AM Daytime only stations

[Casey]

How many of the AM daytime only stations are left? In the Detroit area I know of two WKEG 1030 in Sterling Heights and WLCO 1530 in Lapeer. Are there more in Michigan?

[KeenerGoldv2.0]

KTGG-AM Okemos
WGDN-AM Gladwin
WJKN-AM Jackson
WJNL-AM Kingsley
WKAR-AM East Lansing
WKBZ-AM Muskegon
WMIC-AM Sandusky
WMJH-AM Rockford
WMMI-AM Shepherd
WUNN-AM Mason
WVHF-AM Kentwood
WXLA-AM Dimondale
WYGR-AM Wyoming

[edj]

There’s also WWYC (former WTOD) in nearby Toledo, though technically they do have a few watts at night. Doesn’t go much past the parking lot.

WHFB in Benton Harbor is licensed at a mighty 1.3 watts at night.

[hb2]

Sometime soon we can add (yes that's right) WSMZ 850 AM(formerly WGVS) of the Smile FM network to the list of daytime-only AM's in Michigan. They have a construction permit to build a 250w daytime only AM in Muskegon. Surprised anyone would want to build an AM of any kind in 2026 except for something to feed a FM translator...

This website has details about this rare exception on converting existing class B stations to class D and daytime only
https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-clea ... l-channels

[ChrisWL1980]

And WOAP 1080 Owosso, though it's currently off the air.

[ftballfan]

Sometime soon we can add (yes that's right) WSMZ 850 AM(formerly WGVS) of the Smile FM network to the list of daytime-only AM's in Michigan. They have a construction permit to build a 250w daytime only AM in Muskegon. Surprised anyone would want to build an AM of any kind in 2026 except for something to feed a FM translator...

This website has details about this rare exception on converting existing class B stations to class D and daytime only
https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-clea ... l-channels

850 was able to get 1kW directional night at their former site, but they can't even get a few watts ND at night at their proposed site?

[Casey]

Sometime soon we can add (yes that's right) WSMZ 850 AM(formerly WGVS) of the Smile FM network to the list of daytime-only AM's in Michigan. They have a construction permit to build a 250w daytime only AM in Muskegon. Surprised anyone would want to build an AM of any kind in 2026 except for something to feed a FM translator...

This website has details about this rare exception on converting existing class B stations to class D and daytime only
https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-clea ... l-channels

Didn’t think the FCC was allowing anymore CP’s for AM. That’s very interesting, Smile must have a lot of money to be building of all things a brand new AM station in 2026.

[hb2]

Sometime soon we can add (yes that's right) WSMZ 850 AM(formerly WGVS) of the Smile FM network to the list of daytime-only AM's in Michigan. They have a construction permit to build a 250w daytime only AM in Muskegon. Surprised anyone would want to build an AM of any kind in 2026 except for something to feed a FM translator...

This website has details about this rare exception on converting existing class B stations to class D and daytime only
https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-clea ... l-channels

Didn’t think the FCC was allowing anymore CP’s for AM. That’s very interesting, Smile must have a lot of money to be building of all things a brand new AM station in 2026.

Yes. This and they also bought another AM, WSLI 1480 (AM, they have a WSLI-FM already in this area), they have it running on a 100W omnidirectional STA with a stranded cable antenna in downtown Grand Rapids. As of a few months ago, they have not yet secured a new transmitter site. They apparently got a deal on the 2 AM's (then WGVS & WGVU) of Grand Valley State University as the university had already shut down the stations and had dismantled them and sold the land but still held on to the licenses, and ultimately sold them to Smile FM.

[Casey]

Sometime soon we can add (yes that's right) WSMZ 850 AM(formerly WGVS) of the Smile FM network to the list of daytime-only AM's in Michigan. They have a construction permit to build a 250w daytime only AM in Muskegon. Surprised anyone would want to build an AM of any kind in 2026 except for something to feed a FM translator...

This website has details about this rare exception on converting existing class B stations to class D and daytime only
https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-clea ... l-channels

Didn’t think the FCC was allowing anymore CP’s for AM. That’s very interesting, Smile must have a lot of money to be building of all things a brand new AM station in 2026.

Yes. This and they also bought another AM, WSLI 1480 (AM, they have a WSLI-FM already in this area), they have it running on a 100W omnidirectional STA with a stranded cable antenna in downtown Grand Rapids. As of a few months ago, they have not yet secured a new transmitter site. They apparently got a deal on the 2 AM's (then WGVS & WGVU) of Grand Valley State University as the university had already shut down the stations and had dismantled them and sold the land but still held on to the licenses, and ultimately sold them to Smile FM.

Buying is one thing, but building from the ground up that's extremely costly for AM radio.

[hb2]

Sometime soon we can add (yes that's right) WSMZ 850 AM(formerly WGVS) of the Smile FM network to the list of daytime-only AM's in Michigan. They have a construction permit to build a 250w daytime only AM in Muskegon. Surprised anyone would want to build an AM of any kind in 2026 except for something to feed a FM translator...

This website has details about this rare exception on converting existing class B stations to class D and daytime only
https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/am-clea ... l-channels

Didn’t think the FCC was allowing anymore CP’s for AM. That’s very interesting, Smile must have a lot of money to be building of all things a brand new AM station in 2026.

Yes. This and they also bought another AM, WSLI 1480 (AM, they have a WSLI-FM already in this area), they have it running on a 100W omnidirectional STA with a stranded cable antenna in downtown Grand Rapids. As of a few months ago, they have not yet secured a new transmitter site. They apparently got a deal on the 2 AM's (then WGVS & WGVU) of Grand Valley State University as the university had already shut down the stations and had dismantled them and sold the land but still held on to the licenses, and ultimately sold them to Smile FM.

Buying is one thing, but building from the ground up that's extremely costly for AM radio.

My guess would be they are going to do a low power one tower or permanent fixed wire emitter antenna on some cell tower setup, and possibly go the route of also making it a class D daytimer. With AM, anything that is one tower or antenna would be much less costly to build and simpler to maintain than a multiple tower array

Obtaining a site and being able to maintain proper coverage to their city of license without interference to other stations adds several more layers of difficulty to this.