 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Southeastern Wisconsin |
| Frequency | 93.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | B93.3 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Subchannels | HD2:Oldies (WZTI simulcast) HD3:Country "Froggy 100.3/107.3" |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WLUM-FM,WZTI | |
| History | |
First air date | June1958 (as WQFM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | A combination of the surname initials for 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 |
| Translator(s) | HD3: 100.3 W262CJ (Milwaukee) HD3: 107.3 W297BY (Franklin) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live HD3:Listen live |
| Website | www froggymke.com (HD3) |
WLDB (93.3FM "B93.3 FM") is acommercialradio station inMilwaukee, Wisconsin. It is owned and operated by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, a partnership betweenTimes-Shamrock Communications andAll Pro Broadcasting. WLDB airs anadult contemporaryradio format, switching toChristmas music for much of November and December. Itsstudios are on Good Hope Road inMenomonee Falls.
WLDB has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 16,000watts. Thetransmitter site is in Milwaukee's North Side off Humboldt Boulevard nearEstabrook Park and theMilwaukee River.[2]
In 1958, WQFMsigned on the air. The station had various formats in its early years, includingclassical music,big band music,jazz and ethnic programming, before the station 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, it switched to a more "adult rock" sound, 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 as WJZI. 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]
WLDB broadcasts in theHD Radio hybrid format. The HD2digital subchannel carriessister stationWZTI1290 AM'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".[14] WLDB-HD3 also feedsFM translatorsW262CJ 100.3 MHz, broadcasting from the same site as WLDB's transmitter, andW297BY 107.3 MHz. On November 7, 2024, at noon, WLDB-HD3 launched a country music format, branded as "Froggy 100.3/107.3".[15]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W262CJ | 100.3 FM | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 156567 | 99 | D | 43°5′46″N87°54′15.3″W / 43.09611°N 87.904250°W /43.09611; -87.904250 (W262CJ) | LMS |
| 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 |
