WMBZ
Broadcast areaNorthern Milwaukee suburbs
Frequency92.5 MHz
Branding92.5 Buzz Country
Programming
FormatCountry
AffiliationsWestwood One
Ownership
Owner
  • David Magnum
  • (Magnum Communications, Inc.)
WIBD, WVTY
History
First air date
September 1958 (1958-09) (as WBKV-FM)
Former call signs
WBKV-FM (1958-1988)
WBWI-FM (1988-2015)
WZRK (2/6/2015-2/9/2015)
WBWI-FM (2/9/2015-2/18/2015)
Call sign meaning
W M BuzZ
Technical information
Facility ID71542
ClassB
ERP17,500 watts
HAAT164 meters (538 ft)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitebuzzcountry.com

WMBZ (92.5 MHz "Buzz Country 92.5") is a commercial FM radio station in West Bend, Wisconsin, serving Milwaukee's northern suburbs. WMBZ and sister station WVTY 92.1 FM, which serves Milwaukee's southern suburbs, are co-programmed and air a country music radio format. They are owned by David Magnum, through licensee Magnum Communications, Inc., along with sister WIBD in West Bend.

WMBZ is a Class B FM station, with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 18,000 watts. The transmitter tower is on Wisconsin Highway 33 at Aurora Road in Addison.[1]

History

The station signed on the air in September 1958. The original call sign was WBKV-FM, co-owned with WBKV 1470 AM. WBKV-FM was an easy listening station, playing quarter-hour sweeps of soft instrumentals and mellow vocals.

WBKV-FM was later known as "V92" and featured an automated mix of adult contemporary and country music. On September 16, 1988, the station picked up the WBWI-FM callsign. WBWI-FM flipped to its current country format in late 1989/early 1990. For a few years it was known as "92 Country Rock" then "92 Country" before it was renamed to "Pure Country". In 2004, the station rebranded to simply "92.5 WBWI."

On June 25, 2014, Bliss Communications announced that it would sell WBWI-FM and WBKV, along with WRJN and WVTY (then WEZY) in Racine. The buyer was David Magnum's Magnum Communications, Inc. Bliss had owned WBWI and WBKV since 1970 (when WBWI was still WBKV-FM).[2] The sale, at a price of $2.25 million, was consummated on October 31, 2014.

On February 9, 2015, WBWI-FM rebranded as "Buzz Country".[3] On February 18, 2015, WBWI-FM’s callsign was changed to WMBZ. WMBZ and co-owned 92.1 WVTY air separate commercials but have the same DJs and play the same country music.

References

  1. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WMBZ
  2. ↑ "Bliss Communications to sell West Bend, Racine radio stations". The Janesville Gazette. June 25, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  3. ↑ WBWI Relaunches as Buzz Country

43°25′44″N 88°18′04″W / 43.429°N 88.301°W / 43.429; -88.301

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