WJIM (AM)

WJIM (1240 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Lansing, Michigan. It is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a talk radio format. It is also the flagship station of the Michigan Talk Network. Studios and offices are on Pinetree Road in Lansing. It is also simulcast on W295BP (106.9 FM).

WJIM
CityLansing, Michigan
Broadcast areaLansing–East Lansing metropolitan area
Frequency1240 kHz
Branding1240 WJIM
SloganLansing's Big Talker
Programming
FormatTalk/Sports
AffiliationsPremiere Networks
Westwood One
ABC News Radio
Michigan Talk Network
Ownership
OwnerTownsquare Media
(Townsquare Media Lansing License, LLC)
WFMK, WITL-FM, WJIM-FM, WMMQ, WVFN
History
First air date
August 22, 1934 (at 1210 kHz)
Former frequencies
1210 kHz (1934-1941)
Call sign meaning
JIM Gross, son of original owner Harold Gross
Technical information
Facility ID17382
ClassC
Power890 watts (Daytime)
890 watts (Nighttime)
Transmitter coordinates
42°43′12″N 84°31′11″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteWJIMam.com

Weekdays begin with "The Steve Gruber Show," heard on WJIM since March 2012 and also airing on other stations around the state via the Michigan Talk Network. Gruber was among few journalists to interview President Donald J. Trump on Election Day, November 8, 2016 live on the air. Another local show, heard in late mornings, is "Michigan's Big Show Starring Michael Patrick Shiels". The rest of the schedule is made up of nationally syndicated talk shows, include Rush Limbaugh, Dave Ramsey, Mark Levin, John Batchelor, and Red Eye Radio. WJIM is a network affiliate of ABC News Radio. WJIM is the Lansing outlet for Michigan State University's Spartan Sports Network, airing all MSU football and basketball games. It is not, however, the flagship station; that role belongs to WJR in Detroit.[1]

History

On August 22, 1934, WJIM began broadcasting on 1210 kHz with 250 watts daytime and 100 watts at night, under the ownership of Harold Gross and his company, Capital Broadcasting.[2] According to local legend, Gross won the license, the oldest continually operated commercial license in Lansing, in a card game. He named the station after his son Jim, who would become the station's general manager from the 1960s through the sale of the station in 1985 to Liggett Communications. Lansing's first radio station, WREO, folded in 1927.[3] In 1941 WJIM moved to 1240 kHz with 250 watts as a part of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement.

Also in 1941, WJIM had put an Experimental APEX station on the air with the call letters W77XL in July of this year. The APEX station would go off the air, and its license by the FCC would be deleted a little over a year later in September, 1942.

One of WJIM's hallmarks for most of its existence was extensive news coverage. It spawned Lansing's first television station, WJIM-TV (channel 6, now WLNS-TV) in 1950. The two stations combined forces to cover Central Michigan news. In recent years following the sale to Cumulus and then Townsquare, the station's news department was completely eliminated. The station now only airs syndicated state and national newscasts, leaving competitor 1320 WILS the only remaining radio station in the market covering local news.

In 1960, WJIM added an FM station, 97.5 WJIM-FM. After initially simulcasting programming from AM 1240, WJIM-FM switched to beautiful music and is today a Top 40 station.

From the 1950s through the 80s, WJIM had a full service middle of the road format and was an NBC Radio News affiliate. But as music listening shifted to FM radio in the 1980s, WJIM added more talk shows, including NBC Talknet. In the 1990s, it made the transition to all talk programming.[4]

On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare would acquire 53 Cumulus stations, including WJIM, for $238 million. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition of Dial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global were both controlled by Oaktree Capital Management.[5][6] The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.[7]

References
  1. "Spartan Sports Network". Michigan State University. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  2. Broadcasting Yearbook 1935 page 38
  3. https://www.flickr.com/photos/lugnut215/26089732252?ytcheck=1
  4. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1993 page B-181
  5. "Official: Cumulus Buys Dial Global, Spins Some Stations To Townsquare; Peak Stations Sold To Townsquare, Fresno Spun To Cumulus". All Access. August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  6. "Cumulus Makes Dial Global And Townsquare Deals Official". RadioInsight. August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
  7. "Cumulus-Townsquare-Peak Deal Closes". All Access. November 15, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
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