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WTMJ (AM)
Encyclopedia
WTMJ is a radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
broadcasting at 620 AM
. It is a 50,000-watt station airing a format of news, talk and sports. WTMJ is owned by Journal Broadcast Group, which also owns the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
and sister station WLWK-FM.
Because of the station's power and dial location, WTMJ has a large coverage area. Its "city-grade" signal reaches most of the eastern part of the state, including Madison
and Green Bay
. Additionally, it can be heard clearly in most of Chicago
. It provides grade B coverage to most of northern Illinois
(including all of the Chicago metropolitan area) and as far east as Grand Rapids.
. The Milwaukee Journal bought radio station WKAF in April 1927 and built a new transmitter
in Brookfield, Wisconsin
. Then in June 1927, The Federal Radio Commission assigned the call letters WTMJ, to stand for The Milwaukee Journal.
On July 25, 1927, WTMJ Radio went on the air at 1020 AM
to complement The Milwaukee Journal. WTMJ's first broadcast featured music by the WTMJ Orchestra and included a remote broadcast
featuring Bill Carlsen's orchestra. Carlsen was later hired by WTMJ and went on to become Wisconsin
's most widely known radio and television weather forecaster.
In 1928, The Federal Radio Commission reassigned WTMJ to 620 AM
. Some listeners began encountering interference
from radio stations that shared frequencies in other parts of the country. Engineers solved the problem by developing directional radio signals, which are created by using multiple towers. This allowed stations on the same frequency to protect each other, while providing strong signals to their intended coverage areas. In 1932, it was WTMJ's protected status on 620 khz that led to the development of the very first modern AM directional antenna system, as WFLA
in Tampa went directional to protect Milwaukee's WTMJ. Directional signals for AM stations continue to be used to this day.
WTMJ spent much of its life with a 5,000 watt signal, however when the 5 kW power limit on regional channels was lifted, WTMJ was the very first station in line for an upgrade. WTMJ won permission in 1995 to upgrade to 50 kW days, 10 kW nights from a new six-tower site, south of Milwaukee, at Union Grove, WI in Racine County. The station's signal is directed generally north during both for daytime and nighttime operation. All six towers are used at night, sending the signal in a fairly tight beam north; by day, the four-tower pattern aims mostly north, but the signal is still fairly strong as far south as Chicago's northern suburbs. WTMJ's former transmitter site (built in 1927) in Brookfield, Wisconsin
is gone, replaced by a housing development.
WTMJ aired a full service
MOR format for much of its life before switching to its current news and talk format. The station's previous format featured a mixture of news, music and talk shows. WTMJ has long had a heavy sports presence, and has been the flagship station for Green Bay Packers
, Milwaukee Bucks
and Milwaukee Brewers
games for most of the teams' histories, with Packers broadcasts on WTMJ since 1929. The station also serves as the Milwaukee affiliate for Wisconsin Badgers football
and Wisconsin Badgers Basketball. During the early 1990s, WTMJ, like many other AM full-service stations, shifted solely to a news/talk format.
WTMJ is one of the few major AM stations in the market to featuring a large amount of local programming. WTMJ airs news blocks in the morning with Gene Mueller, Jon Byman, and Jodi Becker with Greg Matzek giving sports reports, and afternoon with John Mercure, Erik Bilstad, and Dan O'Donnell with Trenni Kusnierek providing sports updates. During the midday Charlie Sykes and Jeff Wagner host talk shows and during the evenings Matzek and Kusnierek host a sports program. Reporters Nick Iannelli, Michelle Richards and Jay Sorgi provide news reports throughout the day and evening as well. Late evenings (when WTMJ is not airing sports play-by-play) and overnights, WTMJ airs syndicated personalities such as Dennis Miller
, Michael Savage
, Laura Ingraham
, along with the Wall Street Journal Report, Consumer advocate Clark Howard
's program airs for an hour weekdays at 2pm. During the weekend the station airs a mixture of local How-to programming (Jim Peck
hosts most of them), talk shows including James T. Harris, sports talk shows with Matzek and Jeff Falconio, news blocks with O'Donnell, Michele Fiore, Stephanie Graham and Matthew Montgomery, sports play-by-play and national talk shows that air in the late evening and overnights. Some of WTMJ's talk programming reflects a conservative
political stance, though humor, lifestyle and sports talk continue to retain a strong presence on the station. The station also continues its commitment to news with Milwaukee's only 24/7 staffed newsroom and also partners with sister TV station WTMJ-TV
, along with the Journal Sentinel for additional news and weather coverage.
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...
broadcasting at 620 AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
. It is a 50,000-watt station airing a format of news, talk and sports. WTMJ is owned by Journal Broadcast Group, which also owns the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. It is the primary newspaper in Milwaukee, the largest newspaper in Wisconsin and is distributed widely throughout the state...
and sister station WLWK-FM.
Because of the station's power and dial location, WTMJ has a large coverage area. Its "city-grade" signal reaches most of the eastern part of the state, including Madison
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
and Green Bay
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
. Additionally, it can be heard clearly in most of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. It provides grade B coverage to most of northern Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
(including all of the Chicago metropolitan area) and as far east as Grand Rapids.
History
In May 1922, The Milwaukee Journal sponsored its first radio program on Milwaukee's first radio station, WAAK, which was owned by the Gimbel Bros. Department StoreGimbel's
Gimbel Brothers was an American department store corporation from 1887 through the late 20th century. The store is known for creating the Gimbels Thanksgiving Day Parade, the oldest parade in the country. Gimbels was also once the largest department store chain in the country...
. The Milwaukee Journal bought radio station WKAF in April 1927 and built a new transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
in Brookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 37,920 in the 2010 census. Brookfield is the second largest city in Waukesha County, and the leading commercial suburb of Milwaukee. The City of Brookfield was formed in 1954 from the Town of...
. Then in June 1927, The Federal Radio Commission assigned the call letters WTMJ, to stand for The Milwaukee Journal.
On July 25, 1927, WTMJ Radio went on the air at 1020 AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
to complement The Milwaukee Journal. WTMJ's first broadcast featured music by the WTMJ Orchestra and included a remote broadcast
Remote broadcast
In broadcast engineering, a remote broadcast is broadcasting done from a location away from a formal television studio and is considered an electronic field production . A remote pickup unit is usually used to transmit the audio and/or video back to the television station, where it joins the...
featuring Bill Carlsen's orchestra. Carlsen was later hired by WTMJ and went on to become Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
's most widely known radio and television weather forecaster.
In 1928, The Federal Radio Commission reassigned WTMJ to 620 AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
. Some listeners began encountering interference
Interference (communication)
In communications and electronics, especially in telecommunications, interference is anything which alters, modifies, or disrupts a signal as it travels along a channel between a source and a receiver. The term typically refers to the addition of unwanted signals to a useful signal...
from radio stations that shared frequencies in other parts of the country. Engineers solved the problem by developing directional radio signals, which are created by using multiple towers. This allowed stations on the same frequency to protect each other, while providing strong signals to their intended coverage areas. In 1932, it was WTMJ's protected status on 620 khz that led to the development of the very first modern AM directional antenna system, as WFLA
WFLA
WFLA may refer to:* WFLA , a radio station licensed to Tampa, Florida, United States* WFLA-FM, a radio station licensed to Midway, Florida, United States...
in Tampa went directional to protect Milwaukee's WTMJ. Directional signals for AM stations continue to be used to this day.
WTMJ spent much of its life with a 5,000 watt signal, however when the 5 kW power limit on regional channels was lifted, WTMJ was the very first station in line for an upgrade. WTMJ won permission in 1995 to upgrade to 50 kW days, 10 kW nights from a new six-tower site, south of Milwaukee, at Union Grove, WI in Racine County. The station's signal is directed generally north during both for daytime and nighttime operation. All six towers are used at night, sending the signal in a fairly tight beam north; by day, the four-tower pattern aims mostly north, but the signal is still fairly strong as far south as Chicago's northern suburbs. WTMJ's former transmitter site (built in 1927) in Brookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield, Wisconsin
Brookfield is a city located in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. It had a population of 37,920 in the 2010 census. Brookfield is the second largest city in Waukesha County, and the leading commercial suburb of Milwaukee. The City of Brookfield was formed in 1954 from the Town of...
is gone, replaced by a housing development.
WTMJ aired a full service
Full service
Full service is a term that has many different uses. In general the term implies that the customer will receive as much service as is reasonably possible.-Gas station:...
MOR format for much of its life before switching to its current news and talk format. The station's previous format featured a mixture of news, music and talk shows. WTMJ has long had a heavy sports presence, and has been the flagship station for Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
, Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks are a professional basketball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They are part of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was founded in 1968 as an expansion team, and currently plays at the Bradley Center....
and Milwaukee Brewers
Milwaukee Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
games for most of the teams' histories, with Packers broadcasts on WTMJ since 1929. The station also serves as the Milwaukee affiliate for Wisconsin Badgers football
Wisconsin Badgers football
The Wisconsin Badgers are a college football program that represents the University of Wisconsin–Madison in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. They play their home games at Camp Randall Stadium, the fourth-oldest stadium in college football...
and Wisconsin Badgers Basketball. During the early 1990s, WTMJ, like many other AM full-service stations, shifted solely to a news/talk format.
WTMJ is one of the few major AM stations in the market to featuring a large amount of local programming. WTMJ airs news blocks in the morning with Gene Mueller, Jon Byman, and Jodi Becker with Greg Matzek giving sports reports, and afternoon with John Mercure, Erik Bilstad, and Dan O'Donnell with Trenni Kusnierek providing sports updates. During the midday Charlie Sykes and Jeff Wagner host talk shows and during the evenings Matzek and Kusnierek host a sports program. Reporters Nick Iannelli, Michelle Richards and Jay Sorgi provide news reports throughout the day and evening as well. Late evenings (when WTMJ is not airing sports play-by-play) and overnights, WTMJ airs syndicated personalities such as Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller
Dennis Miller is an American stand-up comedian, political commentator, actor, sports commentator, and television and radio personality. He is known for his critical assessments laced with pop culture references...
, Michael Savage
Michael Savage (commentator)
Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
, Laura Ingraham
Laura Ingraham
Laura Anne Ingraham is an American radio host, author, and conservative political commentator. Her nationally syndicated talk show, The Laura Ingraham Show, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
, along with the Wall Street Journal Report, Consumer advocate Clark Howard
Clark Howard
Clark Howard , is a popular U.S. talk radio host of the nationally syndicated consumer advocate program The Clark Howard Show. The show covers consumer and financial news, with advice on how to spend less, save more and avoid rip-offs...
's program airs for an hour weekdays at 2pm. During the weekend the station airs a mixture of local How-to programming (Jim Peck
Jim Peck
James Edward "Jim" Peck is an American television and radio personality based in Milwaukee and is perhaps best known for his time as a game show host.-Early career:...
hosts most of them), talk shows including James T. Harris, sports talk shows with Matzek and Jeff Falconio, news blocks with O'Donnell, Michele Fiore, Stephanie Graham and Matthew Montgomery, sports play-by-play and national talk shows that air in the late evening and overnights. Some of WTMJ's talk programming reflects a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
political stance, though humor, lifestyle and sports talk continue to retain a strong presence on the station. The station also continues its commitment to news with Milwaukee's only 24/7 staffed newsroom and also partners with sister TV station WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV
WTMJ-TV, digital channel 28 ; branded as "Today's TMJ4", is the NBC-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the flagship station of the Journal Broadcast Group. Its signal covers most of southeastern Wisconsin and parts of northeastern Illinois, including Racine, Kenosha,...
, along with the Journal Sentinel for additional news and weather coverage.