WJZI
Encyclopedia
WLDB is a commercial radio station
located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, broadcasting on 93.3 FM
. Owned and operated by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, a partnership between Shamrock Communications and All Pro Broadcasting, WLDB airs an adult contemporary/Hot AC music format branded as "B93.3".
, big band music, jazz
and ethnic programming before a short-lived automated Top 40 format. For many years, starting in 1973, this was Milwaukee's dominant Album Oriented Rock station. They competed with the eclectic free-form
WZMF
until 1979 and WLPX until 1983.
"93QFM" was the top rock station in town for over a decade, but faced its stiffest competition in 1986 when WBCS dropped their country music
format and became hard-rocking Lazer 103. They shifted to a more heavy metal
/hard rock
direction, similar to that of Lazer 103, then switched to a more "adult" rock feel in 1992, then became heavier again. In addition, the station had a seemingly endless succession of morning shows over the years, including an ill-fated attempt at airing Wisconsin native Jonathon Brandmeier
's show from WLUP
in Chicago, which backfired when WLUP
shuffled their on-air lineup, moved Brandmeier to afternoons, putting Kevin Matthews in morning drive. At one point, WQFM put together one short-lived morning show that consisted of people who had never done radio, which included Lori Minetti, the hostess of the Wisconsin Lottery
's Money Game television show.
After years of poor and hasty decisions and falling ratings, the owners of WQFM pulled the plug in March 1996 and flipped the station to smooth jazz
as WJZI.
WJZI's smooth jazz format never dominated the local ratings, but was still somewhat competitive. In the winter of 2005, the station tied for 9th place with WJMR (Jammin' 98.3) among listeners 25 to 54 but rose to 7th place in the winter of 2006.
On March 5, 2007, WJZI began a transition in its format, gearing the station towards a slightly younger female demographic. This involved adding more adult contemporary music. De-emphasizing the smooth jazz music that was a staple of the station, WJZI changed its branding to "Smooth 93.3," as it slowly began to make the transition to full soft rock
.
By June 18, 2007, the transition was complete, with revamped on-air imaging, station logo and website ("The All New Smooth 93.3"). A new morning show would also be added, featuring Milwaukee radio veteran Ellen Stout and station program director Stan Atkinson; that change was seen as a counter to the morning show changes on competing AC station WKTI
.
As a response to WJZI's flip to AC, competing station WFMR changed its format from classical music
to smooth jazz
on June 26, one week after WJZI's move. That station changed their call letters to the similar WJZX. On July 30, WJZI adopted new positioning, as they changed their call letters to WLDB, with the new moniker "B93.3", matching the imaging used by a popular station with the same format in Philadelphia, WBEB
(B101) . The station's weather forecasts are prepared and delivered by WDJT-TV
(Channel 58)'s First Alert Weather staff.
The WLDB call letters were first used in 1955 on 1490 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The station was owned and operated by the husband and wife team Leroy and Dorothy Bremmer, hence WLDB.
In June of 2009, WLDB tweaked its format from AC to a mix of AC/Hot AC, playing music from the 80s, 90s, and the 00s. This type of format was on WKTI before it flipped to a "Jack-Like" format and changed the calls to WLWK-FM in November of 2008. WLDB's tweak positions itself to compete with WMYX-FM
, although "The Mix" plays more new music than old. As of 2011, the station plays music from the 1970s through present, with a typical adult contemporary playlist.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
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 on 93.3 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
. Owned and operated by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, a partnership between Shamrock Communications and All Pro Broadcasting, WLDB airs an adult contemporary/Hot AC music format branded as "B93.3".
History
The original call letters were WQFM, beginning in 1958. The station had various formats, including classical musicClassical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
, big band music, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and ethnic programming before a short-lived automated Top 40 format. For many years, starting in 1973, this was Milwaukee's dominant Album Oriented Rock station. They competed with the eclectic free-form
Freeform (radio format)
Freeform, or freeform radio, is a radio station programming format in which the disc jockey is given total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform radio stands in contrast to most commercial radio stations, in which DJs have little or no...
WZMF
WJMR-FM
WJMR-FM is an urban adult contemporary radio station serving the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, area. They are known on-air as "Jammin' 98.3", and are licensed to Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.-98.3 FM History:...
until 1979 and WLPX until 1983.
"93QFM" was the top rock station in town for over a decade, but faced its stiffest competition in 1986 when WBCS dropped their country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
format and became hard-rocking Lazer 103. They shifted to a more heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
/hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
direction, similar to that of Lazer 103, then switched to a more "adult" rock feel in 1992, then became heavier again. In addition, the station had a seemingly endless succession of morning shows over the years, including an ill-fated attempt at airing Wisconsin native Jonathon Brandmeier
Jonathon Brandmeier
-Career:Born John Francis Brandmeier to a German father and a Lebanese mother, Brandmeier started his radio career in 1973 at WFON in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin...
's show from WLUP
WLUP
WLUP-FM is a commercial classic rock radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Owned and operated by Merlin Media, LLC, WLUP transmits its signal from an antenna located the top of the Willis Tower in Downtown Chicago at a height of with an effective radiated power of 4,000 watts...
in Chicago, which backfired when WLUP
WLUP
WLUP-FM is a commercial classic rock radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan area. Owned and operated by Merlin Media, LLC, WLUP transmits its signal from an antenna located the top of the Willis Tower in Downtown Chicago at a height of with an effective radiated power of 4,000 watts...
shuffled their on-air lineup, moved Brandmeier to afternoons, putting Kevin Matthews in morning drive. At one point, WQFM put together one short-lived morning show that consisted of people who had never done radio, which included Lori Minetti, the hostess of the Wisconsin Lottery
Wisconsin Lottery
The Wisconsin Lottery is run by the government of Wisconsin. It is a member of the Multi-State Lottery Association . Its games consist of Mega Millions, Powerball, Megabucks, Supercash!, Badger 5, Pick 3, Pick 4, and scratch games....
's Money Game television show.
After years of poor and hasty decisions and falling ratings, the owners of WQFM pulled the plug in March 1996 and flipped the station to smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
as WJZI.
WJZI's smooth jazz format never dominated the local ratings, but was still somewhat competitive. In the winter of 2005, the station tied for 9th place with WJMR (Jammin' 98.3) among listeners 25 to 54 but rose to 7th place in the winter of 2006.
On March 5, 2007, WJZI began a transition in its format, gearing the station towards a slightly younger female demographic. This involved adding more adult contemporary music. De-emphasizing the smooth jazz music that was a staple of the station, WJZI changed its branding to "Smooth 93.3," as it slowly began to make the transition to full soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
.
By June 18, 2007, the transition was complete, with revamped on-air imaging, station logo and website ("The All New Smooth 93.3"). A new morning show would also be added, featuring Milwaukee radio veteran Ellen Stout and station program director Stan Atkinson; that change was seen as a counter to the morning show changes on competing AC station WKTI
WKTI-FM
WLWK-FM is a radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin broadasting at 94.5 FM. The station is owned by the Milwaukee-based Journal Communications , and broadcasts an adult hits format.-History:The owner of the Milwaukee Journal was an early pioneer of FM broadcasting...
.
As a response to WJZI's flip to AC, competing station WFMR changed its format from classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
to smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
on June 26, one week after WJZI's move. That station changed their call letters to the similar WJZX. On July 30, WJZI adopted new positioning, as they changed their call letters to WLDB, with the new moniker "B93.3", matching the imaging used by a popular station with the same format in Philadelphia, WBEB
WBEB
WBEB is a radio station broadcasting a Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it serves the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1963 under the call sign WDVR. The station is currently owned by Jerry Lee...
(B101) . The station's weather forecasts are prepared and delivered by WDJT-TV
WDJT-TV
WDJT-TV, channel 58, is the CBS-affiliated television station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin broadcasting on UHF digital channel 46, that displays WDJT's virtual channel as its former analog channel assignment of 58 via PSIP...
(Channel 58)'s First Alert Weather staff.
The WLDB call letters were first used in 1955 on 1490 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The station was owned and operated by the husband and wife team Leroy and Dorothy Bremmer, hence WLDB.
In June of 2009, WLDB tweaked its format from AC to a mix of AC/Hot AC, playing music from the 80s, 90s, and the 00s. This type of format was on WKTI before it flipped to a "Jack-Like" format and changed the calls to WLWK-FM in November of 2008. WLDB's tweak positions itself to compete with WMYX-FM
WMYX-FM
WMYX-FM is a Hot AC formatted radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Identifying themselves on the air as "The Mix", WMYX-FM was the first station in the U.S. to use the "Mix" moniker. WMYX-FM has been airing roughly the same format since late 1981. The station is owned by Entercom, along with...
, although "The Mix" plays more new music than old. As of 2011, the station plays music from the 1970s through present, with a typical adult contemporary playlist.
External links
- WLDB official website
- 93QFM: The Halcyon Daze
- Tribute page on Facebook
- Image of classic WQFM billboardhttp://www.stapor.com/
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel articles from March 2007 and June 2007 on WJZI's change to "Smooth 93.3"
