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Name: WYPV
Age: 7
Occupation: right-winged talk station
Last Seen: Petoskey, MI
Bee-otched For: becoming homeless
Age: 7
Occupation: right-winged talk station
Last Seen: Petoskey, MI
Bee-otched For: becoming homeless
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One of the worst mistakes in northern Michigan radio history has apparently gone bye-bye.
WYPV 94.5 Mackinaw City/Petoskey is now simulcasting WJML 1110 in Petoskey. No word on if the station has been sold or is being run under a local marketing agreement. WYPV had been airing Mark Levin and Michael "Savage" Wiener plus the Ann Arbor-based Thayrone. The station also aired a daily program called Your Defending Fathers co-hosted by station owners Brian Sommerfield - a tax accountant from Petoskey - and "Trucker Randy" Bishop, who is a chairman for the Antrim County Republican Party. Funny, since 94.5's signal is mostly non-existent throughout most of the county.
Oddly enough, WJML already airs some of WYPV's shows, including Wiener and statewide syndicated Steve Gruber. WJML is owned by former Grand Rapids native John Yob, a GOP strategist who now lives on the Virgin Islands and had the shit kicked out of him by his wife. Recently, Yob purchased WWMN 106.3 near Traverse City, which had been airing an adult alternative format as The Mitten (the station is still carried on WMTE 101.5 Manistee, which has virtually no signal in Traverse City). The station is now simulcasting WJML, which is northern Michigan's home for the aforementioned Wiener and Gruber, plus Laura Ingraham, Chris Plante, and Dave Ramsey.
Along with 1110, 106.3 and 94.5, WJML also airs on WJNL 1210 Kingsley/Traverse City and a translator on 101.1 in Traverse City.
It's nice that northern Michigan is now one less conservative voice, but it's sad that WYPV - whose call letters stood for "We're Your Patriot Voice" - had to exist in the first place. In the few times I've listened to the station, I've heard not many local commercials. One ad was for a Mexican restaurant Sommerfield owns and another was for an opportunity to own a Hardware Hank franchise. When I think of WYPV's listeners, I think about the Militia rednecks who live in the not-so-wealthy areas in the Straits region. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if the old WSRT 106.7 "You FM" (now an ESPN station) had better ratings than WYPV. At least You FM had better programming, like Stephanie Miller.
However, I've read a Facebook post from Trucker Randy that he's in talks with 106.3 WWMK to at least move Your Defending Fathers over there. Ironically, it was WYPV's original home before being traded for 94.5 Mackinaw City and 93.9 Mio (the latter being sold to a religious broadcaster).
It wouldn't shock me if WYPV failed to make a profit in the seven years they were on the air. Most conservative talk radio listeners are senior citizens and living on fixed incomes. In the days when Arbitron published the ratings for ALL radio stations up north, I remembered that ONLY WTCM 580 had ratings. WMKT 1270 and WJML didn't even have a one share. I can't stand the logic as to why northern Michigan needs more stations spewing right-winged hate. Of course, I would say get a good progressive talker up north like WWKK 750 used to be, but now there's few decent syndicated shows out there. There's Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartman, but that's it.
No wonder why corporate radio's bankrupt and Sirius and Pandora are rocking the stock market.
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One of the worst mistakes in northern Michigan radio history has apparently gone bye-bye.
WYPV 94.5 Mackinaw City/Petoskey is now simulcasting WJML 1110 in Petoskey. No word on if the station has been sold or is being run under a local marketing agreement. WYPV had been airing Mark Levin and Michael "Savage" Wiener plus the Ann Arbor-based Thayrone. The station also aired a daily program called Your Defending Fathers co-hosted by station owners Brian Sommerfield - a tax accountant from Petoskey - and "Trucker Randy" Bishop, who is a chairman for the Antrim County Republican Party. Funny, since 94.5's signal is mostly non-existent throughout most of the county.
Oddly enough, WJML already airs some of WYPV's shows, including Wiener and statewide syndicated Steve Gruber. WJML is owned by former Grand Rapids native John Yob, a GOP strategist who now lives on the Virgin Islands and had the shit kicked out of him by his wife. Recently, Yob purchased WWMN 106.3 near Traverse City, which had been airing an adult alternative format as The Mitten (the station is still carried on WMTE 101.5 Manistee, which has virtually no signal in Traverse City). The station is now simulcasting WJML, which is northern Michigan's home for the aforementioned Wiener and Gruber, plus Laura Ingraham, Chris Plante, and Dave Ramsey.
Along with 1110, 106.3 and 94.5, WJML also airs on WJNL 1210 Kingsley/Traverse City and a translator on 101.1 in Traverse City.
It's nice that northern Michigan is now one less conservative voice, but it's sad that WYPV - whose call letters stood for "We're Your Patriot Voice" - had to exist in the first place. In the few times I've listened to the station, I've heard not many local commercials. One ad was for a Mexican restaurant Sommerfield owns and another was for an opportunity to own a Hardware Hank franchise. When I think of WYPV's listeners, I think about the Militia rednecks who live in the not-so-wealthy areas in the Straits region. Hell, it wouldn't surprise me if the old WSRT 106.7 "You FM" (now an ESPN station) had better ratings than WYPV. At least You FM had better programming, like Stephanie Miller.
However, I've read a Facebook post from Trucker Randy that he's in talks with 106.3 WWMK to at least move Your Defending Fathers over there. Ironically, it was WYPV's original home before being traded for 94.5 Mackinaw City and 93.9 Mio (the latter being sold to a religious broadcaster).
It wouldn't shock me if WYPV failed to make a profit in the seven years they were on the air. Most conservative talk radio listeners are senior citizens and living on fixed incomes. In the days when Arbitron published the ratings for ALL radio stations up north, I remembered that ONLY WTCM 580 had ratings. WMKT 1270 and WJML didn't even have a one share. I can't stand the logic as to why northern Michigan needs more stations spewing right-winged hate. Of course, I would say get a good progressive talker up north like WWKK 750 used to be, but now there's few decent syndicated shows out there. There's Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartman, but that's it.
No wonder why corporate radio's bankrupt and Sirius and Pandora are rocking the stock market.
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Bee-otch of the Day is a production of Chuck69.com, Grand Rapids' site for Stern, politics and more!
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