WDUL

WDUL (970 AM) is a radio station licensed in Superior, Wisconsin. The station is owned and operated by Midwest Communications, which owns six stations in Duluth, Minnesota. All the Duluth stations share the same studio location at 11 East Superior St. Suite 380, downtown Duluth.

WDUL
CitySuperior, Wisconsin
Broadcast areaDuluth-Superior
Frequency970 kHz
Branding970 The Game
Programming
FormatSports
AffiliationsCBS Sports Radio
Ownership
OwnerDuey E. Wright
(Midwest Communications, Inc.)
KDAL, KDAL-FM, KDKE, KTCO, WDSM
History
First air date
August 10, 1959 (first license, as WQMN)
Former call signs
WQMN (1959-1966)
WAKX (1966-1982)
KXTP (1982-2003)
WGEE (2003-2015)
Technical information
Facility ID26590
ClassD
Power1,000 watts (day)
26 watts (night)
Links
WebsiteWDUL Online

WDUL airs programming from the CBS Sports Radio network. WDUL's main competition when their format was standards was WKLK-AM in Cloquet, Minnesota, coincidentally a former "Music of Your Life" affiliate station, which now features America's Best Music from Dial Global.

The station adopted its standards format in September 2008. Prior to that, WDUL aired ESPN Radio programming, as well as The Jim Rome Show and Loveline. It was also the local home of NASCAR races and ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

History

The station was first licensed on August 10, 1959, with the call letters WQMN, as a new 1,000-watt daytime-only station transmitting on 1320 kHz, and licensed to Quality Radio, Inc. in Superior, Wisconsin.[1] At noon on May 9, 1964, the station became the first Duluth/Superior radio station to change its call letters when it became WAKX ("WAX"), playing a Top 40 format. Lance "Tac" Hammer was the station's first program director.[2]

WAKX moved to 970 kHz, formerly the home of WIGL in Superior, on October 26, 1967. The 1320 kHz frequency in the Duluth/Superior market is no longer in use.

Owner Lew Latto purchased the facilities of beautiful music station KPIR in September, 1974, and began simulcasting the format of WAKX on both 970 AM and the new 98.9 FM.

In 1982, the AM station changed its call letters to KXTP and switched to adult standards, airing the "Music of Your Life" syndicated format. WAKX-FM remained unchanged.

In 1994, Latto sold KXTP and WAKX to Ken Beuhler and Patty McNulty, the owners of WDSM and KZIO (currently KDKE). The FM station flipped from classic rock to country music and became KTCO. Later that decade, Buehler and McNulty sold their stations to Shockley Communications, which changed KXTP's format to country and then Radio Disney. It later changed to Hot Talk, and finally, to Sports.

Today, the station is owned by Midwest Communications which also owns KDAL, WDSM, KDAL-FM and KDKE in Duluth.

AM 970 regained the "Music of Your Life" format in September 2008, dropping ESPN Radio and returning the Music of Your Life to the Duluth/Superior airwaves.

On March 7, 2014, WGEE changed their format from adult standards to sports, with programming from CBS Sports Radio.

On March 16, 2015, WGEE changed their call letters to WDUL.

On November 4, 2020, WDUL rebranded as "970 The Game" with weekday daytime programming originating from WRNW 97.3 FM Milwaukee.[3]

References
  1. Station "History Cards" (FCC.gov)
  2. "Station Changes Format, Name", Billboard, June 6, 1964, page 14.
  3. 97.3 The Game Expands Across Wisconsin Radioinsight - November 4, 2020

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