| Simulcast ofWOOD (AM),Grand Rapids | |
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| Broadcast area | |
| Frequency | 106.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | NewsRadio WOOD 1300 and 106.9 FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/talk |
| Subchannels | HD2:WKBZ simulcast |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | November 1962; 63 years ago (1962-11) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Furnwood Broadcasting; WOOD (AM) was funded originally by furniture manufacturers |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 25086 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 146 meters (479 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | woodradio |
WOOD-FM (106.9MHz) is acommercial radio stationlicensed toMuskegon, Michigan, servingWest Michigan and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. Itsimulcasts anews/talkradio format withsister stationWOOD (1300 AM). The studios and offices are at 77 Monroe Center in Downtown Grand Rapids. Following a local weekdaydrive time show, "West Michigan's Morning News", the station carriesnationally syndicated talk shows fromSean Hannity,Glenn Beck,Dave Ramsey,Joe Pags,The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show andCoast to Coast AM withGeorge Noory. Most hours begin with an update fromFox News Radio.
WOOD-FM has aneffective radiated power of 50,000 watts. Itstransmitter is off South Hilton Park Road in Muskegon.[2] WOOD-FM broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD-2digital subchannel carries programming from co-ownedWKBZ (1090 AM).
The station originallysigned on asWMUS-FM in November 1947. It was originally on 100.5 on the FM dial. WMUS-FM was Muskegon's first FM station and came on the air just a few months after its AM sister,WMUS. By 1950, WMUS-FM had gonedark, but the station was revived in November 1962. It had moved to its current frequency of 106.9 MHz and a power of 2,850 watts, gradually increased to the current 50,000 watts over the years. WMUS-FM's original programming consisted of a simulcast of its AM sister station.
In 1965, WMUS changed format frommiddle of the road (MOR) tocountry music as "Top Gun Radio". Rather than continue to simulcast, WMUS-FM separated programming and adopted the new call sign WFFM. In a "storecast" arrangement with Hasper's, a local grocery-store chain, WFFM aired instrumentaleasy listening music in monaural sound, interspersed with promotional announcements about Hasper's.[3]
The WMUS-FM call letters returned to 106.9 in 1970 and the station resumed its simulcast of the AM's country format.FM stereo broadcasting was added in 1975. WMUS-AM-FM was the main affiliate and flagship station for theGrand Valley State Laker football radio network.[4] Eventually the AM and FM signals switched roles, with the 50,000-watt stereo FM signal becoming the primary station and AM 1090 becoming the simulcast.
The AM-FM simulcast ended in April 2001 when AM 1090 changed to a news/talk format. The AM station took the call sign WKBZ which once belonged to one of WMUS' biggest competitor stations.[5]
At noon on January 5, 2011, WMUS-FM ended its country sound. It then switched to a news/talk format, simulcasting sister stationWOOD1300 AM. It turned off the stereo equipment and broadcasts in mono, better suited to a spoken word format. At the same time the WMUS calls and format were moved to 107.9 FM.[6] It acts primarily to fill in gaps in the AM station's signal. Despite WOOD's power (20,000 watts) and West Michigan's mostly flat land, it had always been all but unlistenable in Muskegon,Holland and other areas west of Grand Rapids.
The station can be received across all of West Michigan and as far east as Alma, St. Johns, and Northwest Lansing, with reception also possible in Eastern Wisconsin acrossLake Michigan, especially inSheboygan andOzaukee Counties. WOOD-FM's short-spaced allocation, lack of stereo limiting its coverage, and higher power means that theBrookfield-licensedWRXS has a much smaller coverage area than mostMilwaukee stations due to the heritage of the 106.9 signal in Muskegon.WSAE 106.9 "Home FM" inSpring Arbor, Michigan, often overpowers the frequency across south-west lower Michigan.
On June 21, 2021, a lightning strike at the tower site caused a fire that destroyed the transmitter building, temporarily knocking WOOD-FM off the air.[7]
WOOD's program director Phil Tower leads an airstaff that includes anall-news morning program,West Michigan's Morning News with Steve Kelly, Bret Bakita, Lauren Smith, and Rick Albin.West Michigan Live follows with host Justin Barclay. The rest of the day is filled by:Glenn Beck,The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,Sean Hannity,Dave Ramsey,Joe Pags andCoast to Coast AM withGeorge Noory. Most of WOOD Radio's weekday lineup comes from iHeart'sPremiere Networks.
Weekend programs and hosts include: "Leo Laporte:The Tech Guy",Gordon Deal, "The Weekend with Michael Brown",Bill Cunningham and "Jill On Money".[8]
WOOD Radio's local newsroom provides local, regional and national news every day of the week, plus world and national news fromFox News Radio. It also utilizes reports and breaking news coverage through an ancillary affiliation withCBS News Radio.
WOOD Radio is the Grand Rapids home ofUniversity of MichiganWolverines football andbasketball. It also carriesGrand Rapids Griffins ice hockey.
43°13′48″N86°05′02″W / 43.230°N 86.084°W /43.230; -86.084