 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Milwaukee |
| Frequency | 97.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | B97.3 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Subchannels | HD2:WISN simulcast (news/talk) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WISN,WKKV-FM,WMIL-FM,WOKY,WRIT-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | January 1961; 64 years ago (1961-01) (as WISN-FM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Radio Now" (previous format) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 26609 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 15,500watts |
| HAAT | 278 meters (912 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°06′40″N87°55′37″W / 43.111°N 87.927°W /43.111; -87.927 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | b973fm |
WRNW (97.3FM) is acommercialradio station inMilwaukee, Wisconsin, known as "B97.3". It airs anadult contemporary radio format and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are on West Howard Avenue inGreenfield.
WRNW is aClass B FM station with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 15,500watts. The stationtransmits from thetower of its former sister television stationWISN-TV (channel 12) inLincoln Park, near theMilwaukee River.[2] WRNW broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD2digital subchannel carriestalk radio programming from co-ownedWISN (1130 AM); WISN-TV is owned byHearst Television and outside its tower lease, has no current connection to its former radio sisters.
The stationsigned on the air in January 1961 as WISN-FM, thesister station toWISN (1130 AM). This was the second iteration of WISN-FM, after a short-lived attempt in 1949 on 102.9 FM, whereWHQG is now heard.[3]
At the beginning, 1130 AM and 97.3 FM mostlysimulcast their programming. They were co-owned for many years with television stationWISN-TV as part of theHearst Corporation, a newspaper and broadcasting conglomerate. From the late 1960s until 1978, WISN-FM carried anautomatedbeautiful music format. It played quarter-hour sweeps of primarily instrumental music, with someBroadway andHollywoodshow tunes. Its longtime easy listening rivals wereWTMJ-FM, (nowWKTI) owned by theMilwaukee Journal and WEZW (nowWXSS).
In 1978, the station flipped toalbum oriented rock (AOR) as WLPX. It used consultantLee Abrams' "SuperStars" format.[4] The formula for the station was to play only the biggest rock stars and concentrate on their best selling albums.
The station became an immediate success in the ratings. WLPX pushed rivalWZMF to tighten its format and later drop it altogether for beautiful music with new call letters WXJY. WLPX also sponsored futureNASCAR Hall of Fame inducteeAlan Kulwicki on local racetracks on the ASA, ARTGO, and regional circuits, which led to the association of his car number 97 in the Midwest with the radio station.
On August 22, 1983, WLPX abruptly switched toTop 40 (CHR), first as97X, then shortly after as WBTT,B-97. WBTT was a short-time affiliate ofDan Ingram's Top 40 Satellite Survey.
SatelliteSoft adult contemporary from Transtar's "Format 41" became the format in April 1985 as "Light 97" with theWLTQ call sign.[5] Later adding local programming, the station'sdisc jockeys often appeared on WISN-TV in various roles, including hosting a telethon and doing remote broadcasts. They were also seen on programs involving theWisconsin Lottery.
WLTQ featured the popular syndicated call-in and request showDelilah in the evening shift.
The station enjoyed high ratings through the late 1980s, 1990s, and early 2000s, particularly in the "at-work" audience, eventually eroding the audience of its longtime rival,WEZW. By 2003, WLTQ's ratings started dropping considerably, as the station's stodgy "Light" image turned many younger listeners away, who associated it negatively as resembling 'elevator music' with the fading of both easy listening and lite AC formats in the late 1990s into the early 2000s.[6][7]
On September 17, 2004, at noon, "Light 97.3" signed off with "We Said Hello, Goodbye" byPhil Collins. WLTQ then began stunting with songs with the words "air" or "America" in the title, telling people "Milwaukee will be TALKing about 97.3" while airing clips ofAl Franken, promoting to listen the following Monday at 6 a.m. Clear Channel played into rumors of conversion of the station into a left-wingAir America-based talk format, already carried by WLTQ's sister station inMadison.[8][9]
Instead, 97.3 adopted an '80s-centricClassic rock format as97.3 The Brew, launching with "(You Can Still) Rock in America" byNight Ranger.[10] The call sign was soon changed to WQBW to match the "Brew" branding. The station's initial slogan was "Rock of the '80s and More", which eventually changed to "The Biggest Variety of Rock Hits".[11] The station's television ads andbillboard advertisements featured an obese shirtless man named "Dancin' Kevin" based on an imaging campaign atWLUP-FM inChicago. The station's personalities were mainlyvoicetracked from other markets.
WQBW immediately experienced ratings success with the new format, which led to direct competitorsWKLH andWLZR (both sister stations owned by Saga Communications) adjusting their playlists and formats accordingly. WLZR (which had already been experiencing declines due to a decline in the format and awkward schedule flow from their talk-centric morning show) dropped itsactive rock format for a more older-targeting, harder-leaningmainstream rock format as "The Hog", while WKLH (shifting towards a straightforwardclassic rock format as theclassic hits format overall became pop-centric) adopted new on-air imaging. Both of these changes drew listeners back from WQBW, prompting the station to shift towardsadult hits by 2008. In addition, rivalWKTI (then airing ahot adult contemporary format) flipped to adult hits that same year, with a playlist featuring many of the same artists being played on WQBW. With all of these changes, WQBW ended up being the lowest-rated station in the market with the format it originated.
At 9 a.m. on May 28, 2010, after playing "The Final Countdown" byEurope, the station returned toTop 40 (CHR) with the branding "97-3 Radio Now." The first song was "Tik Tok" byKe$ha.[12][13] The move was made quickly to pre-empt an expected format change byWJZX, who ended theirsmooth jazz format and began a stunt format known as "Tiger Radio" the day before WQBW's flip. The station's new format was likely to beRhythmic Top 40 under the new callsign WNQW, which prompted Clear Channel to act quickly and claim the "Now" name and brand before WJZX owner Saga Communications could claim it.[14] The airstaff and morning show returned to the station on July 26, though the title of the morning show changed to "Connie and Curtis" after "Fish" Calloway's departure a week after the format change.[15]
On June 10, 2010, WQBW's call letters were officially changed to WRNW. That call sign had previously been used from 1960 until 1982 forWXPK in theNew York City suburb ofBriarcliff Manor, the station whereHoward Stern first hosted mornings.
WRNW's format change gave longtime top 40 powerhouseWXSS its first-in-market competition since WKTI's switch to adult hits. WRNW's Top 40 musical direction favored a pop/rock approach, as it played less rhythmic/hip hop music than WXSS and most other large market contemporary hit stations.[16]
On August 31, 2012, theConnie and Curtis morning show ended on WRNW and Madison sister stationWZEE, and was replaced withPremiere Networks' syndicatedElvis Duran and the Morning Show on September 4. That same week, WRNW picked up new competition from WZBK-FM, who, after WRNW beat them to the punch with the "Radio Now" format flip, finally made the switch to Rhythmic Top 40, this time as "Energy 106.9" (and new call lettersWNRG-FM) on September 7.[17]
In late April 2015, the station re-branded as "97-3 Now", and began using a logo similar toKISS-FM branded stations. On September 14, 2016, the station announced that the morning show would be brought back to being hosted locally in-house, with former WXSS morning personality Rahny Taylor returning to Milwaukee after a three-year stint on the nationalK-Love network to host the new show, starting the next day.[18]
Just after midnight on November 27, 2018, after playing "Eastside" byBenny Blanco and a commercial break, WRNW flipped tosports talk as97.3 The Game. The station inherited the local programming of sister AM stationWOKY, includingDrew & KB,The Crossover,The Mike Heller Show, andThe Double Team.Fox Sports Radio programs are carried on nights and weekends.[19] With this change, WOKY shifted to a primarily syndicated lineup, carrying most of the national Fox Sports Radio lineup.[20] WRNW also carries coverage ofWisconsin Badgers sports from Learfield Sports, along with WOKY's former national rights to carryWestwood One Sports and the threeNASCAR radio networks,MRN,PRN andIMSRN. It also picked upWisconsin Badgersfootball andbasketball, which continue to also air on WOKY.
Much of WRNW's daytime schedule has been subsequently syndicated across the state of Wisconsin, mainly to stations owned byMidwest Communications, as of November 2, 2020 (iHeartMedia's presence in those markets is limited due to market concentration among other station groups). That group runs WRNW's programming onWNFL inGreen Bay,WRIG in theWausau market, andWDSM inDuluth–Superior, along with their associated urban FM translators, with WDSM specifically taking "The Game" branding full-time.[21] In March 2021,WTSO inMadison, formerly co-branded with WOKY, began to air the full WRNW schedule in Madison; it had already taken "The Game" branding in association with Fox Sports Radio in early 2020.[22]
On October 27, 2021, theGreen Bay Packers announced that WRNW would become the team's Milwaukee affiliate for thePackers Radio Network in 2022, ending a 93-year run onWTMJ, which had served as flagship station for most of that time. The team was already airing on iHeartMedia stations in Madison,Eau Claire, andMoline, Illinois.[23]
In October 2025, the station laid off morning hosts Steve Czaban and Brian Butch, evening host Matt Schneidman, and program director Tim Scott amid nationwide cuts by owneriHeartMedia.[24]
At noon on October 13, WRNW abruptly dropped the "Game" format and flipped back toadult contemporary after 21 years as "B97.3", assuming the branding of soon-to-departWLDB ahead of their sale toK-Love. The first song after the relaunch was "Happy" byPharrell Williams. With the flip, the rights to the Badgers and Packers will move toWRIT-FM, with WOKY remaining unchanged.[25]
At midnight on November 3, the station flipped toChristmas music, continuing the holiday tradition previously carried by WLDB and co-owned WRIT-FM of switching to holiday programming in November, and the station's first Christmas conversion since 2003, when it was still WLTQ.[26][27] Despite the station's new branding, the station will retain its WRNW calls for the time being until the resolution of thegovernment shutdown which has also stopped all FCC business, including any callsign changes.
On April 25, 2006, Clear Channel announced that WQBW's HD2 subchannel would carryRadio Radio from their Format Lab, a format focusing on classicmodern rock hits. It was later replaced by theRock Nation feed from Format Lab, which featuresactive rock. From February 2011 until August 2012, the HD2 signal carriediHeartRadio's "Spin Cycle" automated format with dance/EDM tracks.
At the beginning of August 2012, the HD2 signal began to carry the audio of WISN; although their AM signal is also carried in HD Radio, it is limited after sunset. This returns what had begun as WISN-FM to carrying their AM sister station in some form for the first time in decades.[28]