Civic Media, a Wisconsin news/progressive-talk radio network, is buying WZTI-AM (1290), the Milwaukee oldies station that has been known as Fonz MKE, it announced in a statement released Sept. 10.
Civic Media is purchasing the radio station and two FM translators in the Milwaukee area from the Milwaukee Radio Alliance.
Fonz MKE has been off the air since Aug. 10 due to problems caused by the historic flooding in the Milwaukee area. The station has continued to stream online. In its statement, Civic Media said a new transmitter is being installed this week with the expectation of resuming broadcasting shortly.
Oldies fan may take some solace in Civic Media’s programming plans for the new acquisition. WZTI-AM 1290 and FM 107.3 will simulcast a “Local News and Timeless Hits” format with WRJN in Racine. In an August article, InsideRadio.com wrote “the new format pairs trusted local news coverage with a curated playlist of hits from the late 1950s through the early 1970s, featuring iconic artists such as The Beatles, The Supremes, Neil Diamond, Stevie Wonder, and The Beach Boys.”
The other FM translator that Civic Media is purchasing, 100.3 FM, will carry the WAUK-AM (540) signal to downtown Milwaukee and some suburbs. Before this acquisition, 100.3 and 107.3 had been carrying the country music station “Froggy MKE.”
Civic Media expects these new acquisitions to launch its programming beginning Sept. 17, as long as equipment installation and engineering coordination are completed in time. CM also notes that the acquisitions are formally subject to FCC approval, which it states takes about two months to complete.
On Aug. 25, Milwaukee Radio Alliance, a partnership between All-Pro Broadcasting and Times-Shamrock, reported that it was selling two other Milwaukee stations, WLDB-FM (93.3) and WLUM-FM (102.1) to K-Love Inc., the Tennessee-based Christian radio network owned by nonprofit Educational Media Foundation.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Civic Media buys oldies radio station Fonz MKE
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