WYPV


WYPV is an FM radio station at 94.5 MHz based in Mackinaw City, Michigan, which airs an album oriented rock format. Programming is simulcasted on 100.3 WQON in Grayling and 106.3 WWMN in Thompsonville, Michigan.

History

The station's original call letters were WSSW, which were first issued in October 1986. WSSW first signed on at 94.3 on September 6, 1989, with an automated MOR format, but went dark not long after that. The station, while at 94.3, was a Class A station with an ERP of 3,000 watts, which made the station all but unlistenable outside of the Mackinaw City-St. Ignace area, a seasonal, tourist-driven market barely able to sustain the competing radio stations that were already on the air and firmly established. WSSW's management thought that perhaps packing the station with tourist-related information for the local area would help reverse its fortunes. The station did improve, but not enough. Wray sold the station to Robert A. Naismith in February 1992.
Naismith returned the station to the air in 1993 with a hot adult contemporary format as WFGE, known as "Fudgie 94". In 1994, the station adopted Jones Radio Networks' satellite-fed smooth jazz format as "Coast FM". In 1995, the station changed calls to WLJZ and changed its frequency to 94.5 with an increase in power to 18,500 watts ERP, which increased its broadcast area substantially to include most of the northern tip of the lower peninsula, bringing a better signal to Petoskey, Gaylord, and Rogers City and reaching almost as far north as Sault Ste. Marie. In 1997, WJZJ 95.5 in Glen Arbor, Michigan and WAVC 93.9 FM in Mio, Michigan began simulcasting WLJZ.
In 1998, the smooth jazz "Coast FM" format was dropped in favor of a modern rock format as "The Zone." In March 2001, WAVC dropped out of the "Zone" simulcast, and began simulcasting country sister WMKC.
In 2006, WLJZ also abandoned the "Zone" simulcast in favor of a standalone Hot AC format using Waitt Radio Networks' AC Active package, taking the name "Star 94.5". This left WJZJ as the only remaining "Zone" station.
On April 1, 2008, WLJZ changed its format to classic country, branded "Big Country Gold". The classic country package complemented the "Big Country Hits" contemporary-country format on sister stations WMKC and WAVC.
In April 2010, WLJZ announced on-air that its classic country format would be moving to AM sister station WCBY AM 1240, displacing the adult standards format formerly heard there. WLJZ adopted a classic rock format, simulcasting "The Bear" format originating on 98.1 WGFN in Traverse City, Michigan.
On December 5, 2012, WLJZ changed their call letters to WOEZ.
On May 1, 2013, WOEZ changed their call letters to WJZJ.
On May 10, 2013, WJZJ changed its call sign to WYPV. This coincided with a planned station swap between Northern Star Broadcasting and Michigan Broadcasters, LLC involving 94.5 FM Mackinaw City and 106.3 FM Onaway, Michigan. 94.5 FM picked up the "Patriot Voice" talk format formerly heard on 106.3, and 106.3 went to Northern Star to become WOEZ, relaying WQEZ 95.5 FM in the Traverse City area. At the same time, the "Bear" classic rock format moved to 97.7 WCHY licensed to Cheboygan, Michigan.
Effective November 9, 2018, Michigan Broadcasters sold WYPV to John Yob's Mitten News LLC for $200,000.
On November 7, 2019 WYPV changed their format from talk to adult contemporary, branded as "94.5 & 106.3 North FM".
On June 22, 2020 WYPV changed their format from adult contemporary to a simulcast of album-oriented rock-formatted WQON 100.3 FM Grayling.