These are my opinions of various Milwaukee radio stations, with some recent historical (is that an oxymoron?) data. If you want a frequency list without my babble, check out my Milwaukee Radio Station List. I'll break them all down. Oh, and in case you're wondering, I don't work for any station.

AM

WTMJ 620

This AM-news/talker is usually #1 in the 12+ ratings, pulls in great numbers with all demos, and is one of the better sources for news in town. WTMJ is owned by Journal Communications, which also owns Milwaukee's only "real" daily newspaper, _The Journal-Sentinel_, WTMJ-TV channel 4, and WKTI-FM.

The fast few years, mornings had been anchored by former ABC news veteran Jon Belmont. Jon Recently (June, 2004) left WTMJ to take a position in Washington, D.C. A replacement has yet to be named. Late-mornings (8:30-Noon) are handled by conservative broadcaster/author, Charlie Sykes (who came from WISN years ago). Wisconsin politician Jeff Wagner (R) has been a welcome addition from Noon-2PM. Jeff doesn't sound as "polished" as professional radio-squawkers, but his topics are always interesting, and he manages to hold your attention. I find myself listening to him almost every day. He is a former prosecuting attorney (and a conservative) who often has the inside "scoop." Although Jeff claims he does not have political ambitions for the next few years, you have to wonder if this radio show is not a public relations vehicle to get his name and opinions broadcast on one of Wisconsin's most powerful radio stations. Regardless, his show captivates this listener, and I wish him the best of luck in his new career (although I highly doubt Mr. Wagner is throwing in the political towel).

Consumer advocate Clark Howard airs from 2-3PM. Afternoon-talker Jonathan Greene takes a more polite and mild-mannered approach compared to cross-town rival Mark Belling (WISN). Bill Michaels (AKA The Big Unit) has sports-talk most evenings (when Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, or Wisconsin Badgers games don't cut him short). Local-guy Mark Reardon handles late nights, and Michael Savage and Dave Ramsey can be heard overnights.

WNOV 860

If whites tried this, you would swear the station was run by Ku Klux Klan members and David Duke was the program director.  

WISN 1130

My favorite non-music station in this market. Don Imus could be heard doing mornings on WISN 1997-1999. Sticking with true Milwaukee fashion, syndicated morning-shows fail miserbaly. Jay Weber and Bob Dolan have shown to be rather mature, insightful, and enjoyable... something which has been missing from Milwaukee morning radio for some time now. Syndicated, entertaining Glenn Beck handles middays and idiot/hypocrite Paul Harvey has the "Rest Of The Story" from 11:30-Noon. WISN now airs hourly newscasts throughout the day (actually read by anchors from a Clear Channel sister station in Ohio); an attempt to once-again challenge WTMJ in the news department. Rush Limbaugh dominates the Milwaukee airwaves from 12:30-3pm. Top-rated Mark Belling controls the PM drive with his unique blend of liberal bashing, humor, and common-sense conservatism. He also makes a point of educating the public as to the Journal Company's corruptness. Loud-mouthed, opinionated, and boisterous sportscaster Steve "The Homer" True makes his sports show (6-8pm) interesting (that's more than I can say for his competitors). Steve's followers are loyal to the bone. Sean Hannity and 'Real Money' with Jim Cramer can be heard nights. Coast-To-Coast AM runs overnight. Weekend programming is typical: gardening, financial, and sports (FOX). Matt Drudge (The Drudge Report) can be heard Sunday evenings from 10PM-12AM.

WEMP 1250

Religious programming.

   WMCS 1290

"The Heart & Soul of Milwaukee" lives up to its name....Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Smokey Robinson, Keith Sweat. Whether you're black, white, purple, or green...this is a "feel good" station. Many generations of soul/R&B music are represented without alienating anyone. WMCS is naturally aiming for the African-American 25-54 demo, but anyone who understands the Motown contribution to pop music will feel at home. The jocks keep the ranting to a minimum and let the music do the talking. Sunday mornings offer a wide variety of religious services, carried live. Some current R&B hits are added to the mix resulting in a sound that is only 1290. I can't imagine this station on FM...it needs that unique AM sound. Every city needs one of these.

WJYI 1340

Christian Contemporary music and programming. WJYI has a weak signal which can not be heard outside of the Milwaukee Metro area.

   WAUK 1510
ESPN Sports Radio.

WYMS 88.9

Owned and operated by Milwaukee Public Schools... that should tell you something. This once was a great little station, offering locally-programmed straight-ahead jazz and ethnic offerings. A BrewCityRadio.Com reader offers this synopsis (used with permission):

Last spring, the Milwaukee School Board fired the Station Manager, Program 
Director, and the rest of the staff, locked the doors, and started 
broadcasting a satellite feed. It's still classic jazz, but we have lost the 
local announcers who knew the music, we lost the ethnic programming on the 
week ends, we lost Echoes, and we lost "Jazz with Bob Parlocha". The 
organization that helped support the station, the Friends of WYMS, continues 
to struggle for control of what they see is a squandered public resource. 

Try listening to WYMS again, and see if it might need to be dropped down from 
a 4 to a rating of 3. 

I try to keep up with this mini-drama, and I post what I can find on my own 
page at "http://home4c.com/wyms/index.com". 

I found your page in Google while searching for "WYMS radio".
Thanks for having a nice site to represent Milwaukee.

RayC

WMSE 91.7

My roommate and I tried it here once. We lasted about 10 weeks. The programming is unique, offering jazz, folk, ethnic, experimental, and alternative rock. When I say "alternative rock" I mean REAL alternative rock...not commercial modern-rock. The jocks don't talk much. I think this is why we failed. As a matter of fact, it's quite common to hear an hour of music without an interruption. Then a gruff, pre-historic, male-sounding female may give the weather forecast subliminally lined with ultra-feminist propaganda. The female sounding announcers are actually the males.

WBWI 92.5

This is a great little country outlet originating out of West Bend, WI (hence WBWI). Plenty of tunes, little commercial interruption. The hot new country artists are played, as well as the classic originals. This is my country station of choice... a great alternative to the jabber-jaw, over-produced, tight-playlisted WMIL.

WJZI 93.3

This WAS one of Milwaukee's two album rockers. The former WQFM had struggled with an identity problem for many years. Once a heavy-metal/hard-rock outlet, QFM went with an "adult" rock feel in 1992-1993, relying on such staples as Peter Gabriel, Aerosmith, Jude Cole, The Cars, Bad Company, and Genesis. For some odd reason they thought it best to go heavier, even though rival Lazer103 (WLZR) had always had a stronghold in that area. It didn't work, and QFM changed formats March, 1996. Now the old QFM is WJZI and programs a "very light" AC/R&B/Smooth-Jazz format. WJZI plays many vocal selections and positions themselves as "Smooth Jazz - WJZI," ... far from a "real" jazz outlet ... but this is typical for the NAC format. Art Goode's Jazz Trax and Dave Koz's Personal Notes can be heard weekend mornings, respectively. The station programs too much R&B and mushy AC music for me, but the jazz sweeps are alright.

WKTI 94.5

The morning team of Reitmann and Mueller are Milwaukee radio legends (they've been around for what, 100 years?). A former CHR which flipped to HOT/AC in the early '90's, then flipped to mainstream AC October, 2001, and now back to HOT/AC once again. Typical, heavily voice-tracked HOT/AC with the obligatory 80's stuff thrown in.

WIIL 95.1

"95 WILL Rock!" They do. Cross a typical AOR with a Classic Rocker. Talk=minimum. When they do, its informative and to the point. Mellencamp, U2, Springsteen, Pearl Jam, Allman Brothers. Long sets of Rock'n Roll. The only good thing that ever came out of Kenosha, WI.

WRIT 95.7

In May, 2003, WRIT finally dropped the 'Oldies' moniker... which was fitting considering they hadn't played any music from the 50's in a while. I can't say anything bad, or great about them. All the 'Oldies' stations sound alike to me. Sometimes I find myself tuning in, simply because I'm sick of the crap on Milwaukee's radio dial, and oldies are just something different. WRIT now focuses on the 60's & early-70's era, leaving a true 'Oldies' void in Milwaukee.

WKLH 96.5

WKLH always places well with most demos, male and female. They pride themselves on never repeating a song within a 24 hour period. This really isn't that hard to do when your library spans 1960-1995. Beatles, Mellencamp, Stones, Fleetwood Mac. Those are the staples of WKLH. Not a lot of talk. Nightly features include the always-educational "Time Tunnel" and "70's at Seven." 2001 was ushered in with a series of blunders by 'KLH. First, they have automated their overnites... losing one of Milwaukee's finest voices (Jeff Bell). They also handed the axe to morning funny-man and sports-dude, KB. He was back on the show two weeks later after pissed-off listeners started rioting. It should also be noted that WKLH enjoys positioning themselves as a classic "hits" station... not classic "rock."

WLTQ 97.3

This is one of those "perfect while you work" stations. That's even what the television ads say. In my book this translates into "all the Michael Bolton and Mariah Carey you can handle before green bile flows from your innards." You can also hear Delilah. Need I say more?

WJMR 98.3

Jammin' 98.3 flipped to a hybrid Urban AC/Urban Oldies format in August, 2001. Prior to the flip the format was strictly Urban Oldies. The ratings were never quite there, and Saga brass must feel the addition of Tom Joyner in the mornings will make a difference. WJMR now competes most heavily with WMCS, and to a certain extent, WKKV. It's significant to note that WKKV (the only other true FM Urban station in the market) also has a syndicated morning show (Doug Banks). As a fan of the Urban format, I find the mix of old and new Urban music to be refreshing, although this format seems to be a little broad for advertisers. Like many others, I predict the station will evolve more into a true Urban AC as the oldies are slowly weened from the playlist. The Urban AC format was tried a few years ago on 103.7 (anyone remember WAMG: Rhythm & Romance?). It failed miserably. Only time will tell for WJMR.

In December, 2000, WJMR swapped frequencies with it's sister-station, WFMR. WJMR moved to 98.3 from 106.9 to get better coverage in the more "urban" areas of Milwaukee. WFMR now has better coverage in the 'burbs.

WMYX 99.1

Entercomm's WMYX (The Mix) is another of Milwaukee's HOT/AC outlets. The DJ's are polite, professional, and keep their ranting to a minimum. As of February, 2003, WMYX has taken a more repetitive tone, leaning a more mainstream Top-40. WMYX has competed heavily with WKTI over the past few years, but seems to have resigned the HOT/AC war. With sister station WXSS (Kiss-FM) now leaning more rhythmic, WMYX has slid into the mainstream role.
All of this happening at the same time All Access is reporting (2/24/2003):

ENTERCOM Hot AC KALC (ALICE@106)/DENVER PD TOM GJERDRUM has announced that he has accepted the position of PD at sister Entercom Hot AC WMYX/MILWAUKEE, WI. Until a new PD is announced at KALC, KOSI PD MARK EDWARD will serve as Interim PD.

WKKV 100.7

Milwaukee's leading Urban FM. During the day, V-100 is light on the rap, but evening hours bring a bit more hip-hop. Recent 'budget cuts' have brought an end to the "Quiet Storm" ... A great mix of the smooth, romantic R&B that helped wind down a hectic day. Too bad. Doug Banks in the morning, typical Urban Contemp. the rest of the day.

  WLUM 102.1

It's a chore keeping up with all the format changes on the 102.1 frequency. Here's a brief synopsis (if memory serves me correctly):

1979-82: The Station With A Heart (Jazz/Disco/Soul)
1982-83: LOVE102 (Urban)
1983-89: HOT-FM (Urban/Dance)
1990-1991: HOT102 (Urban)
1991-1992: HOT102 (CHR/Rhythmic)
1992-1994: HOT102 (Urban)
Mid-1994: HOT102 (CHR)
1994-1998: New Rock 102.1 (Modern/Alternative)
1998-Early 1999: 102.1 WLUM (Modern/Classic Rock)
Feb. 1999 - May 1999: 102.1 WLUM (AAA)
May 1999 - August 2001: ROCK 102.1 (AOR/Heritage)
August 2001 - 2002: ROCK 102.1 (Active)
2003: ROCK 102.1 (Alternative)
2004: ROCK 102.1 (Alternative/Classic Alternative)

The dates are just approximations. The early days of "New Rock" consisted of the same Bush, Nirvana, and Smashing Pumpkins over and over. The announcers sounded like uneducated morons who thought MTV-News was really news. Then, in early '99, the sound turned towards a more "adult" tone (in part due to the arrival of the former "The Point - WPNT" , in my opinion). Classic rock staples like the Doors, Clapton, Hendrix, and Stones could be heard in the same sweeps as the ilk I mentioned above. It was classified as an "AAA" station (Adult Album Alternative), and in typical WLUM fashion, never programmed properly and given time to mature. After experimenting with AOR, Rock, and 80's hair bands, WLUM settled this time on Alternative, which seems to have helped a tad. In early 1994, WLUM has refined its "Alternative" sound a bit more, and has been increasing spins of 80's and 90's "Alternative" artists ... and positioning itself as a "Classic Alternative" station. Mancow Muller (Syndicated; Chicago) and his Morning Madhouse were dropped in 2002 after a three-year-run. WLUM now airs Bob & Tom (Syndicated; Indianapolis) in the mornings.

WLZR 102.9

"Lazer103" is Milwaukee's leading Active-rocker with the #1 rated morning show, Bob & Brian. Heavy current rotations with the occasional AOR staple thrown in (Van Halen, Rush, LedZep).

Check out the Unoffical Bob & Brian's "You Can't Win" page.

WXSS 103.7

"Kiss-FM" was "Magic 103" which used to be "Easy 104." This is another frequency which changes almost as much as 102.1. Let's see:

1992-1995: WEZW; Easy 104 (Beautiful/Soft AC)
1995-1996: WAMG, Easy 104 (Soft AC)
1996-1998: WAMG; Magic 103 (AC/Urban AC)
1998-2003: WXSS; Kiss-FM (CHR/Mainstream)
Present: WXSS; Kiss-FM (CHR/Rhythmic)

Milwaukee has always been unique in that a normal CHR/Top40 outlet can't survive. I don't know why, but it's always being debated in radio circles and the broadasting newsgroups. Well, WXSS is trying to end the tradition, and for the past few years been rather successful. We're hearing some pop music that WKTI and WMYX don't touch. Kiss-FM is aiming at the young adult demo (specifically, females), and they appear to be having great success in the ratings (forcing WKTI, WLUM, and WMYX to all tweak their programming a notch, and stimulating WPNT to switch from Modern AC to "Jammin' Oldies" in April '99). WXSS has recently added more of an urban flavor to the mix, challenging WKKV's stronghold in that area.

WEXT 104.7

"The Wolf" programs an interesting hybrid of new & classic country. The current format, which debuted in early 2004, evolved from "Extreme Country," which had about an eight-year run (if memory serves me correctly). This country outlet was primarily heard in the Racine/Kenosha/South Milwaukee area, and never appeared to compete too heavily with country powerhouse WMIL, which has a much larger coverage. Since evolving into "The Wolf," the station's transmitter was moved a few miles to the north (Oak Creek, WI) and the signal now reaches much farther into the Milwaukee Metro area. This, in turn, has frustrated many listners of 104.9 WTKM (Polka - Hartford, WI) who find their favorite niche station getting stepped on. (WEXT is a Next Media station, sister-station to WIIL).

  WMIL 106.1

Pulls in excellent numbers in all demos...very highly ranked. "Todays Hot New Country" is programmed like a Top40 Country outlet...which it is. High repetition, lots of talk, lots of commercials, and overly produced. Very high local presence. FM106 makes a point of being at every event and has a massive following.

WFMR 106.9

WFMR has a history of flip-flopping between nationally-syndicated and local programming. During the summer of '97 the station had been targetting a younger demo with the "Top 40" of classical music. WFMR then switched to the Beethoven Satellite Network (from WFMT) overnites and weekends. It has returned to World Classical Network, a service of WCRB-Boston for those hours that it is not local. (* See Credit Below)

Historical Sidenote: This frequency was previously filled with excellent smooth jazz and new age sounds (until May, 1997). The calls were then WFMI. I had that station on day and night... I really miss it. Then it was Modern-AC "The Point" for about two years. "The Point" relied heavily on Modern AC female staples like Crow, Indigo Girls, McLaughlin, Jewel, Sixpence, etc. It was a good station, and Milwaukee did need it. WFMI was rock-bottom (for some odd reason), and the switch was good (ratings-wise, for a while at least). They helped fill a void which WLUM couldn't seem to do on their own. Then WKTI, WMYX, and WLUM started catching on and blending WPNT's "safe bets" into their own playlists. Low-power WPNT got beat... (not bad, but they still got beat) and switched to the "Jammin' Oldies" format in April '99. In December, 2000, WFMR swapped frequencies with it's sister-station, WJMR. WJMR moved to 98.3 from 106.9 to get better coverage in the more "urban" areas of Milwaukee. WFMR now has better coverage in the 'burbs. WFMR also celebrates its 45th anniversary June, 2001.

* Thanks to Richard Kirchen