WTOU
| Broadcast area | [1] (daytime) [2] (nighttime) |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1660 kHz C-QUAM AM stereo |
| Branding | The Touch |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban adult contemporary |
| Affiliations | The Touch |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | October 1, 1998 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Touch |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 87325 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
| Translator(s) | 95.5 W238AL (Portage) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | go955 |
WTOU (1660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to operate on 1660 kHz from facilities located in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
History
[edit]WTOU began as the "expanded band" twin to a station operating on the standard AM band. On March 17, 1997, the FCC announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available "expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with then-WQSN in Kalamazoo authorized to move from 1470 to 1660 kHz.[2]
A construction permit for the expanded band station was assigned the WQSN call letters on October 1, 1998, concurrent with the call letters of the original WQSN on 1470 AM, changing to WKLZ.[3] The FCC's initial policy was that both the original station and its expanded band counterpart could operate simultaneously for up to five years, after which owners would have to turn in one of the two licenses, depending on whether they preferred the new assignment or elected to remain on the original frequency,[2] although this deadline was extended multiple times. It was ultimately decided to transfer full operations to the expanded band station, and on February 20, 2006, the original station on 1470 AM, now WKLZ, was deleted.[4]
The station had been licensed to Fairfield Broadcasting as WQSN. It was sold to Midwest Communications in 2006. The FCC approved a callsign change on March 26, 2007, to WQLR, the former callsign of WVFM, an existing FM music station owned by Midwest Communications in Kalamazoo.
The station flipped from sports radio to urban adult contemporary on December 1, 2020.[5] On December 18, 2020, the station switched callsigns with WTOU.
References
[edit]- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WTOU". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b "FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations" (FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997.
- ^ Call Sign History for 1660 AM (Facility ID: 87325)
- ^ FCC Station Search Details: DWKLZ (Facility ID: 20452)
- ^ "1660 Kalamazoo "The Fan" flips to Urban Format". Michigan Radio & TV Buzzboard. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
External links
[edit]- Facility details for Facility ID 87325 (WTOU) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WTOU in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 145136 (W238AL) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- W238AL at FCCdata.org
- FCC History Cards for DWKLZ (1470 AM) (covering 1955–1981 as WKLZ / WYYY)
 AM stereo radio stations in the United States | |
|---|---|
| By callsign | |
| By frequency | |
42°14′11″N 85°34′37″W / 42.23639°N 85.57694°W
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