WCLB
Encyclopedia
WCLB is a radio station
in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
which airs a sports talk format and is a full affiliate of Fox Sports Radio
. It is operated as a sister station to Chilton
's WMBE
, and both stations carry the same programming. WCLB is owned by Mountain Dog Media, a company owned by former State Senator Randy Hopper
.
range to the west of Sheboygan) and had a general MOR format mixed with local talk. Launching from a former gas station building at Sheboygan Falls, the station eventually moved its studios located to the second floor of the Walgreens
building in downtown Sheboygan at 814 North Eighth Street. WKTS moved to the corner of Union Avenue and South 12th Street in the early 1980s. The station stayed on the air as WKTS until 1991, when the ownership group was foreclosed by a local bank and the station was forced to go dark.
Early owners included Dave Bensman, a prominent Sheboygan grocer, who created the Polkaland Record label, long-time owners R. Karl Baker and his wife Jane, later sold to First Concord of Minnesota, headed by Steven T. Moravec for a short time, next to Sheboygan Broadcasting, headed by long-time Sheboygan announcer, Julian Jetzer.
Night service was granted in 1987. The station uses a three-tower directional facility at Sheboygan Falls, near the interchange between Highways 23 and 32. The station receives heavy interference due to the factors of cell phone traffic from towers nearby interfering with the signal, and the need to reduce the signal at night in order to protect WWJ
of Detroit
and Chicago's WNTD
, also both at 950.
The station's license was then picked up by Don Jones' Star Cablevision (unrelated to the larger Cablevision corporation), the city's cable provider and a precursor company to Charter Communications
. The station came back on the air on June 11, 1993 as WCNZ, airing an audio simulcast of CNN Headline News
and local news updates during the network's local affiliate update time (25/55 after the hour), along with broadcasts of Sheboygan A's semi-pro
baseball games and some high school sports, with coverage usually provided via simulcasts from Star Cablevision (later Marcus Cable
)'s WSCS TV8 public access
station.
In 1997, the station was sold to Mountain Dog Media, the owners of WXER
(104.5) upon the sale of Marcus Cable to Charter Communications, which had no interest whatsoever in maintaining a radio station. Studios were merged with WXER's Falls Plaza facilities, and the station ended the Headline News simulcast and brought the station back to its former MOR format. On May 4, 2000, WCNZ changed their calls to WCLB, and then switched to an adult standards
format as 950, The Club. Later, the station changed to oldies as "Cool 950" The station would remain so until January 3, 2004, when WCLB took an affiliation with ESPN Radio
.
Currently local programming consists of an afternoon sports show based from Fond du Lac
, while the station did not air ESPN Radio play-by-play broadcasts except for coverage of the Bowl Championship Series
and NBA Finals
due to a non-compete clause with Midwest Communications
resulting from their sale of WXER and lasted until September 2010; with the end of the clause WCLB aired the 2010 MLB Playoffs for the first time. The station's offices are based at Fond du Lac sister operation KFIZ
, and there is no local presence of station staff outside of some remote broadcasts. The station currently carries NFL
and NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
coverage from Westwood One
.
In March 2011, WCLB was dropped by ESPN Radio due to the network requesting clearance of their afternoon show and the refusal of Mountain Dog to do so to air their Fond du Lac-based afternoon program. The station was rebranded as 950, The Game and became an affiliate of Fox Sports Radio
, replacing WHBL's weekends-only affiliation.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
-Airport:Sheboygan is served by the Sheboygan County Memorial Airport, which is located several miles from the city.-Roads:Interstate 43 is the primary north-south transportation route into Sheboygan, and forms the west boundary of the city. U.S...
which airs a sports talk format and is a full affiliate of Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
. It is operated as a sister station to Chilton
Chilton, Wisconsin
Chilton is a city in and county seat of Calumet County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 3,708 at the 2000 census. The city is located partially within the Town of Chilton.-History:...
's WMBE
WMBE
WMBE is a daytime-only radio station broadcasting a classic country music format. Licensed to Chilton, Wisconsin, USA, the station serves the Appleton-Oshkosh area. WMBE is rented by Mountain Dog Media, a company owned by former State Senator Randy Hopper...
, and both stations carry the same programming. WCLB is owned by Mountain Dog Media, a company owned by former State Senator Randy Hopper
Randy Hopper
Randal B. "Randy" Hopper is a former Republican member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 18th District from 2009 until losing his seat to Jessica King in a 2011 recall election. The 18th District includes the cities of Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, and Waupun....
.
History
The station came on the air in the late 1950s as WKTS (KeTtleS to stand for the Kettle MoraineKettle Moraine
Kettle Moraine is a large moraine in the state of Wisconsin stretching from Walworth County in the south to Kewaunee County in the north. It has also been referred to as the Kettle Range and, in geological texts, as the Kettle Interlobate Moraine....
range to the west of Sheboygan) and had a general MOR format mixed with local talk. Launching from a former gas station building at Sheboygan Falls, the station eventually moved its studios located to the second floor of the Walgreens
Walgreens
Walgreen Co. , doing business as Walgreens , is the largest drugstore chain in the United States of America. As of August 31st, the company operates 8,210 locations across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Founded in Chicago, Illinois in 1901, and has since expanded...
building in downtown Sheboygan at 814 North Eighth Street. WKTS moved to the corner of Union Avenue and South 12th Street in the early 1980s. The station stayed on the air as WKTS until 1991, when the ownership group was foreclosed by a local bank and the station was forced to go dark.
Early owners included Dave Bensman, a prominent Sheboygan grocer, who created the Polkaland Record label, long-time owners R. Karl Baker and his wife Jane, later sold to First Concord of Minnesota, headed by Steven T. Moravec for a short time, next to Sheboygan Broadcasting, headed by long-time Sheboygan announcer, Julian Jetzer.
Night service was granted in 1987. The station uses a three-tower directional facility at Sheboygan Falls, near the interchange between Highways 23 and 32. The station receives heavy interference due to the factors of cell phone traffic from towers nearby interfering with the signal, and the need to reduce the signal at night in order to protect WWJ
WWJ (AM)
WWJ is Detroit, Michigan's only 24-hour all-news radio station. Broadcasting at 950 kHz, the station is owned and operated by CBS Corporation subsidiary CBS Radio. The station first went on the air on August 20, 1920 with the call sign 8MK...
of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and Chicago's WNTD
WNTD
WNTD is an AM radio station in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by Sovereign City Radio Services LLC. Its frequency is 950 AM and has separate day-time and night-time transmitter locations. It is currently one of three stations in the Chicago market that airs Relevant Radio, a Catholic talk...
, also both at 950.
The station's license was then picked up by Don Jones' Star Cablevision (unrelated to the larger Cablevision corporation), the city's cable provider and a precursor company to Charter Communications
Charter Communications
Charter Communications is an American company providing cable television, high-speed Internet, and telephone services to more than 4.7 million customers in 25 states. By revenues, it is the fourth-largest cable operator in the United States, behind Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Cox Communications...
. The station came back on the air on June 11, 1993 as WCNZ, airing an audio simulcast of CNN Headline News
CNN Headline News
HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
and local news updates during the network's local affiliate update time (25/55 after the hour), along with broadcasts of Sheboygan A's semi-pro
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
baseball games and some high school sports, with coverage usually provided via simulcasts from Star Cablevision (later Marcus Cable
Marcus Cable
Marcus Cable Company was a cable television & high-speed internet access provider headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and founded by Jeffrey A. Marcus and the Marcus Corporation...
)'s WSCS TV8 public access
Public Access
Public Access is a 1993 American drama film directed by Bryan Singer in his feature film debut. Singer also wrote the screenplay with Christopher McQuarrie and Michael Feit Dougan. The film was shot in 18 days for US$250,000. It was screened at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, where it was...
station.
In 1997, the station was sold to Mountain Dog Media, the owners of WXER
WXER
WXER is a Hot AC FM radio station broadcasting on 104.5 MHz in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, which is owned by Midwest Communications. The station is licensed to the city of Plymouth and broadcasts from a tower southwest of the city....
(104.5) upon the sale of Marcus Cable to Charter Communications, which had no interest whatsoever in maintaining a radio station. Studios were merged with WXER's Falls Plaza facilities, and the station ended the Headline News simulcast and brought the station back to its former MOR format. On May 4, 2000, WCNZ changed their calls to WCLB, and then switched to an adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
format as 950, The Club. Later, the station changed to oldies as "Cool 950" The station would remain so until January 3, 2004, when WCLB took an affiliation with ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
.
Currently local programming consists of an afternoon sports show based from Fond du Lac
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
, while the station did not air ESPN Radio play-by-play broadcasts except for coverage of the Bowl Championship Series
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
and NBA Finals
NBA Finals
The NBA Finals is the championship series of the National Basketball Association . The series was named the NBA World Championship Series until 1986....
due to a non-compete clause with Midwest Communications
Midwest Communications
Midwest Communications, Inc. consists of Midwest Communications, Inc. and WRIG, Inc., which collectively own forty-six radio stations. The Company got its start in Wausau, Wisconsin, with WRIG, Inc. and the acquisition by the D.E. Wright family of a 1400 kHz, 250 watt AM facility from the...
resulting from their sale of WXER and lasted until September 2010; with the end of the clause WCLB aired the 2010 MLB Playoffs for the first time. The station's offices are based at Fond du Lac sister operation KFIZ
KFIZ (AM)
KFIZ is a radio station licensed to serve Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, US. The station is owned by Randy Hopper's Mountain Dog Media and the license is held by RBH Enterprises, Inc. KFIZ features programming from Fox News Radio....
, and there is no local presence of station staff outside of some remote broadcasts. The station currently carries NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
and NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
coverage from Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
.
In March 2011, WCLB was dropped by ESPN Radio due to the network requesting clearance of their afternoon show and the refusal of Mountain Dog to do so to air their Fond du Lac-based afternoon program. The station was rebranded as 950, The Game and became an affiliate of Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
, replacing WHBL's weekends-only affiliation.