WBNZ

Radio station in Frankfort, Michigan
  • Frankfort, Michigan
Broadcast area[1]Frequency92.3 MHzBranding92.3 WBNZProgrammingFormatActive RockOwnershipOwnerFort Bend BroadcastingHistory
First air date
circa 1994 (as WRQT at 92.1)
Former call signs
WOUF (2001–2009)
WSRI (7/13/99-4/5/01)
WBVE (7/19/96-7/13/99)
WRQT (6/17/94-7/19/96)
Former frequencies
92.1 MHz (1994–2009)
Call sign meaning
BeNZie CountyTechnical informationFacility ID57414ClassC2ERP50,000 wattsHAAT136 meters

WBNZ (92.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Frankfort, Michigan.

History

WBNZ first went on the air in October 1978 with a soft rock and local news format. The general manager was Michael Bradford, a former DJ at WCCW in Traverse City. It had live DJ's, including Bradford for the beloved local morning show, with a pre-recorded music format and local news. Network news was broadcast hourly from the ABC FM Network.

In July 2009, WOUF 92.3 FM Beulah and WBNZ 99.3 FM Frankfort swapped call signs and cities of license, with WBNZ's soft AC format moving to 92.3 and WOUF ("The Wolf") taking residence on 99.3 with a new format (changing from a country/southern rock hybrid to mainstream rock). 92.3, which formerly operated at 92.1 FM, has aired a variety of formats since first taking to the air in the mid-1990s, including simulcasts of then-99.3 WBNZ and 101.9 WLDR, and an '80s hits format (simulcast with 100.1) as WSRI/WSRQ "Star FM."

On October 22, 2014 WBNZ began simulcasting WLDR-FM 101.9 FM Traverse City as "The Bay".[1]

On January 21, 2015 WBNZ went silent.

In early to mid July 2016, WBNZ was heard on the air with a simulcast of WLDR-FM as "101.9 the Bay", likely as a way to keep the license active. Throughout October 2016, the station was on and off the air again, still simulcasting The Bay, possibly for the same reason.

On October 1, 2018 WBNZ switched from a simulcast with WLDR-FM to a simulcast of sports-formatted WGRY-FM 101.1 FM Roscommon.[2]

In October 2019 WBNZ went silent.[3]

Sources

  • Michiguide.com - WBNZ History
  1. ^ Sunny Sets Over Traverse City
  2. ^ Blarney Stone Adds Three in Traverse City Radioinsight - October 1, 2018
  3. ^ Blarney Stone Broadcasting Launches North-FM In Traverse City After LMA Collapse Radioinsight - November 6, 2019

External links

  • ‹The template FMQ is being considered for deletion.› WBNZ in the FCC FM station database
  • WBNZ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
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Radio stations in Northwest Michigan, including Traverse City, Petoskey and Cadillac
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Radio stations in Northern Michigan
Alpena-Tawas City
Ludington-Manistee
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Other nearby regions
Door County
North Central Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie–Newberry
See also
List of radio stations in Michigan

44°36′40″N 86°09′40″W / 44.611°N 86.161°W / 44.611; -86.161


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