| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Southeastern Wisconsin |
| Frequency | 93.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian contemporary |
| Network | K-Love |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| Operator | Educational Media Foundation |
| WLVE,WLUM-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | June1958 (as WQFM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | A combination of the surname initials for former station owners Bill Lynett and the lateWillie Davis, then "B", which formerly represented the station'sbee mascot |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 59974 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 16,000watts |
| HAAT | 270 meters (890 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°05′46″N87°54′14″W / 43.096°N 87.904°W /43.096; -87.904 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WLDB (93.3FM) is anon-commercialradio station inMilwaukee, Wisconsin. Currently owned by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, it is operated by pending ownerEducational Media Foundation and broadcasts the company's nation-wideContemporary Christian musicK-Love network.
WLDB has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 16,000watts. The station'stransmitter site is in Milwaukee's North Side off Humboldt Boulevard nearEstabrook Park and theMilwaukee River.[2]
WQFMsigned on the air in 1958 under the ownership of Hugo Koeth Jr. The station had various programs and formats in its early years, includingclassical music,big band music,jazz and ethnic programming, After Koeth's death in 1972, the station was sold to Shamrock Broadcasting who first tried anautomatedTop 40 format.
Starting in 1973, WQFM was Milwaukee's dominantalbum oriented rock station. The station competed with the eclecticfree-formWZMF until 1979, andWLPX until 1983.
"93QFM" was the top rock station in town for over a decade, but faced its stiffest competition in 1987, whenWBCS ended itscountry music format and becameactive rock WLZR, "Lazer 103". Seeing WLZR take away some listeners, WQFM shifted to a moreheavy metal/hard rock direction, similar to that of "Lazer".
In 1992, WQFM switched to a more "adult rock" format, then became heavier again. In addition, the station had a succession of morning shows over the years, including an ill-fated attempt at airing Wisconsin nativeJonathon Brandmeier's show fromWLUP inChicago. That backfired when WLUP shuffled its on-air lineup, moving Brandmeier to afternoons and putKevin Matthews in morningdrive time. At one point, WQFM put together one short-lived morning show that consisted of people who had never done radio, which included Lori Minetti, the hostess of theWisconsin Lottery'sMoney Game television show and later, the host ofWITI'sBuilder's Showcase.
After years of falling ratings, on March 1, 1996, at 10:15 a.m., WQFM ended its rock format with "Long Live Rock" byThe Who, and flipped tosmooth jazz under new WJZI call letters. The first song under the new format was "I Wish" byNajee.[3][4] The WQFM call letters were then transferred to a sister station inScranton, Pennsylvania,WTZR, to prevent re-use by a Milwaukee competitor.
WJZI's smooth jazz format never dominated among Milwaukee radio listeners, but remained competitive in the middle portion of theArbitron ratings. In the winter of 2005, the station tied for 9th place withWJMR among listeners 25 to 54, but rose to 7th place in the winter of 2006.[5]
On March 5, 2007, WJZI began a transition in its format, gearing the station towards a slightly younger female demographic. This involved adding moreadult contemporary music. De-emphasizing the smooth jazz instrumental music that was a staple of the station, WJZI changed its branding to "Smooth 93.3", as it slowly began to make the transition to full-fledgedsoft rock.
By June 18, 2007, the transition was complete, with revamped on-air imaging, stationlogo and website. In addition, the station rebranded as "The All New Smooth 93.3". A new morning show was also added, featuring Milwaukee radio veteran Ellen Stout and station program director Stan Atkinson. Competing stationWFMR changed its format fromclassical music tosmooth jazz on June 26, one week after WJZI's move. That station changed itscall sign to WJZX.
On July 30, 2007, WJZI adopted new positioning, changing its call letters to WLDB, with the new moniker "B93.3".[6] This matched the imaging used by a popular station with the same format inPhiladelphia,WBEB.[7] The station uses the decimal number to avert confusion withSheboygan's country-formattedWBFM, which likewise brands as "B93.7" and has fringe reception in the central reaches ofOzaukee County. The station's weather forecasts are prepared and delivered byWDJT-TV's weather staff.
In June 2009, WLDB tweaked its format fromsoft AC tomainstream AC, playing music from the 1980s, 1990s, and the 2000s. This type of format was onWKTI before it flipped to anadult hits format and changed its call sign to WLWK-FM in November 2008. WLDB was attempting to compete withhot AC stationWMYX-FM, although "The Mix" plays more new music than old. As of 2011, the station played music from the 1970s through the present. The station's schedule all weekend between 5 p.m. on Fridays and 5 a.m. on Mondays consisted solely of 80s music.
The station rebranded as "Trending Radio 93.3" at 6:07 p.m. on April 1, 2015, after playingYou Gotta Be byDes'ree, a title playing as apun for a skit which followed where the station's former bee mascot was swatted to cue the branding change. The first song on "Trending Radio" wasLet's Get It Started byThe Black Eyed Peas.[8] The playlist was then tightened towards more current and recent hits, focusing on competing more with WMYX, along withWXSS andWRNW to a lesser extent.
On February 23, 2016, at 3 p.m., after playing "Royals" byLorde, WLDB returned to its former adult contemporary format and "B93.3" branding, though lacking the "bee" elements and mascot. The first song after the relaunch was "Don't Stop Believin'" byJourney.[9][10]
In previous years, the station usually has only had intermittentChristmas music in the period between Thanksgiving and mid-December, then all Christmas for a couple of weeks leading to the holiday, but since 2016, has racedWRIT-FM in converting in mid-November. In 2016, the station went all-Christmas on November 17, beatingWRIT-FM for the first time.[11][12][13]
On August 25, 2025, the station announced it was being purchased (along with sister station WLUM) byK-Love Inc., and would change formats to Christian music.
On August 29, at noon, after a live goodbye show from the departing airstaff that ended with "End Of The Road" byBoyz II Men, WLDB dropped its adult contemporary format.[14][15] In homage to the station's history as a Christmas station, and in response to some listener requests, WLDB opted to flip to anall-Christmas format early (stating it was doing so because it would not be there to do so come November and December) until K-Love closes on the purchase. However, the stunt only lasted a week; on September 4, the station reverted to adult contemporary, and went completelyautomated and jockless while the sales process was completed.[16]
On October 13,WRNW, owned by rival companyiHeartMedia, assumed the adult contemporary format and "B" branding. Though both stations would run separate from each other during WLDB's remaining time with the format, WRNW launched with an emphasis on welcoming displaced WLDB listeners to try the new version; by October 29, this had even extended to 93.3's social media accounts, which would explicitly promote the change as a transfer of the format, before effectively transforming into the official accounts for 97.3's version of the format following the move.[17]
At 11:50 a.m. on October 30, in the middle of "Love Somebody" byMaroon 5, WLDB abruptly dropped the adult contemporary format. After about 10 minutes ofdead air, at noon, WLDB returned to air and switched to the nationalK-Love network.[18]
WLDB broadcasts in theHD Radio hybrid format. The HD2digital subchannel carriedsister stationWZTI'soldies format.
On October 27, 2024, WLDB activated an HD3 sub-channel; on the same date, WLDB-HD3 beganstunting with Halloween music, branded as "The Haunt".[19] WLDB-HD3 also feedsFM translators W262CJ 100.3 MHz, broadcasting from the same site as WLDB's transmitter, and W297BY 107.3 MHz. On November 7, at noon, WLDB-HD3 launched a country music format, branded as "Froggy 100.3/107.3".[20]
On September 16, 2025, the HD2 and HD3 signals and formats were discontinued.
