WWCK-FM (105.5

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one h ...

, "CK105.5") is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission 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 radi ...

in Flint, Michigan, broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR) format. The station is owned by

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 8 ...

and has programmed its current format since 1989. Its studios are located south of the Flint city limits and its transmitter is east of downtown Flint near the intersection of Dort Highway and

Interstate 69 Interstate 69 (I-69) is an Interstate Highway in the United States currently consisting of 10 unconnected segments with an original continuous segment from Indianapolis, Indiana, northeast to the Canadian border in Port Huron, Michigan, a ...

History

Early history: WMRP

105.5 FM originally went on the air in 1964 as WMRP-FM. The WMRP calls stood for Methodist Radio Parish. WMRP-FM aired a

beautiful music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator m ...

format while WMRP 1570 played

MOR Mor or MOR may refer to: Names and titles * Mór (given name), a list of people named Mór or Mor * Mor (surname), a list of people named Mor or Mór * Mor (honorific), or Mar, in Syriac Radio and television * Middle of the road (music) genre * ...

; the conservative owners of the stations prohibited any advertising for

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alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

products.

WWCK is born as FM 105 Flint's Best Rock

In 1971, the

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelica ...

withdrew support for WMRP-AM-FM, and the stations were sold that year to John W. Nogaj, who changed the FM's call letters to WWCK in November 1971 as a tribute to Windsor, Ontario's powerhouse CKLW and installed a daytime

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 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. "Top 40" or "conte ...

and nighttime AOR format. As AM 1570 they went

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

and later

Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as wel ...

as WCZN. John sold WCZN and WWCK in 1975 to Reams Broadcasting who changed WWCK's format in October 1975 to full time AOR. As ''"WWCK FM 105, Flint's Best Rock"'' and then as ''"WWCK FM 105, Rock Of The Eighties"''. WWCK-FM was a market leader in Flint for many years, and it was named as the top rated rock station in all of the United States in 1985, WWCK-FM was also the home of WWCK's DJ turned-filmmaker

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ...

's Sunday night show "Radio Free Flint" from 1980 through 1985 and "Buffalo Dick's Radio Ranch" with Jeffrey Lamb and future voice actor himself Robert Paulsen was voted as "The Best Local Programming In All Markets" by

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

in 1982.

WWCK goes into CHR/Top 40 as CK 105 FM

In December 1988, Reams Broadcasting sold WWCK-AM 1570 and WWCK-FM 105.5 to Majac of

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

, On January 1, 1989, Majac officially changed WWCK-FM's format from an AOR station to a CHR/

station as "The All New CK 105 FM" with WWCK AM 1570 serving as a shadowcast of FM 105. This marked the first time Flint had a 2nd FM CHR/Top 40 Hit music radio station of its own since the days of WTAC 600 AM changed from Top 40 to Country in 1981. The fans of the old FM 105 era were unhappy with the change, but WWCK's new format took off in the ratings and gain some new fans as in the CHR fanbase as CK 105 posted several number one showings (12+) in the Flint

Arbitron 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 merging ...

reports throughout the 1990s. CK 105.5 is typically still a top ten ratings performer in

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

. WWCK-FM was once housed at its

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to ...

location on Lapeer Rd. During the 1990s WWCK-FM allowed requests at the studio window. It was also common for wedding parties to stop by the studio for shout outs and such.

References

Michiguide.com - WWCK-FM History

External links

WWCK official website
* {{Cumulus Media WCK-FM Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1964 Cumulus Media radio stations