WDEE-FM
Encyclopedia
WDEE-FM is a radio station
licensed to Reed City, Michigan
, with studios in Big Rapids
. The station plays oldies
of the 1950s through the 1980s.
in Harrison
before finally being silenced in October 1992.
Prior to this version of WDEE, the WDEE call sign was on a well known 50,000 watt AM station in Detroit, Michigan
, on the same frequency of 1500 kHz (now known as WLQV
). WDEE in Detroit was one of the first radio stations to program a country music format using top 40 methods and was very popular. Like the original WDEE, Reed City's WDEE was a country station.
format.
Eventually, programming was separated between the two stations, with a classic country format on WDEE-AM. After ownership failed to renew WDEE-AM's license, WDEE-FM was left as the only license owned by Beilfuss Broadcasting and continues to broadcast today.
Relatively recently, WDEE-FM has re-located its studios from Reed City into downtown Big Rapids
, outside of their community of license designated by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC).
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to Reed City, Michigan
Reed City, Michigan
Reed City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,430. It is the county seat of Osceola County.It is the home town of author Timothy James Bazzett.-Geography:...
, with studios in Big Rapids
Big Rapids, Michigan
Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,849. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but is politically independent.-Geography:...
. The station plays oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
of the 1950s through the 1980s.
Beginnings as WDEE-AM
WDEE originally began as an AM station broadcasting on 1500 kHz, first going on the air in 1981, and under the ownership of David A. Carmine, a well-known country music radio personality from Detroit known by his on-air name of Dave Carr. Carmine had moved his family to nearby Harrison, Michigan just six years before to put his first station on the air. WDEE first broadcast with its own independent staff and programming originating from downtown Reed City at 410 W. Upton Avenue. By the end of the decade, WDEE was reduced to a simulcast outlet of WKKMWTWS
WTWS, known as 92.1 The Twister, is a 920-watt radio station broadcasting at 92.1 FM in Houghton Lake, MI, with a country music format.Formerly licensed to Harrison, Michigan and operated as a satellite of public radio station WVXU Cincinnati for several years and owned by Xavier University , the...
in Harrison
Harrison, Michigan
Harrison is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,108. It is the county seat of Clare County.The city is named after U.S. President William Henry Harrison....
before finally being silenced in October 1992.
Prior to this version of WDEE, the WDEE call sign was on a well known 50,000 watt AM station in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, on the same frequency of 1500 kHz (now known as WLQV
WLQV
WLQV is a radio station serving the Detroit, Michigan market. The station's fifty-thousand watt daytime signal enables it to be heard from Michigan's Thumb area down to Northwest Ohio, and from Lansing, Michigan to Chatham, Ontario, Canada. WLQV has a Christian talk format.-WJBK:WLQV first signed...
). WDEE in Detroit was one of the first radio stations to program a country music format using top 40 methods and was very popular. Like the original WDEE, Reed City's WDEE was a country station.
Sale to current owner
WDEE was then sold to Steven V. Beilfuss. Beilfuss put the station back on the air in 1994 with an OldiesOldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
format.
Birth of WDEE-FM
Originally a weak daytime-only AM signal of 250 watts, ownership then successfully applied for an FM license at frequency 97.3, which made its debut as WDEE-FM after three years as a full simulcast of its AM sister-station. At that time, the station was known as "Classic Hits 97.3."Eventually, programming was separated between the two stations, with a classic country format on WDEE-AM. After ownership failed to renew WDEE-AM's license, WDEE-FM was left as the only license owned by Beilfuss Broadcasting and continues to broadcast today.
Relatively recently, WDEE-FM has re-located its studios from Reed City into downtown Big Rapids
Big Rapids, Michigan
Big Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,849. It is the county seat of Mecosta County. The city is located within Big Rapids Township, but is politically independent.-Geography:...
, outside of their community of license designated by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC).