WBMI 105.5

[syntheticexctasy]

Just have to give kudos to the station's owners - I've been north several times recently, and everytime I end up tuning in and listening for a while. While classic country is not my favorite genre, I do get in the mood for it now and then - and when I do I can only hope i'm within range of this station

Now need to work on that website and get a live stream up

[ChrisWL1980]

They use WW1's classic country format I believe. It's also programmed (and streams) on WRCI in Three Rivers, last I checked. It sounds great.

[BayCityJohn2337]

They do have Town Hall News at the top of every hour that's kinda nice

[ADD in TC]

Looking at a recent FCC filing,it appears that this station may be taken over by the Smile FM network.

[matt1]

Back in 1981 & in 1982, I wanted to hear WWCK in Flint when it was a hard rock station (because it was blocked) instead of WBMI!!!

[Thunderstorm]

Michigan -- Ed and Jennifer Czelada’s Smile FM has filed a $95,000 deal to buy “Classic Hit Country 105.5” WBMI, West Branch, MI from Peggy Warner. Once the deal closes, Smile FM will flip the format to its noncommercial religious contemporary Christian format.

[ChrisWL1980]

Thus making it, what, the third Smile signal that can be picked up in West Branch? I'm sure 88.3 and 91.9 come in just fine already.
I'd almost rather see it go back off the air entirely.

[Realist]

Thus making it, what, the third Smile signal that can be picked up in West Branch? I'm sure 88.3 and 91.9 come in just fine already.
I'd almost rather see it go back off the air entirely.

+1

[ChrisWL1980]

This also means the Jesus freaks will now be in control of every licensed broadcast signal in Ogemaw County, with the other two being 90.9 WMSD (Rose City) and the Seventh Day Adventists' LPFM at 107.3.

Would be nice if, instead of turning 105.5 into another Chris Tomlin Hit Parade drone, Smile put their Positive Country format (103.7 in the Thumb) there instead. It would be a nice segway from the prior format, plus WCZE plays a lot more actual country and a lot less hick-hop than the pop country competition.

[Colonel Flagg]

WBMI was a decent sounding station back in the 80's, as rock station "I-105". I believe they used TM Stereo Rock reels, in "live assist" mode, but I could be wrong. It was a hybrid AOR/CHR presentation, similar to what Q106 in Jackson/Lansing was doing at the time. There was also sister station WBMB, a daytime only AM (long since deleted) on 1060, which I believe came on-air in 1965 or so.

The problem with West Branch is there's no money there, and far too many competing signals, many many more since WBMB was built in the 60's, and more still since WBMI arrived in the 80's. When the economy hiccups, that area of mid Michigan (Clare, Harrison, Gladwin, etc) seems to get cancer. The malaise lingers. As far as what to do with a facility like this, I don't know the answer. WBMB/WBMI has changed hands many times over the years. There are only so many Friday fish fry's you can promote.

[Ben Zonia]

WBMI was a decent sounding station back in the 80's, as rock station "I-105". I believe they used TM Stereo Rock reels, in "live assist" mode, but I could be wrong. It was a hybrid AOR/CHR presentation, similar to what Q106 in Jackson/Lansing was doing at the time. There was also sister station WBKB, a daytime only AM (long since deleted) on 1060, which I believe came on-air in 1965 or so.

The problem with West Branch is there's no money there, and far too many competing signals, many many more since WBKB was built in the 60's, and more still since WBMI arrived in the 80's. When the economy hiccups, that area of mid Michigan (Clare, Harrison, Gladwin, etc) seems to get cancer. The malaise lingers. As far as what to do with a facility like this, I don't know the answer. WBKB/WBMIBecause has changed hands many times over the years. There are only so many Friday fish fry's you can promote.

It was WBMB 1060. The problem with WBMB was also bad ground conductivity, particularly to the North and West where it is hilly, dry, and sandy, much less than M-3, and the fact that they are inside the KYW 1060 protected skywave contour, so no hope for full-time, even like WHFB 1060 with 1.3 watts Night, which is just outside the KYW protected skywave contour. Because that is a hilly region to the NW, it also affects the FM. 105.5 used to be in St. Helen, serving the Houghton Lake area. You would think that it could survive commercially, West Branch being a big stopping off point on the I-75 corridor. Note that WB is where the SE Michigan AM Day signals start to take a precipitous drop off going North.

[Colonel Flagg]

WBMI was a decent sounding station back in the 80's, as rock station "I-105". I believe they used TM Stereo Rock reels, in "live assist" mode, but I could be wrong. It was a hybrid AOR/CHR presentation, similar to what Q106 in Jackson/Lansing was doing at the time. There was also sister station WBMB, a daytime only AM (long since deleted) on 1060, which I believe came on-air in 1965 or so.

The problem with West Branch is there's no money there, and far too many competing signals, many many more since WBMB was built in the 60's, and more still since WBMI arrived in the 80's. When the economy hiccups, that area of mid Michigan (Clare, Harrison, Gladwin, etc) seems to get cancer. The malaise lingers. As far as what to do with a facility like this, I don't know the answer. WBMB/WBMI has changed hands many times over the years. There are only so many Friday fish fry's you can promote.

[Colonel Flagg]

WBMI was a decent sounding station back in the 80's, as rock station "I-105". I believe they used TM Stereo Rock reels, in "live assist" mode, but I could be wrong. It was a hybrid AOR/CHR presentation, similar to what Q106 in Jackson/Lansing was doing at the time. There was also sister station WBKB, a daytime only AM (long since deleted) on 1060, which I believe came on-air in 1965 or so.

The problem with West Branch is there's no money there, and far too many competing signals, many many more since WBKB was built in the 60's, and more still since WBMI arrived in the 80's. When the economy hiccups, that area of mid Michigan (Clare, Harrison, Gladwin, etc) seems to get cancer. The malaise lingers. As far as what to do with a facility like this, I don't know the answer. WBKB/WBMIBecause has changed hands many times over the years. There are only so many Friday fish fry's you can promote.

It was WBMB 1060. The problem with WBMB was also bad ground conductivity, particularly to the North and West where it is hilly, dry, and sandy, much less than M-3, and the fact that they are inside the KYW 1060 protected skywave contour, so no hope for full-time, even like WHFB 1060 with 1.3 watts Night, which is just outside the KYW protected skywave contour. Because that is a hilly region to the NW, it also affects the FM. 105.5 used to be in St. Helen, serving the Houghton Lake area. You would think that it could survive commercially, West Branch being a big stopping off point on the I-75 corridor. Note that WB is where the SE Michigan AM Day signals start to take a precipitous drop off going North.

Fixed. Thanks, Ben. No idea why I put a "K" in there. Senior moment, maybe. I knew there was a St. Helen station at one time, but never knew it was on 105.5, or even on FM, for that matter.

[Realist]

WBMI was a decent sounding station back in the 80's, as rock station "I-105". I believe they used TM Stereo Rock reels, in "live assist" mode, but I could be wrong. It was a hybrid AOR/CHR presentation, similar to what Q106 in Jackson/Lansing was doing at the time. There was also sister station WBMB, a daytime only AM (long since deleted) on 1060, which I believe came on-air in 1965 or so.

The problem with West Branch is there's no money there, and far too many competing signals, many many more since WBMB was built in the 60's, and more still since WBMI arrived in the 80's. When the economy hiccups, that area of mid Michigan (Clare, Harrison, Gladwin, etc) seems to get cancer. The malaise lingers. As far as what to do with a facility like this, I don't know the answer. WBMB/WBMI has changed hands many times over the years. There are only so many Friday fish fry's you can promote.

Sounds like WBMI has the same issue that Standish’s 96.9 WSTD (yes, their call letters were inadvertently an abbreviation of sexually transmitted diseases) did. Both came on in the 80’s when the FCC seemed to be giving new radio station allotments out left and right. WSTD had an AC format and tried to hyper focus on Arenac County / Standish area. Problem is they were only 30 minutes north of the Tri Cities and that area picks up every Tri Citu radio station with ease. Ended up selling or donating the station to Central Michigan University

[Ben Zonia]

I know I saw it somewhere. I looked through several years of BYs and didn't find more information on 105.5 St. Helen, but the only thing I found was about 1590 moving from Roscommon to Grayling so far. In the 1963 BY there was this about WCCW 1310. "Special Programs-Spanish 3 hours weekly (Summers Only)", which was the World Radio History Archive Creator and Curator David Gleason's first Spanish Language radio program. I know 105.5 288A was assigned to St. Helen. It must not have lasted long, or maybe just an unbuilt CP. I'll look in other years.