- WTMJ (AM)
Infobox Radio Station
name = WTMJ (AM)
city =Milwaukee, Wisconsin
area =
branding = "Newsradio 620 WTMJ"
slogan = "Depend on It"
airdate = May1922
frequency = 620 kHz (AM)
HD Radio
format = News/Talk
power = 50,000 watts daytime
10,000 watts nighttime
erp =
class = B
callsign_meaning = The Milwaukee Journal (owner)
former_callsigns =
owner =Journal Communications
sister_stations =WTMJ-TV ,WKTI-FM
webcast =
website = [http://620wtmj.com 620wtmj.com]
affiliations =WTMJ is an AM radio station that reaches much of
Wisconsin andUpper Michigan , as well as parts of northernIllinois andIndiana . WTMJ broadcasts on 620 AM. Today, it is a 50,000-watt news/talk/sports station and one of America’s largest and most successful radio stationsFact|date=December 2007. It is owned byJournal Broadcast Group , which also owns theMilwaukee Journal Sentinel and sister stationWKTI-FM .Because of the station's power, WTMJ can be easily tuned in through most of the western Great Lakes region, as far east as
Saginaw, Michigan . The station is also heard clearly in places such as Madison, Green Bay andChicago .History
In May
1922 , The Milwaukee Journal sponsored its first radio program on Milwaukee's first radio station, WAAK, which was owned by the Gimbel Bros. Department Store. In April1927 , The Milwaukee Journal bought the radio station WKAF and built a newtransmitter tower inBrookfield, Wisconsin . Then in June1927 , The Federal Radio Commission assigned the call letters WTMJ, to stand for "The Milwaukee Journal".On
July 25 1927 , WTMJ Radio went on the air at 1020 AM as a way to sell newspapers. WTMJ's first broadcast featured music by the WTMJ Orchestra and included aremote broadcast featuring Bill Carlsen's orchestra. Carlsen was later hired by WTMJ and went on to becomeWisconsin 's most widely known radio and television weather forecaster.In
1928 , The Federal Radio Commission reassigned WTMJ to 620 AM. Some customers began encounteringinterference from other radio stations that shared close frequencies in other parts of the country. Engineers solved the problem by developing directional radio signals, a system that is still being used throughout the nation. In the daytime, WTMJ broadcasts at 50,000 watts, but decreases power to 10,000 watts after nightfall and broadcasts away from the Chicago metropolitan area (directional antennas in two [generally north] patterns for daytime and nighttime operation).WTMJ aired a
full service MOR format for most of its lifetime, which meant a mixture of news, music and talk shows. WTMJ has long had a heavy sports presence, and has been the flagship station forGreen Bay Packers ,Milwaukee Bucks andMilwaukee Brewers games for most of the teams' histories. They are also the Milwaukee affiliate forWisconsin Badgers football andWisconsin Badgers Basketball . Around 1990, WTMJ, like many other AM full-service stations, shifted solely to news/talk. WTMJ is one of the few major AM stations to feature mostly local hosts, including John Jagler, Gene Mueller, Charlie Sykes, Jeff Wagner, Jonathan Green and Bill "The Big Unit" Michaels. Other local voices heard on the station include Phil "The Biggest Name In Milwaukee Radio" Cianciola, Jeff Falconio, Dan O'Donnell, Dick Alpert and former game show hostJim Peck . The station does have a few syndicated personalities such asDennis Miller , Michael Savage andLaura Ingraham , though the former show airs in the late evening, and the latter two shows in the after-midnight hours. Consumer advocateClark Howard 's program airs for an hour on weekdays between Wagner and Green, with the other ten hours of the show during the week airing during weekend evenings. Some of WTMJ's talk programming reflects conservative values, though humor, lifestyle and sports talk continue to retain a strong presence on the station.External links
* [http://www.620wtmj.com/ Official site]
* [http://www.journalbroadcastgroup.com/ Journal Broadcast Group]
*amq|WTMJ
*aml|WTMJ
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