WIMI (99.7 FM, "The Storm") is a radio station broadcasting a Classic Rock format. Licensed to Ironwood, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1974, with its signal covering most of the western Upper Peninsula and the extreme northern portion of Wisconsin; because of the effects of tropospheric ducting, it is also easily heard across Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota to the point that in 2017, it asked the FCC to move a recently launched VCY America translator on 99.7 in Duluth to move dial positions due to crossover interference (it moved to 97.7).
| Broadcast area | [1] |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 99.7 MHz |
| Branding | 99-7 The Storm |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic Rock |
| Affiliations | Packers Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | J & J Broadcasting |
| WJMS, WKMJ-FM, WMPL, WUPY | |
| History | |
First air date | November 13, 1975 |
Call sign meaning | Ironwood, MIchigan, or Wisconsin and Michigan |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 57226 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 171 meters (561 ft) |
| Translator(s) | 102.3 W272AY (Park Falls) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
History
editAfter years as a construction permit (including briefly being WJMS-FM), WIMI went on the air Thursday, November 13, 1975.[3] Initially, the station ran Drake-Chenault's "Hitparade" format (later Contempo 300); the station used Drake programming well into the 1980s and eventually morphed into an adult hits format. In 2017, the station switched from a variety of AC formats to all classic rock. Local personalities include Bill Swift and Sam Erspamer.
In 2017, the station was fined $4,000 by the FCC for originating programming directly from its Park Falls, Wisconsin translator. The translator had aired music while the parent station aired Green Bay Packers games that the Park Falls station could not air for territorial reasons to protect WCQM, that town's affiliate.[4]
Sources
editNotes
edit- ^ "WIMI-FM Radio Station Coverage Map".
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WIMI". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "FM Station Will Start Up Thursday". Ironwood Daily Globe. November 12, 1975. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
- ^ "WI Translator Fined For Airing Music—Not Packers Football". Inside Radio. December 6, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2019.
External links
edit- Facility details for Facility ID 57226 (WIMI) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WIMI in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 86507 (W272AY) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- W272AY at FCCdata.org
- FCC History Cards for WIMI
46°25′26″N 90°14′53″W / 46.424°N 90.248°W
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