93.7 The Ticket launches in northern Michigan

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NORTHERN MICHIGAN'S WKAD, WMBN FLIP TO SPORTS
93.7 The Ticket displaces Oldies and Standards

It's not even far into 2012 and the radio dial in northern Michigan is buzzing. 

Earlier this week, Trish MacDonald Garber flipped two of her stations - Oldies 93.7 WKAD Cadillac and Standards WMBN 1340 Petoskey - to a simulcasted Sports format, 93.7 The Fan. The station uses Fox Sports Radio as their main network and also carries Dan Patrick and Jim Rome's shows. 

The station also has a local morning show, hosted by Tom Devitt, formerly of Big Country 102.9.

The new station displaces the Oldies format WKAD had since its 2003 sign-on, but it also replaces the Standards format WMBN had for around 50 years since it was owned by the Biederman family. When WMBN moved solely to the FM - then at 96.3 - in the early 80's, it had been a ratings success, but found itself back on the AM dial in 1990 when 96.3 flipped to AC as Lite 96. Throughout the 80's, 1340 was WWPZ, which played a hybrid of Top 40 and Oldies.

With the flip to Sports, this means that for the first time ever, there are no radio stations in northern Michigan carrying any type of Standards format. Then again, some radio experts are saying that even AC stations - like Lite 96 - might be the next format to die, especially since many AC mainstays like James Taylor, Elton John and Michael Bolton attract an older audience that advertisers are now avoiding, and that many AC stations are now playing CHR-friendly acts like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears. Heck, some even play rap when they do a flashback weekend.

It's also worth noting that the last Standards station prior to WMBN's flip happened to be WCCW 1310 out of Traverse City, which flipped to ESPN in 2000.

But, for Sports talk fans, the flip to 93.7 and 1340 is welcome. In Cadillac, 1370 WLJW - formerly WKJF - flipped from Sports to Religious Talk when the Biedermans sold that station in 2004. As for the Straits area, WIDG 940 - which carried Sporting News Radio - they were also sold to a religious group in 2008.

There's no word if 93.7 The Ticket carries "Huge" Bill Simonson, but rest assured, he's still losing affiliates. Just this past week, WCSY 940 South Haven signed off the air for good, and the station's towers will be torn down. Apparently, the station wasn't making money and the tower site was worth more than the station itself.