WATZ (AM)
WATZ (1450 AM, "WATZ AM 1450") was a radio station broadcasting an News-Talk format. The station was licensed to the city of Alpena, Michigan, serving the Alpena area. It first began broadcasting in 1946 and maintained the WATZ call sign since it signed on. The station was owned by Midwestern Broadcasting Company.
History
WATZ signed on the air in November, 1946 as a full-service local radio station and was, for many years, the only broadcaster in Alpena. In the late 1960s, WATZ-FM signed on as an adult contemporary station at 93.5 FM. By this time, the format of WATZ was primarily country. In 1988, the format of WATZ-FM was changed to country and the signal moved to 99.3 so the station could boost its power from 3,000 to 50,000 watts. For the next several years, WATZ-FM and WATZ simulcasted the same programming. In the mid-'90s, WATZ was broken off from WATZ-FM and given its news/talk format.
WATZ remained locally owned and operated by the same company that founded it in 1946.
Midwestern Broadcasting surrendered WATZ's license to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on July 7, 2014; the FCC cancelled the license the same day. WATZ's format and programming were moved to Midwestern Broadcasting's newly licensed WZTK.
WATZ-FM
WATZ-FM (99.3 FM) and WRGZ (96.7 FM, "WATZ 99.3 and 96.7") are two radio stations simulcasting a country music format. The two stations are licensed to the cities of Alpena (WATZ) and Rogers City, Michigan (WRGZ). WRGZ first began broadcasting in 1984 under the call sign WMLQ while WATZ has been assigned the same call sign since it signed on in the late 1960s. The stations, along with sister station WATZ AM, are currently owned by Midwestern Broadcasting Company.
WATZ History
WATZ signed on the air in the late 1960s as an adult contemporary station at 93.5 FM, known for several years as "Z93." In 1988, the format of WATZ-FM was changed to country and the signal moved to 99.3 so the station could boost its power from 3,000 to 50,000 watts. For the next several years, WATZ-FM simulcasted the long-time Country music format of sister station WATZ AM. In the mid-90s, WATZ AM had switched to a news/talk format while WATZ-FM retained the Country format. WATZ-FM became a 24-hour broadcaster in 1999, using a satellite feed from Jones Radio Networks from 11 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. Prior to this, the station went off the air at 1 a.m.
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