a contest to name a new alternative rock festival on the

Summerfest Summerfest is an annual music festival held in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. First held in 1968, Summerfest is located at Henry Maier Festival Park, adjacent to Lake Michigan and Milwaukee's Third Ward business district. Summerfest is known ...

grounds that took place in June 2010, which became known as the "Verge Music Festival". During this time, the station also adjusted their positioning statement from 'Independent. Alternative. Radio' to 'Sounds Different.' In 2014, Program Director Jacent Jackson departed WLUM to program

KITS KITS (105.3 FM broadcasting, FM, "Live 105") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in San Francisco, San Francisco, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an alternative rock radio format known as "Live 105". The studios ...

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

and Michelle Rutkowski took over as PD. In August 2024, afternoon host and assistant program director Ian McCain passed away after a brief illness. Specialty shows consist of "FM 102/1 Retro Brunch" on Sunday mornings from 7-10 am, "Indie Soundcheck" (Sunday nights 8-11 pm) with Ryan Miller, and "Neighborhood Watch", which features an hour of local Milwaukee music Sunday nights at 11 pm. The current full-time line-up includes Adler (6-10 am), Michelle Rutkowski (10 am-2 pm), TBD (2-7 pm), and Schroeder (7 pm-midnight) with the current part-timers Ryan Miller and Alyssa.

Big Snow Shows

As a part of the re-branding in 2006, FM 102/1 has held its first annual "Big Snow Show." The first including

My Chemical Romance My Chemical Romance is an American Rock music, rock band from New Jersey. The band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist Gerard Way, lead guitarist Ray Toro, rhythm guitarist Frank Iero, and bassist Mikey Way. They are considered one of ...

Rise Against Rise Against is an American punk rock band from Chicago, formed in 1999. The group's current line-up comprises vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tim McIlrath, lead guitarist Zach Blair, bassist Joe Principe and drummer Brandon Barnes. Rise Against's mu ...

and

Red Jumpsuit Apparatus Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a secondar ...

at the

Riverside Theater (Milwaukee) The Riverside Theater is a concert hall located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The venue seats 2,480 people and hosts live performances such as musicians, comedians, and shows. It is leased by the Pabst Theater Group. History The Riverside Theater was ...

on Wednesday, December 13, 2006. 2007's BSS was held in the same location on Sunday, December 16 with

Coheed and Cambria Coheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band from Nyack, New York, formed in 1995. It consists of Claudio Sanchez (vocals, guitars, keyboards), Travis Stever (guitars, vocals), Josh Eppard (drums, keyboards, backing vocals), and Za ...

Jimmy Eat World Jimmy Eat World is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mesa, Arizona, in 1993. The band is composed of lead vocalist and lead guitarist Jim Adkins, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist Tom Linton, bassist Rick Burch, and drummer Zach ...

Shiny Toy Guns Shiny Toy Guns is an American rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, in 2002. The band comprises guitarist/vocalist Chad Petree, vocalist/bassist/keyboardist Carah Faye Charnow, keyboardist/bassist Jeremy Dawson, ...

and

The Starting Line The Starting Line is an American pop-punk band formed in Churchville, Pennsylvania, Churchville, Pennsylvania in 1999. They are currently based in Philadelphia. History Early years (1999–2001) In 1999, the band that would become The Startin ...

. In 2008, Big Snow Show 3 switched venues to

The Rave/Eagles Club The Rave/Eagles Club (commonly known as simply The Rave, formerly known as the Eagles Club and Central Park Athletic Club and Entertainment Center or commonly Central Park Ballroom) is a concert venue and landmark in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Div ...

with headliners

Death Cab For Cutie Death Cab for Cutie (commonly abbreviated to DCFC or Death Cab) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. Death Cab for Cutie's music has been classified as indie rock, indie pop, and alternative rock. The ...

Jack's Mannequin Jack's Mannequin is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 2004, hailing from Orange County, California, Orange County, California. The band originally began as a solo project for Andrew McMahon, the frontman of Something Corporate. The b ...

and

The Ting Tings The Ting Tings are an English indie pop duo formed in Salford, Greater Manchester, in 2007. The band consists of Katie White (vocals, guitar, bass drums, bass guitar, cowbells) and Jules De Martino (drums, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, ...

on Tuesday, December 2. The following FM 102/1 Big Snow Show Lineups: Big Snow Show 4 — Thursday, December 17, 2009 — Eagles Ballroom —

After Midnight Project After Midnight Project (commonly abbreviated "AMP") was an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, led by vocalist Jason Evigan. The band was formed in 2004, and disbanded in 2012. History After Midnight Project began in 2004 in Los An ...

Breaking Benjamin Breaking Benjamin is an American Rock music, rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, formed in 1999 by lead singer and guitarist Benjamin Burnley and drummer Jeremy Hummel. The first lineup of the band also included guitarist Aaron Fink an ...

Sick Puppies Sick Puppies are an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1997. After releasing their debut album '' Welcome to the Real World'' in 2001, the band rose to prominence in 2006 when their song " All the Same" was uploaded, along with a video, t ...

Thirty Seconds to Mars Thirty Seconds to Mars (commonly stylized as 30 Seconds to Mars) is an American Rock music, rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1998. The band consists of brothers Jared Leto (lead vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards) and Shannon Let ...

Big Snow Show 5 — Monday, December 13, 2010 — The Rave —

CAKE Cake is a flour confection usually made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elabor ...

Ok Go OK Go is an American Rock music, rock band originally from Chicago, Illinois, now based in Los Angeles, California. The band is composed of Damian Kulash (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, guitar), Tim Nordwind (bass guitar, bass, backing vocalist, v ...

Switchfoot Switchfoot is an American rock music, rock band from San Diego, California. The band's members are Jon Foreman (lead vocals, guitar), Tim Foreman (bass guitar, backing vocals), Chad Butler (drum kit, drums, percussion), and Jerome Fontamillas (g ...

/ Tuesday, December 14, 2010 — The Rave — Chevelle,

Finger Eleven Finger Eleven is a Canadian Rock music, rock band from Burlington, Ontario, formed in 1990. They have released seven studio albums (six as Finger Eleven and one as Rainbow Butt Monkeys), with their album ''The Greyest of Blue Skies'' bringing th ...

Big Snow Show 6 — Thursday, December 15, 2011 — The Rave —

Cage The Elephant Cage the Elephant is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 2006 in Bowling Green, Kentucky. They moved to England and settled in London in 2008, shortly before their Cage the Elephant (album), self-titled first album was released. The ban ...

Sleeper Agent A sleeper agent is a spy or operative who is placed in a target country or organization, not to undertake an immediate mission, but instead to act as a potential asset on short notice if activated in the future. Even if not activated, the "sle ...

The Joy Formidable The Joy Formidable is a Welsh people, Welsh alternative rock band, formed in 2007 in Mold, Flintshire, and currently based in London, England. The band consists of Rhiannon "Ritzy" Bryan (lead vocals, guitar) and Rhydian Dafydd (bass guitar, b ...

Big Snow Show 7 — Saturday, December 8, 2012 — The Rave —

Silversun Pickups Silversun Pickups is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles that was formed in 2000. The band is composed of Brian Aubert, Nikki Monninger, Christopher Guanlao, and Joe Lester. The band released their debut EP, '' Pikul'', in July 2 ...

, The Joy Formidable, iamdynamite / (

Family of the Year Family of the Year is an American indie rock band based in Los Angeles, California. It consists of members Joseph Keefe (vocals/guitar), Sebastian Keefe (drums/vocals), James Buckey (guitar/vocals), and Christina Schroeter (keyboard/vocals). The ...

and Churchill performed BSS Cocktail Hour in The Rave basement) Big Snow Show 8 — Thursday, December 12, 2013 — Eagles Ballroom —

Phoenix (band) Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), an immortal bird in ancient Greek mythology * Phoenix, Arizona, the capital of the U.S. state of Arizona and the most populous state capital in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: ...

alt-j Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwil Sainsbury ...

Grouplove Grouplove (often typeset as GROUPLOVE) is an American alternative rock band formed in 2009 by Christian Zucconi (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Hannah Hooper (lead vocals, keyboards), Sean Gadd (bass), Andrew Wessen (lead guitar, backing vocals), a ...

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...

/ Friday, December 13, 2013 — Eagles Ballroom —

Arctic Monkeys Arctic Monkeys are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. They comprise lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley. The co-founder and original bassist Andy Nicholson ...

Foals A foal is an equine up to one year old; this term is used mainly for horses, but can be used for donkeys. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, and are used until the horse is three or four. When the foal is ...

NONONO NoNoNo (stylised as NONONO) is a Swedish indie rock band formed in 2012. Their debut single, "Pumpin Blood", has charted in Europe and the US, peaking at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Alternative Songs chart and at number 32 on the Pop Songs ...

Big Snow Show 9 — Tuesday, December 2, 2014 — Eagles Ballroom — Cage The Elephant, Fitz and the Tantrums,

Meg Myers Janice Sue Meghan Myers (born October 6, 1986), known professionally as Meg Myers, is an American singer-songwriter. Originally from Tennessee, Myers moved to Los Angeles to pursue music and met Doctor Rosen Rosen, who signed her to his producti ...

, alt-j,

Vance Joy James Gabriel Keogh (born 1 December 1987), known professionally as Vance Joy, is an Australian singer, songwriter, musician, and former Australian rules footballer. He is best known for his 2013 hit song " Riptide". Joy signed a five-album de ...

/ Tuesday, December 16, 2014 — Eagles Ballroom —

Fall Out Boy Fall Out Boy is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Wilmette, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, in 2001. The band consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Patrick Stump, bassist Pete Wentz, lead guitarist Joe Trohman, and drummer A ...

, WALK THE MOON,

Vinyl Theatre Vinyl Theatre is an American indie rock band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, formed by Keegan Calmes and Chris Senner. The band later grew to include Josh Pothier and Nick Cesarz. Before being signed to an official record label, they produced several ...

/ The Big Snow Show Hangover show featured

banks (singer) Jillian Rose Banks (born June 16, 1988), known Mononymous person, mononymously as Banks (often stylized in all caps), is an American singer and songwriter. Following the release of two extended plays—''Fall Over'' and ''London''—in 2013, ...

and The Living Statues in The Rave on Thursday, December 18, 2014, Big Snow Show 10 — Thursday, December 10, 2015 — Eagles Ballroom —

Weezer Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (lead vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Brian Bell (guitar, keyboards, backing ...

, X Amabassadors,

Glass Animals Glass Animals are a British indie rock band formed in Oxford, England in 2010. The band's line-up consists of Dave Bayley (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, songwriting), Drew MacFarlane (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Edmund Irwin-Singe ...

, BORNS / Friday, December 11, 2015 — Eagles Ballroom —

Of Monsters and Men Of Monsters and Men is an Icelandic indie folk/Folk rock, rock band formed in Garðabær in 2010. It consists of lead singer and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir, singer and guitarist Ragnar Þórhallsson, Ragnar "Raggi" Þórhallsson, ...

Cold War Kids Cold War Kids are an American indie rock band from Long Beach, California. Band members are Nathan Willett (vocals, piano, guitar), Matt Maust (bass guitar), David Quon (guitar, backing vocals), Matthew Schwartz (keyboards, backing vocals, guit ...

, Meg Myers / Saturday, December 12, 2015 — Eagles Ballroom — Panic at the Disco,

Atlas Genius Atlas Genius is an Australian alternative rock band formed in Adelaide, Australia in November 2009. The band's mainstay members are the Jeffery brothers, Keith on lead vocals and lead guitar; Michael on drums; and Darren Sell on keyboard. Their ...

Frank Turner Francis Edward Turner (born 28 December 1981) is an English Punk rock, punk and Folk music, folk singer-songwriter from Meonstoke, Hampshire. He began his career as the vocalist of post-hardcore band Million Dead, then embarked upon a primaril ...

JR JR JR JR (pronounced "junior junior"; originally named Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.) is an American indie-pop band from Detroit, Michigan, founded by Daniel Zott and Joshua Epstein. The band also includes drummer Mike Higgins. History Zott and Epstein ...

Big Snow Show 11 — Friday, December 2, 2016 — Eagles Ballroom —

The Head and the Heart The Head and the Heart is an American indie folk band. They were formed in the summer of 2009 by Josiah Johnson (vocals, guitar, percussion) and Jonathan Russell (vocals, guitar, percussion). The band currently includes Russell, Charity Rose Th ...

, Jimmy Eat World, Fitz and the Tantrums,

Bishop Briggs Sarah Grace McLaughlin (born 18 July 1992), known professionally as Bishop Briggs, is an English singer and songwriter. Her single "River (Bishop Briggs song), River" peaked at number 3 on the US Alternative Chart, and has been streamed more t ...

/ Thursday, December 8, 2016 — Eagles Ballroom — Bastille, Awolnation,

Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness Andrew Ross McMahon (born September 3, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter. He is the vocalist, pianist and primary lyricist for the bands Something Corporate and main songwriter for Jack's Mannequin and performs solo both under his own nam ...

Barns Courtney Barnaby George "Barns" Courtney (born 17 November 1990) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Early life Courtney was born in England then moved with his family to Seattle, Washington when he was 4. He returned to the United Kingd ...

(

Judah and the Lion Judah & the Lion are an American rock and roll band from Nashville, Tennessee, formed in 2011. They have released five studio albums and five EPs. Currently the band consists of Judah Akers (vocals, guitar) and Brian Macdonald (mandolin, vocals). ...

was featured for the BSS Happy Hour in The Rave Bar) Big Snow Show 12 — Thursday, November 30, 2017 — Eagles Ballroom — WALK THE MOON,

Foster The People Foster the People is an American indie pop band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 2009. Its members include founder and frontman Mark Foster (musician), Mark Foster and keyboardist Isom Innis. Foster founded the band in 2009 after spending ...

AJR is an American pop band founded by brothers Met (), collectively a trio of vocalists, , and songwriters. The brothers grew up in New York City, primarily focused on busking, singing covers and street tap dancing until shifting to songwriting ...

/ Friday, December 1, 2017 — Eagles Ballroom —

Paramore Paramore is an American rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee, in 2004. Since 2017, the band's lineup includes lead vocalist Hayley Williams, lead guitarist Taylor York, and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of ...

Dashboard Confessional Dashboard Confessional is an American rock band from Boca Raton, Florida, formed in 1999 and led by singer Chris Carrabba. The name of the band is derived from the song "The Sharp Hint of New Tears" off their debut album, '' The Swiss Army Roma ...

The Wrecks The Wrecks are an American pop rock band based in Los Angeles, California. The band is currently made up of Nick Anderson (musician), Nick Anderson, Nick "Schmizz" Schmidt, Aaron Kelley, and Billy Nally. The group's first single "Favorite Liar," ...

/ Saturday, December 2, 2017 — Eagles Ballroom — Phoenix,

Lord Huron Lord Huron is a Los Angeles-based American indie rock band composed of Mark Barry (drums, percussion), Miguel Briseño (bass, keyboard, theremin), Tom Renaud (guitar) and founder Ben Schneider (guitar, lead vocals). They released their debut albu ...

, Cold War Kids,

Welshly Arms Welshly Arms is an American blues rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The band has been active since their debut in 2013 with the EP ''Welcome''. The following year, they released a covers EP and in 2015, an album titled ''Welshly Arm ...

Big Snow Show 13 — Thursday, November 27, 2018 — Eagles Ballroom — Bastille,

Young The Giant Young the Giant is an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Irvine, California, in 2004. The band's line-up consists of Sameer Gadhia (lead vocals), Jacob Tilley (guitar), Eric Cannata (guitar), Payam Doostzadeh (bass guitar), and Franc ...

, Bishop Briggs,

grandson Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

/ Thursday, November 29, 2018 — The Rave —

Elle King Tanner Elle Schneider (born July 3, 1989), known professionally as Elle King, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Her musical style is influenced by Country music, country, Rock music, rock, and blues. She signed with RCA Records to ...

Flora Cash Flora Cash is a Swedish–American duo formed by Kosovo-born Shpresa Lleshaj and American musician Cole Randall. The two met on SoundCloud in 2012 and became musical partners. Their music, blending melancholic melodies and a mix of genres, refle ...

/ Saturday, December 1, 2018 — Eagles Ballroom — Death Cab For Cutie, Jungle,

Albert Hammond Jr. Albert Louis Hammond Jr. (born Albert Louis Hammond III; April 9, 1980) is an American musician who is a member of the rock band The Strokes. He is best known for his role as rhythm and lead guitarist, as well as occasionally a keyboard player a ...

, Barns Courtney Big Snow Show 14 — Thursday, December 10, 2019 — Eagles Ballroom — Cage The Elephant,

Angels and Airwaves An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in various ...

, The Federal Empire / Sunday, December 15, 2019 — The Rave —

PVRIS Pvris (pronounced "Paris" and stylized PVRIS) is an American pop rock band formed in Lowell, Massachusetts in 2012. Following several lineup changes, the band is now composed solely of frontwoman Lynn Gunn. Pvris has released four studio LPs: ...

Misterwives MisterWives are an American indie pop band based in New York City, consisting of lead singer Mandy Lee (Amanda Lee Duffy), drummer and percussionist Etienne Bowler, bass guitarist William Hehir, guitarist Marc Campbell, and keyboardist and saxo ...

SHAED Shaed (stylized SHAED, pronounced "shade") is an American indie pop trio based in Washington, D.C. The group consists of lead vocalist Chelsea Lee and multi-instrumentalists Max and Spencer Ernst. They released their breakthrough single "Trampoli ...

Big Snow Show 15 1/2 — Thursday, December 9, 2021 — Eagles Ballroom —

Kings of Leon Kings of Leon is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, in 1999. The band includes brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared Followill and their cousin Matthew Followill. The band's early music was a blend of Southern roc ...

Wilderado Wilderado is an American indie folk band from Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa ( ) is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, second-most-populous city in the U.S. state, state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the List of United States cities b ...

/ Tuesday, December 14, 2021 - Eagles Ballroom -

The Lumineers The Lumineers are an American alternative folk band based in Denver, Colorado. The founding members are Wesley Schultz (lead vocals, guitar) and Jeremiah Fraites (drums, percussion, piano). Schultz and Fraites began writing and performing to ...

Big Snow Show 16 - Saturday, December 10, 2022 - Eagles Ballroom - The 1975 (At Their Very Best), black star kids Big Snow Show 17 - Wednesday, December 6, 2023 - Eagles Ballroom -

The Black Keys The Black Keys are an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, Singing, vocals) and Patrick Carney (Drum kit, drums). The duo began as an Independent music, independent act, record ...

, Colony House / Thursday, December 7, 2023 -

Lovejoy ''Lovejoy'' is a British television comedy-drama mystery fiction, mystery series, based on the Lovejoy (novel series), novels by John Grant (Lovejoy), John Grant under the pen name Jonathan Gash. The show, which ran to 71 episodes over six ser ...

, The Beaches, Little Image

Slogans and Timeline

* 1960-1964:

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 ...

Showtunes A show tune is a popular song, song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a Standard (music), standard, more or less detached in most people's minds ...

(as WMKE) * 1964-1979:

Rhythm and Blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

Gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

(as WAWA-FM) * 1979-1982: "WLUM Stereo 102, The Station With A Heart" (

Disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

Soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

) * 1982-1983: "LOVE 102 WLUM Stereo" (

Urban Contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...

) * 1983-1989: "WLUM Power 102 FM, Milwaukee's Hot FM" ( CHUrban) * 1989-1992: "More Music, Better Variety, WLUM 102 FM" ( CHUrban) * 1992-1993: "The All New Hot 102 WLUM" (

CHR CHR or chr may refer to: Organisations * Canadians for Health Research, a national not-for-profit organisation * Centre for Human Rights, an organisation promoting human rights in Africa * Christ Church Secondary School, a government-aided school ...

) * 1993-1994: "Hot 102 WLUM" ( CHUrban) * Mid-1994: "Hot 102 WLUM, Milwaukee's Party Station" (

) * September 1994-June 1998: "New Rock 102ONE" (

Modern Rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college and commercial rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. ...

) * June 1998-December 1998: "102ONE WLUM" ("Great Rock, Real Variety") (

Adult Album Alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, ...

) * December 1998 - August 2001: "ROCK 102ONE" (

Album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. US rad ...

) * August 2001 - June 2002: "ROCK 102ONE" (

Active Rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...

) * June 2002 to April 2005: "ROCK 102ONE" ("Milwaukee's Rock Alternative") (

) * April 2005 - July 10, 2006: "102ONE" ("Milwaukee's Alternative Station") (

) * July 11, 2006 - 2010: "FM 102.1" ("Independent. Alternative. Radio.") (

) * 2010–present: "FM 102/1 Sounds Different." (

)

References

External links

Official Website
*
Hot 102 Online

{{coord, 43.112, N, 87.931, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title LUM-FM Alternative rock radio stations in the United States Modern rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1940 1940 establishments in Wisconsin African-American history of Milwaukee