WHZZ

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For the radio station which held the call sign WHZZ from 1986 to 1991, see WEIO.
WHZZ
WHZZ-FM.jpg
CityLansing, Michigan
Broadcast areaLansing-Jackson, Michigan
Frequency101.7 MHz
Branding101.7 Mike FM
Programming
FormatVariety hits
Ownership
OwnerMacDonald Broadcasting
WILS, WQHH, WXLA
History
First air date
January 1967 (as WILS-FM)
Former call signs
WILS-FM (3/24/92-5/15/95)
WLYY (4/15/91-3/24/92)
WKKP (5/5/89-4/15/91)
WILS-FM (1967-5/5/89)
Technical information
Facility ID39538
ClassA
ERP4,100 watts
HAAT121 meters
Transmitter coordinates
42°41′29″N 84°33′29″W / 42.69139°N 84.55806°W / 42.69139; -84.55806
Links
WebcastListen Live
Website1017mikefm.com

WHZZ (101.7 FM, "Mike FM") is a radio station licensed to Lansing, Michigan with a variety hits format.

History[]

The station has gone through many different formats over the years. After beginning as a simulcast of WILS 1320 AM as WILS-FM in 1967, the station separated programming in the late 1960s with an automated MOR format (with the exception of the Jerry Marshall morning show, which was simulcast with WILS-AM from 6 to 10 am). In 1972, WILS-FM launched an automated Country format which was branded as "Hit Country", although the morning simulcast continued. In 1975, WILS-FM abandoned the Country format in favor of a 12-hour daily simulcast with WILS-AM, followed by split programming in the evening, which included an AOR format from 6 pm to midnight, and a Jazz format from midnight to 6 am. In 1978, WILS-FM abandoned the overnight Jazz and ended the simulcast with WILS-AM, programming the AOR format full time and somehow the AOR format proved to quite successful for the station, resulting in respectable ratings despite WILS-FM's 3KW signal.

In August 1983 WILS-AM and WILS-FM's original owner Lansing Broadcasting, sold the station to Sentry Broadcasting (a division of Sentry Insurance) The new management made changes quickly, deciding to automate sister station WILS-AM with a Nostalgia format, and then in December 1983 most of the WILS-FM air staff including the highly rated morning team of Douglas "Doug" Burton and Danny "Dan" Ballard were let go. And they were replaced by announcers from WILS-AM. And four months later on April the 14th of 1984 WILS-FM somwhow abruptly changed into an AC format using the brand name "The All New WILS FM 102" to compete with top-rated WFMK. The station's ratings plummeted and would not recover for over a decade as 101.7 FM went through unsuccessful tries at Hot AC as WKKP and then later as WLYY and Country formats (the latter with a return to the WILS-FM calls in the early 1990s). The station also went through a number of ownership changes during this period. Sentry Insurance dissolved their radio division and sold WILS to Northstar Broadcasting in 1986 and after going through an upper-management shakeup Northstar sold the station to the now current owner MacDonald Broadcasting in 1989.

In the spring of 1995, WILS-FM became WHZZ under their new moniker "The New Z101.7 FM", WHZZ filled the void as the new CHR/Top 40 station to for Lansing after 94.9 WVIC-FM dropped its longtime CHR format to compete with country market leader WITL. Z101.7 was frequently criticized by CHR aficionados for featuring an overly conservative adult-oriented playlist heavy on Hot AC chart currents and 1980's and 1990's gold, but the station enjoyed good Arbitron ratings during their CHR/Top 40 run and even reached #1 overall (12+) at least once.

On September 13, 2005, WHZZ unexpectedly flipped to adult hits as "Mike FM". Two days after WHZZ's flip, the CHR format was picked up by 97.5 WJIM-FM.

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