WGFM

For the station in Schenectady, New York that previously held the callsign, see WRVE.
WGFM
City Cheboygan, Michigan
Broadcast area Petoskey, Michigan
Branding Rock 105
Slogan We Just Rock
Frequency 105.1 MHz
Translator(s) 103.7 W279CC (Alpena)
First air date 1968 (as WCBY-FM)
Format Active rock
ERP 43,000 watts
HAAT 295 meters
Class C1
Facility ID 56073
Callsign meaning Gold FM - its first name when it became Classic Rock in 1989
Former callsigns WCBY-FM (1968-1982)
WQLZ (09/13/1982-02/10/1989)
Owner Black Diamond Broadcasting
Sister stations WCBY, WCHY, WGFN, WOEZ, WMKC, WQEZ, WTWS, WUPS
Webcast Listen Live
Website rock105.fm

WGFM (105.1 FM) in Cheboygan, Michigan is an American radio station, which airs a mainstream rock format branded as Rock 105. WGFM boasts a 100,000-watt signal which easily covers most of northern Lower Michigan from Grayling northward and extends into the eastern Upper Peninsula. Rock 105 is also heard on translator W279CC (103.7 FM) in Alpena. The station formerly simulcast with WJZJ 95.5 FM in the Traverse City area as "Real Rock 105 and 95.5" until April 1, 2013. WGFM is affiliated with Westwood One's "Rock 2.0" active rock format.

History

WGFM originally began in 1968 as WCBY-FM, and aired beautiful music at first until switching to a simulcast of WCBY-AM. In 1982, the station became WQLZ, and began airing a CHR format to try and compete with WKHQ and WJML, but did not have the signal to compete with the two.

In 1989, longtime northern Michigan radio personality and engineer Del Reynolds and wife Mary purchased 100,000 watt CHR WQLZ (formerly WCBY-FM) in Cheboygan. Shortly afterward, he changed the station's format to classic rock with the WGFM call letters, meaning "W-Gold-FM". The station's main focus was classic rock, but also played new cuts from classic rock artists as well. The station was live/local 6 a.m. until 6 p.m. and aired Westwood One's Adult Rock format overnights. Del was the station's morning man.

In the 1990s, Del's radio empire grew when he acquired many other local stations and built new ones as well. He purchased WIDG 940 in St. Ignace, MI and WCBY AM in Cheboygan the station that launched his career in the late 1960s. He purchased 98.1 WMLB Glen Arbor, which had previously simulcast WUPS in Houghton Lake, and changed that to WGFN, giving WGFM a clearer signal in the Traverse City, MI area. He also took over 107.1 WCKC "Cadillac KC Country" Cadillac which was simulcasting his 102.9 WMKC "KC Country" St. Ignace, MI, but eventually changing to a WGFM simulcast.

On September 14, 2009, WGFM began carrying The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show. It was also on that day when they started simulcasting |with WJZJ 95.5 as Real Rock 105 and 95-5, airing a mix of The Zone's harder rock artists such as KoRn, Metallica and Alice in Chains with harder classic rockers such as Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne and Van Halen. Real Rock carried The Bob and Tom Show due to the duo's ratings in the upper northern Michigan region until August 2, 2010, when Free Beer & Hot Wings replaced it. The program was dropped by WGFM in March 2013, and replaced by the local morning drive program Cartman in the Morning. On April 1, 2013, WJZJ 95.5 FM and sister station WQEZ 97.7 FM in Cheboygan swapped call letters and entered into a simulcast with 97.7 FM's soft AC format. WGFM became the sole carrier of the mainstream rock format, rebranding as "Rock 105."

Current on-air talent at WGFM include morning drive host Brian "Cartman" Pfeifer, and DJs Jay Roberts, Nate "Smitty" Smith, Sam Lee, and "NASCAR" Steve. Smith and "NASCAR" Steve are also DJs at WGFM's sister stations WGFN & WCHY, which simulcast as Classic Rock: The Bear.


References

Coordinates: 44°49′16″N 85°59′46″W / 44.821°N 85.996°W / 44.821; -85.996

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