| SimulcastingWRJN Racine | |
|---|---|
| |
| Broadcast area | Milwaukee metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 1290kHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Full serviceoldies |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Milwaukee Radio Alliance, LLC |
| WLDB,WLUM-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | April 20, 1947; 78 years ago (1947-04-20) (as WMLO) |
Former call signs |
|
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 63597 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000watts |
| Translator | 107.3 W297BY (Franklin) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | wrjn |
WZTI (1290AM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toGreenfield, Wisconsin, and serving theMilwaukee metropolitan area. It airs afull serviceoldiesradio format, featuring hits from the 1960s and 1970s. It is owned by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, a partnership betweenTimes-Shamrock Communications andAll-Pro Broadcasting, along withsister stations 102.1WLUM-FM and 93.3WLDB. Its studios are on Good Hope Road inMenomonee Falls.
WZTI’s transmitter power is 5,000watts. To protect other stations on1290 AM from interference, it uses adirectional antenna with a four-tower array. Thetransmitter is off West Rawson Avenue inFranklin, near theRoot River.[3] Programming is also heard on sister stationWLDB's HD2 subchannel.
The stationsigned on the air on April 20, 1947, as WMLO.[4] For its first 33 years, it was adaytimer station, required to go off the air at night. WMLO was anaffiliate of theABC Radio Network. It later became WMIL.
Asister station, 95.7WMIL-FM, was added in 1961. WMIL switched its affiliation to theCBS Radio Network in June 26, 1961.[5] Its relationship with CBS Radio lasted until December 1963.
WMIL-AM-FM were owned from 1968 to 1986 byMalrite Broadcasting. At first, the two stationssimulcast acountry music format as "Big M Country". In 1971, the FM station switched tobeautiful music as "WMVM, Stereo Radio 95.7", with the slogan "Milwaukee's Voice of Music". Both stations flipped toTop 40 hits as WZUU and WZUU-FM (The Super Zoo) in 1972, initially consulted by Mike Joseph. In December 1979 while still a daytime only station, AM 1290 continued to simulcast the "Larry The Legend" morning show, but during other hours began an oldies format as Solid Gold 13Z.
In 1980, WZUU was granted a power increase from 1,000 watts days only to 5,000 watts day and night. Thecity of license was change to Greenfield, Wisconsin. In late 1982, it changed itscall sign to WLZZ as "Solid Gold Wheels". WLZZ also ran a short lived country format beginning in late 1983, but returned to simulcasting WZUU-FM as WZUU after that.
The station was later sold to Amos communications, who split 1290 WZUU away from WZUU-FM in January 1986 to run the "Heart and Soul" urban gold format from the Satellite Music Network and the call letters were changed to WMVP. 1290 was then sold to Willie Davis in 1988. AM 1000 in Chicago, then WLUP purchased theWMVP call letters from Davis for a newsports radio format. At that point, 1290 AM became WMCS in December 1993. The WMCS call sign stood for "Milwaukee's Community Station", to emphasize the station's heavy community involvement.
In 2004, WMCS flipped to atalk radio format. In December 2004, WMCS began airing sports shows fromESPN Radio after sunset, in partnership with daytime-only sports stationWAUK (1510 AM) as "Milwaukee's ESPN Radio...1510 days, 1290 nights".[6] The sports format later became home toplay-by-play broadcasts forMarquette University men'scollege basketball and theAHL'sMilwaukee Admirals via WAUK.[7]
On January 22, 2008,Good Karma Broadcasting, owner of WAUK, purchasedChristian radio stationWRRD (540 AM) fromSalem Communications. It moved WAUK's sports format to the full-time signal on February 12, casting doubt on the nighttime simulcast agreement with WMCS.[8]
On June 30, 2008, WMCS began airing its own content, consisting ofblues andurban gospel programming, in addition toAl Sharpton's dailytalk show.[9]
On February 26, 2013, WMCS beganstunting withElvis Presley songs in preparation of a format flip.[10] At 3 p.m. on March 1, the station debuted its newadult standards format as "1290 Martini Radio". It took a new call sign, WZTI.[11][12][13]
On July 27, 2014, WZTI began to also air on the FM band on 100.3 FM, usingFM translator stationW262CJ, which broadcasts from theShorewood tower farm on Milwaukee's northwest side and mainly covers the inner north portion of the Milwaukee metro area.[14] The translator uses the HD2 channel of sister FM stationWLDB to translate the signal to analog FM.
On November 1, 2014, WZTI dropped the adult standards format and began stunting withChristmas music, calling itself "100.3 The Elf". On December 25, 2014, at 5 p.m., after playing "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" byLeAnn Rimes, the station flipped torhythmic oldies, branded as "The Party 100.3 FM & 1290 AM".[15] The first song on "The Party" was "1999" byPrince.[16]
On August 25, 2015, at noon, after playing "Miss You Much" byJanet Jackson, "It's a Shame" byThe Spinners and "The Party's Over" byJourney, WZTI shifted tooldies, branded as "Milwaukee's True Oldies 100.3 FM & 1290 AM". The first song on "True Oldies" was "Old Time Rock and Roll" byBob Seger.[17] The station began using programming fromScott Shannon's "True Oldies Channel".[18]
On March 7, 2018, WZTI rebranded as "Fonz FM" (named afterHappy Days characterArthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli).[19] It discontinued carrying programming from the True Oldies Channel, switching to its own locally-programmedplaylist.
On September 10, 2025, Milwaukee Radio Alliance announced they would sell WZTI, as well as FM translators W262CJ (100.3 FM) and W297BY (107.3 FM), to Madison-based Civic Media for $465,000.
On September 17, 2025, WZTI began tosimulcast Civic's own full-service oldies stationWRJN fromRacine.[20]
Prior to its purchase of WMCS in 1988, All-Pro Broadcasting ownedWAWA (1590 AM), a 1,000-watt daytime-only directional AM station licensed toWest Allis, Wisconsin. WAWA had signed on in 1961. It aired anR&B format that was popular with Milwaukee's African-American community, and was a rival toWNOV during the 1960s and 1970s.
The station also simulcast part-time with FM sister station102.1 FM, beginning when 1590's owner Suburbanaire Inc. bought the 102.1 frequency (then WMKE) in 1964. 102.1 then became WAWA-FM until 1979, when it was then changed by new owner Willie Davis to WLUM. Later, in 1987 the 1590 WAWA call sign was also changed to WLUM. When All-Pro purchased the stronger 1290 frequency in 1988, the company signed off WLUM 1590 and returned the station's license to theFCC.
WZTI also broadcast on the following translator:
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W297BY | 107.3 FM | Franklin, Wisconsin | 150179 | 250 | D | 42°51′20.1″N87°50′41.3″W / 42.855583°N 87.844806°W /42.855583; -87.844806 (W297BY) | LMS |
42°55′11.06″N87°59′17.31″W / 42.9197389°N 87.9881417°W /42.9197389; -87.9881417