WJMS-AM 590 Ironwood

Slogan/Positioner: Real Country; US 59

Format: Country

Web site: www.wjmsam.com

E-Mail: visit web site

Class: B
Daytime Power / # of Towers: 5,000 watts / 1, omnidirectional
Nighttime Power / # of Towers: 1,000 watts / 3, directional

Construction permit:
Class: B
Daytime Power / # of Towers: 5,000 watts / 1, omnidirectional
Nighttime Power / # of Towers: 900 watts / 2, directional

FCC technical information:

• engineering data
• station details

More about station:

• Radio Locator coverage areas: Day, Night
• Radio Locator CP coverage area: Night
• FCCInfo.com listing
• Recnet Broadcast Query
• WJMS from Wikipedia
• WJMS from RadioTime.com

Call Sign History:

• WJMS

Call Sign Origins:

• William Johnson Music Store
• St. James Hotel

On Air Date: November 3, 1931

Owner: J & J Broadcasting

Telephone: (906) 932-2411

Notes/History:

• 9/2009: Construction permit granted to remove one of the towers from the station's nighttime array. WJMS will reduce nighttime power from 1,000 to 900 watts using 2 towers instead of 3. Daytime power will remain at 5,000 watts using one tower.
• 7/2009: J & J Broadcasting is acquiring pop WIMI-FM 99.7 and country WJMS AM 590 Ironwood from Magellan/Barracuda Broadcasting (Armada Media) for $950,000 pending FCC approval and closing. J&J also owns WKMJ FM/WMPL AM in Houghton-Hancock and programmer and 50% owner of WUPY Ontonagon. Sale was approved in August 2009 and closed in February 2010.
• 9/2006: FCC approves sale of stations to Armada Media
• 6/2006: David & Melvin Winters (operating under a number of different company names including Triple Crown and Quicksilver) will be selling 7 radio stations on the Michigan/Wisconsin border for $8.5 million to Armada Media pending FCC approvals and closing. The stations being sold include: Hot Adult Contemporary WIMI FM 99.7 and Country WJMS AM 590 (Ironwood area); Adult Standards WAGN AM 1340, Country WHYB FM 103.7, Sports WMAM AM 570, Hot Adult Contemporary WLST FM 95.1, and Oldies WSFQ FM 96.3 (Menominee, MI / Marinette, WI).
• 7/2005: Format changes from News-Talk to Country as Real Country, US 59
• 2003: Format switch from Country to News-Talk
• 4/2001: Roberts Broadcasting, which was a wholly owned subsidiary of Badger Communications, was essentially merged together with its parent company in a stock transfer valued at $3 million. Roberts will remain the licensee of both WJMS and sister station WIMI-FM 99.7
• 1975: Sister station WIMI-FM 99.7 begins operations
• 1974: Heath sells station to W. Donald Roberts (Roberts Broadcasting)
• 1969: Station sold by Johnson family to Chuck Heath.
• 1968: Daytime power to 5,000 watts, frequency change to AM 590.
• 1956: Construction permit granted for a new TV station on Channel 12 Ironwood. Station was never built in Ironwood and eventually moved to Rhinelander, WI and is today's WJFW-TV.
• 1947: Power to 1,000 watts, frequency to 630. Station moves to the same 3-tower array still in use for the current nighttime pattern.
• 1938: Frequency change to AM 1450
• 11/3/1931: Station signs on at AM 1420 with 100 watts
• 1931: License granted to the Upper Michigan-Wisconsin Broadcasting Company, which consisted of Marius Johnson, with sons Bill and Archie, and wife Mildred.
• 1927: Unlicensed station "KTQT" is operating in Ironwood at 1420 AM with 7.5 watts

Center of antenna array/transmitter location:

Iron County, WI