WLMI

Infobox Radio station
name = WLMI


city = Kane, Pennsylvania
area = Kane, Warren, Mt Jewett, Ridgway, Pennsylvania
branding = "Hometown Country 103.9 WLMI"
slogan = "#1 for Country Fun"
airdate = September 17, 1984
frequency = 103.9 (mHz)
format = Country
erp = 6,000 watts
class =
owner = Colonial Radio Group, Inc.
webcast = [http://www.kaneradio.net/ WLMI all-news channel]
website = http://www.wlmi.net/
callsign_meaning = Laurel Media Incorporated|

WLMI (103.9 FM) is a country music formatted commercial radio station, licensed to Kane, Pennsylvania. WLMI operates at an effective radiated power of 6,000 watts. The station is owned by Colonial Radio Group and maintains studios and offices at 27 Fraley Street in downtown Kane.

History

McKean County's First FM

WLMI began at a time when Kane was experiencing a sharp decline in its local economy. First coming on the air on September 17, 1984, WLMI -- originally assigned the call letters WIFI -- would be competing for advertising revenue with a well-established AM competitor, WKZA, that had been on the air since 1954, and had been controlled for many years by a New York-based company (the Bilbat Broadcast Bunch dba locally as Raise Kane Radio, Inc.) that had other stations in its portfolio in addition to its own.

However, it wouldn't take long for WIFI to make an impact on its competitor. WIFI was the very first FM station to come on the air in McKean County, with WBRR in Bradford coming on the air three years later. WQRM in Smethport and WHKS in Port Allegany would not come on the air until 6 and 7 years later, respectively. Though only 3,000 watts at the time of its debut, Kane was located at the top of a mountain, which allowed WIFI a huge coverage area from a relatively short antenna, thus enabling it to serve all of McKean County and parts of New York's Twin Tiers area, as well as a portion of Elk and Warren Counties.

The fall of WKZA and rise of WLMI

By 1987, WIFI's finances were depleted. Industrialist Dennis Heindl of Ridgway, PA, purchased the station, took it off the air for renovations, re-equipped it, and gave it the call WLMI, for Laurel Media, Inc. (His manufacturing company was Laurel Manufacturing Inc.) Heindl returned the station to the air in April 1988. In 1989, Heindl sold WLMI and a construction permit for an un-built station in Reynoldsville, PA (known today as WDSN), to William Hearst, president of Clarion County Broadcasting. As WLMI began to entrench itself as a formidable competitor in town, many of WKZA's staff defected to WLMI, leaving Raise Kane Radio to put WKZA up for sale, finding that its profits were shrinking. Though a competitor buyout was speculated, WLMI did not show an interest in acquiring an AM station, and WKZA was sold for $75,000 to Bill Shannon Broadcasting in 1990.

The following year meant transactions for both WKZA and WLMI. Bill Shannon Broadcasting sold WKZA to Walter R. Pierre for $63,500 in December 1991, with the FCC approving the transaction a month later. On December 3rd, 1992, Hearst sold WLMI for $245,000 to Beech Tree Broadcasting Co, whose president was veteran news broadcaster Chuck Crouse. (Clarion County Broadcasting today owns WWCH-AM and WCCR-FM in Clarion, and acquired WKQW AM-FM in Oil City in 2005).

With Crouse's background in news, it wasn't uncommon to hear a local newscast each hour of every day on WLMI during this time, following an hourly report from ABC News. Crouse anchored news reports from 6 am until 2 pm with Scott McGuire handling reports from 3 pm until the following morning, Monday through Friday. High school students from Kane were hired to provide information to listeners on weekends, helping to keep WLMI's doors open seven days a week. Weather was also a staple on the station with around fifty reports a day each hour and half-hour. Crouse hosted a daily two hour morning show each weekday called "The Chuckwagon" which featured music, commentary, interviews and occasional annoucements about lost dogs. On Saturdays, local programming included a three-hour extended edition of Crouse's show known as "Saturday Morning Open-House" from 9 am until noon. Around 1999, WLMI developed a website [http://www.wlmifm.com] that still provides news and information today while under new ownership.

WKZA became WQLE in an effort to reverse its sagging fortunes. The station finally failed for good, going dark on December 21, 1992, leaving WLMI as the only local radio station offering service to Kane. No FCC paperwork was filed to legally silence the station, and was given up as simply abandoned.

Today, the WKZA calls belong to a CHR station at 106.9 mHz, serving Warren and Jamestown, NY.

In July 2006, Crouse sold WLMI to Colonial Radio Group and CEO Jeff Andrulonis, its current owner for $366,000.

WLMI today

Since its formative years as WIFI, WLMI has maintained its longtime call letters and a format that combines full-service news & information with country music. Under Colonial Radio Group's ownership, the station switched from ABC Satellite Music service (Today's Best Country) to a locally programmed Contemporary Country music format. The station also offers ABC News & local news, Paul Harvey, sports play-by-play, and a locally-produced polka show on Sundays.

And in July 2007, the station received approval from the FCC for a move of its tower for an increase of coverage area in McKean & Elk Counties. The tower move was completed on October 29, 2007.

KaneRadio.net

[http://www.kaneradio.net/ KaneRadio.net] is an Internet-only all-news radio station owned and operated by WLMI. The station runs an assortment of national news from ABC News Radio, Fox News Radio, local news, business reports, and sports on a tape loop. On nights and weekends, KaneRadio.net currently runs a relay of ESPN Radio. A full launch is expected in December 2007, with programming from BBC World Service and late-night and entertainment features from Westwood One soon to be added to the schedule. [http://www.kanerepublican.com/content/view/16187/27/] .

External links

* [http://www.wlmi.net WLMI official website]
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