WSGW (AM)
Michigan Wolverines Saginaw Spirit | |
Ownership | |
---|---|
Owner |
|
WCEN-FM, WGER, WSGW-FM, WTLZ | |
History | |
First air date | 1950 |
Call sign meaning | W SaGinaW |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 22674 |
Class | B |
Power | 5,000 watts day 1,000 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°27′40″N 83°48′48″W / 43.46111°N 83.81333°W |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | wsgw.com |
WSGW (790
By day, WSGW is powered at 5,000 watts. But at night, to protect other stations on 790 AM from interference, it reduces power to 1,000 watts. It uses a directional antenna with a six-tower array. The transmitter is on Uncle Henry Road in Blumfield Township.[1]
Programming
Weekdays on WSGW begin with The Morning Team, a news and interview show hosted by Charlie Rood, Denyse Sharron and Pat Johnson. Veteran broadcaster Art Lewis hosts his own talk show in late mornings, featuring interviews with local newsmakers and phone calls from the public. Agriculture director Terry Henne hosts The Farm Show just before noon, focusing on local weather, market conditions, and agriculture news. The rest of the day,
On weekends, WSGW air specialty shows on health, money, technology, the outdoors, farming and home repair. Weekend syndicated programs include
WSGW airs
National and international news updates come from CBS News Radio and statewide news from the Michigan News Network. WSGW is also airs financial reports from Fox Business, agricultural news from Brownfield, and weather reports from Weatherology.[5]
History
WSGW first
The station was started by John Lord Booth, of Detroit who founded Booth American Company. In 1973 Booth built new studios at 1795 Tittabawassee Road shared with then sister station WIOG. Then in 1988 the facility was tripled in size with a major expansion. The Booth family operated the station for 45 years until 1995 when the station was sold to another Detroit area media family called Fritz Broadcasting. During the period of deregulation just prior to the turn of the century, the station changed hands several times with brief ownerships by 62nd Street Broadcasting, Citadel Communications and Wilks Broadcasting.
NextMedia bought the station in 2002. Digity acquired WSGW in 2014, which was sold to Alpha Media in 2015.[7]
WSGW was the home for big-name syndicated personalities Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity throughout the 2000s. However, in January 2009, WSGW swapped programming with its FM sister station. The swap meant WSGW no longer had to interrupt their shows for sports broadcasts while still keeping top rated The Rush Limbaugh Show and The Sean Hannity Show in the market.[8] WSGW 790 AM subsequently picked up personalities Tom Sullivan and Dennis Miller, replacing the latter with Dave Ramsey in 2015.
In June 2019, it was announced that WSGW-FM 100.5 would simulcast WSGW weekdays from 1am to Noon. It would also mark the end of longtime mid-morning talk show Listen to the Mrs.[9] Further changes were made to the schedule in December 2020, announcing a merger of FM 100.5 and AM 790's programming, effectively making WSGW-FM a 24-hour simulcast of its sister station with the exception of sporting events.[10] In 2022, longtime program director Dave Mauer and news director Ann Williams resigned from WSGW.[11]
Technical
WSGW 790's low dial position and corresponding long wavelength, along with a complex antenna array provides a strong signal to the Tri-Cities area and eastern portions of the Thumb. Adjacent channel interference from AM 800 CKLW in Windsor, Ontario limits WSGW's signal to the south and east. On most days, WSGW can be received as far west as Grand Rapids and north along the I-75 corridor to places like West Branch and Gaylord.[12]
WSGW's technical history can be traced back to October 1945 when Booth Radio applied for a
References
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WSGW
- ^ "U of M Basketball".
- ^ "U of M Football Schedule".
- ^ "WSGW Sports Broadcast Schedule".
- ^ "WSGW Program Schedule".
- ^ a b "Broadcasting Station License Record". Retrieved 2023-09-17.
- ^ "WSGW among Saginaw radio stations sold to Portland's Alpha Media". 20 August 2015.
- ^ "Radio station WSGW-AM, 790, shuffling talk radio lineup". 12 January 2009.
- ^ "Screen grab of webpage announcing 2019 programming changes". www.wsgw.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-13.
- ^ "Screen grab of webpage announcing 2020 programming merger". www.wsgw.com. Archived from the original on 2024-01-13.
- ^ "WSGW newsman Dave Maurer resigns after 43 years at mid-Michigan station". mlive.com. 2022. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
- ^ "Radio Station Coverage Map".
External links
- Michiguide.com - WSGW History
- WSGW in the FCC AM station database
- WSGW in Nielsen Audio's AM station database