WBCK

For the Battle Creek, Michigan radio station that held the call sign WBCK at 930 AM from 1948 to 2014, see WTOU.
WBCK
City Battle Creek, Michigan
Broadcast area
Branding 95.3 WBCK
Slogan Battle Creek's News/Talk Leader
Frequency 95.3 MHz
First air date 1986
Format News-Talk
ERP 3,000 watts
HAAT 82 meters
Class A
Facility ID 37461
Callsign meaning Battle CreeK
Former callsigns WBCK-FM (9/8/07–7/10/14)
WBXX (10/26/89–9/18/07)
WMJC (4/30/87–10/26/89)
WMKG (2/5/86–4/30/87)
WDFP (?–2/5/86)
Affiliations Fox News Radio
Michigan Radio Network
Owner Townsquare Media
(Townsquare Media Battle Creek License, LLC)
Sister stations WBXX
Webcast Listen Live
Website wbckfm.com

WBCK is a radio station in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States, owned by Townsquare Media. It broadcasts in the FM radio band at 95.3 kHz and has a news/talk format.

History

95.3 FM signed on in 1986 with the Calls WDFP, the owner was Donald F. Price, the format was either Rock or Adult Contemporary. In 1988 the Station would be sold to Captsar Broadcasting.

WMJC as Magic 95

With an ERP of 3000 Watts, 95.3 could be reached as far west as Kalamazoo and was Changed to a Top-40 station as WMKG then would switch to WMJC as "Magic 95" these calls came from 94.7 FM in Detroit now WCSX. The ratings would prove the best of this frequency has seen. Top-40 Powerhouse WKFR was dominant mostly due to its signal on 103.3 FM which would reach as far as Jackson to Benton Harbor. In the late 1990s the station began to take a more rhythmic sound similar to how WGRD was in the' 90s. Capstar would introduce the station as "B95" WBXX.

WBXX as B95

As WBXX "B95", 95.3 FM was a very popular CHR/Top 40 station in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Despite the station's high ratings (especially with younger listeners), B95 was unsuccessful in terms of revenue because it played hip-hop and rap music that was unpopular with local advertisers. This led the station to change format to oldies and later adult contemporary; the latter format now continues on 104.9 FM.

The sale of the Battle Creek Radio Group from Clear Channel Communications has been completed. 95.3 began to simulcast with WBCK (930 AM) and WBXX began broadcasting on 104.9 (formerly WRCC). 95.3 FM became the permanent home of WBCK's news/talk format.

On March 21, 2008 AM 930 and FM 95.3 stopped the simulcast between both stations, while AM 930 began airing a classic country station as Country 93.

On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus Media stations, including WBCK-FM, for $238 million. The deal is part of Cumulus' acquisition of Dial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled by Oaktree Capital Management.[1][2] The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.[3] The "-FM" suffix was dropped from the station's call sign on July 10, 2014,[4] after 930 AM (which by this point had been sold separately to Midwest Communications) changed its call letters to WTOU.

References

  1. "Official: Cumulus Buys Dial Global, Spins Some Stations To Townsquare; Peak Stations Sold To Townsquare, Fresno Spun To Cumulus". All Access. August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  2. "Cumulus Makes Dial Global And Townsquare Deals Official". RadioInsight. August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  3. "Cumulus-Townsquare-Peak Deal Closes". All Access. November 15, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  4. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved August 4, 2014.

External links

Coordinates: 42°17′17″N 85°09′54″W / 42.288°N 85.165°W / 42.288; -85.165


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