WMIL-FM
Encyclopedia
WMIL-FM is a country music
-formatted radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, licensed to Waukesha, Wisconsin
. They are known on-air simply as "FM 106.1". WMIL is owned by Clear Channel Communications
.
Current local programming includes the morning show The Moo Crew with "Karen & Scott", and Mitch Morgan during workday hours. All other timeslots are voicetracked
from other Clear Channel markets or contain syndicated programming. Current Program Director is Kerry Wolfe who started with the station in August 1989.
During the 1970s, WAUK-FM aired a beautiful music
format. The station adopted the WMIL call sign (formerly used by 95.7 FM
) in December 1975. WMIL went silent for a time when the owners, Stebbins Communications, which had acquired the two stations in 1975, went bankrupt. The AM station had already been sold to another company in 1977.
Charter Broadcasting, which already owned WOKY
, purchased WMIL in 1979. The company sold both stations to Sundance Broadcasting in June 1983
, as WMIL launched its present country format, competing against WBCS
. As a country station, WMIL has long been successful in the local ratings. In 2007
, WMIL was voted "Top Country Station in a Large Market".
WMIL installed a new transmitter with HD Radio
capability on the Milwaukee Public Television
tower.
The station's HD2 HD Radio
subchannel carries a format of current country music (Clear Channel's "new country
" station from their Format Lab), while the HD3 subchannel has carried the broadcast audio of Fox
affiliate WITI (Channel 6) since August 2009, which provides news and weather content to Clear Channel's Milwaukee stations. This is one of the few examples of a Channel 6 station restoring their station audio legally after the June 2009 digital television transition; audio from Channel 6 stations was heard on 87.7 FM
on most FM radios in television's analog age due to an anomalous quirk between the lower VHF TV and FM bands, a feature highly promoted by WITI on-air for commuters.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
-formatted radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
, licensed to Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha, Wisconsin
Waukesha is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, in the Upper Midwest region of the United States. The population was 70,718 at the 2010 census, making it the largest community in the county and 7th largest in the state. The city is located adjacent to the Town of Waukesha...
. They are known on-air simply as "FM 106.1". WMIL is owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
.
Current local programming includes the morning show The Moo Crew with "Karen & Scott", and Mitch Morgan during workday hours. All other timeslots are voicetracked
Voice-tracking
Voice-tracking, also called cyber jocking and referred to sometimes colloquially as a robojock, is a technique employed by some radio stations in radio broadcasting to produce the illusion of a live disc jockey or announcer sitting in the radio studios of the station when one is not actually...
from other Clear Channel markets or contain syndicated programming. Current Program Director is Kerry Wolfe who started with the station in August 1989.
History
The station launched January 1, 1962 with the WAUX-FM call sign, sister station to WAUX (1510 AM). A few years later, they became WAUK and WAUK-FM respectively, both simulcasting programming 100%.During the 1970s, WAUK-FM aired a beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
format. The station adopted the WMIL call sign (formerly used by 95.7 FM
WRIT-FM
WRIT-FM is a radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, owned by Clear Channel Communications. Branded as "Oldies 95.7", it airs a 60s-70s Oldies format....
) in December 1975. WMIL went silent for a time when the owners, Stebbins Communications, which had acquired the two stations in 1975, went bankrupt. The AM station had already been sold to another company in 1977.
Charter Broadcasting, which already owned WOKY
WOKY
WOKY is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin, radio station. They broadcast a classic country radio format emphasizing country from the 50s-80s...
, purchased WMIL in 1979. The company sold both stations to Sundance Broadcasting in June 1983
1983 in radio
The year 1983 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*August 2 - WHTZ in New York City debuts, soon becoming one of the most influential CHR stations in the US...
, as WMIL launched its present country format, competing against WBCS
WHQG
WHQG Radio is a mainstream rock FM radio station licensed to and serving the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area. The station is owned by Saga Communications...
. As a country station, WMIL has long been successful in the local ratings. In 2007
2007 in radio
The year 2007 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 8: Nanci "The Fabulous Sports Babe" Donnellan returns to radio after a six-year absence, filling in for local hosts in Florida....
, WMIL was voted "Top Country Station in a Large Market".
HD Radio
In 20062006 in radio
The year 2006 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*January 3 - The BJ Shea Morning Experience switches to KISW in Seattle, Washington, from the former FM Talk station KKWF....
WMIL installed a new transmitter with HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
capability on the Milwaukee Public Television
Milwaukee Public Television
For information on Channels 10 and 36 individually, see WMVS and WMVTMilwaukee Public Television is the branding name for the alliance between two Milwaukee based Public Broadcasting Service public television affiliates: WMVS, Channel 10, and WMVT, Channel 36...
tower.
The station's HD2 HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
subchannel carries a format of current country music (Clear Channel's "new country
New Country
The Movement for a New Country is a political party in Argentina founded by Élida Vigo and made up of left-wingers and dissident peronists in Misiones Province....
" station from their Format Lab), while the HD3 subchannel has carried the broadcast audio of Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
affiliate WITI (Channel 6) since August 2009, which provides news and weather content to Clear Channel's Milwaukee stations. This is one of the few examples of a Channel 6 station restoring their station audio legally after the June 2009 digital television transition; audio from Channel 6 stations was heard on 87.7 FM
87.7 FM
-In North America:*87.75 MHz, a frequency-modulated audio subcarrier used by all NTSC-M analog channel 6 television stations**For a listing of channel 6 television stations that promote their audio feeds as their primary signal, advertising as being on 87.7 FM, see :Category:Channel 6 radio...
on most FM radios in television's analog age due to an anomalous quirk between the lower VHF TV and FM bands, a feature highly promoted by WITI on-air for commuters.