Smile FM

Smile FM
Slogan	"Michigan's Positive Hits"
Format	Religious; Contemporary Christian
Owner	Superior Communications
Webcast	http://www.smile.fm/streaming/
Website	http://www.smile.fm

Smile FM is a network of non-commercial, contemporary Christian radio stations. Most programming originates from studios in Williamston, Michigan (just east of Lansing) and is relayed (with local inserts) by an expanding number of stations throughout the state. The network also has studios in Imlay City, Michigan.

Smile FM was originally two separate networks. The first, The Light, was founded on December 2, 1996, when WLGH Lansing, Michigan began broadcasting. The second, Joy FM, began on December 12, 2000, with WHYT (renamed as WWKM and again as WDTR) in Imlay City. While both played contemporary Christian music, The Light aimed for a younger audience. In June 2004 the two networks were combined to form Smile FM in a "wedding ceremony" conducted at Oldsmobile Park in Lansing. The new name eliminated confusion since many other unrelated stations used The Light and Joy FM names.

The network is notable for putting stations on the air at a low cost. They lease existing towers and manufacture some of their own equipment. Unlike many Christian stations, they play music with only a few short breaks for weather, news, announcements, and features. Smile FM has also pioneered the use of new technology to help distribute and customize its programming, including developing an emergency weather notification system that is faster and more reliable than the required EAS system (which they also operate).

The network's stations, although having the same ownership, are officially owned by one of four non-profit entities: Superior Communications, Michigan Community Radio, Northland Community Broadcasters and Smile FM.

In January 2008, Smile FM established WWKM (now WDTR) Imlay City as the flagship of an experimental Smile FM Praise network playing Christian contemporary worship music. Previously, the station had broadcast traditional Christian music and hymns. The Smile FM Praise experiment was ended in 2009 and plans made to move that station to the northern suburbs of Detroit.

The owners have often recycled the call letters of famous Michigan stations of the past for their stations. WDTR (now WRCJ), WHYT (now WDVD), and WVMV (now WDZH) were once used by Detroit stations. WTAC (now WSNL) was the leading top 40 station in Flint during the 1960s (and, ironically, a pioneering contemporary Christian station during the 1980s). WKPK was used by a popular top 40 station of the 1980s and 1990s in northern Michigan (now WSRT). WAIR was an oldies station in northern Michigan (now WFCX) and the calls were also used for a construction permit for a station in Honor (now WSRJ). WWKM was a now-defunct station in Harrison (and Smile FM's 88.5 FM station in the Alpena area, WSFP, once bore the calls of WWKM's sister station WKKM, which is now WTWS in Houghton Lake).

Others were named for the original formats of the stations. WLGH and WTLI were The Light. All of the stations beginning with WJ were in or scheduled to be in the Joy FM network. All call letters beginning with WDT (WDTE, WDTP, and WDTR) serve portions of the Detroit metropolitan area.

On-air staff

Josh Strickland (mornings, news, and traffic from Durand)
Faron Dice (afternoons)
Rob Dempsey (mid-days)
Elly Singer (evenings)
Dennis
Mike Couchman
Rob Dale (Weather; former WLNS meteorologist)

Smile FM Network Stations

Map of stations and translators

Stations owned and operated by Smile FM include:

Call sign	Frequency (MHz)	City of license	ERP W	Height m (ft)	Class	FCC info
WLGH	88.1	Leroy Township, Ingham County, Michigan	6,700	174 m (571 ft)	B1	WLGH FCC
WSMF	88.1	Monroe, Michigan	1,200	41 m (135 ft)	A	WSMF FCC
WHYT	88.1	Goodland Township, Michigan	400	177 m (581 ft)	A	WHYT FCC
WSFP	88.1	Harrisville, Michigan	18,000	143 m (469 ft)	C2	WSFP FCC
WEJC	88.3	White Star, Michigan	55,000	114 m (374 ft)	C1	WEJC FCC
WKPK	88.3	Michigamme, Michigan	15,000	252 m (827 ft)	C2	WKPK FCC
WSMZ	88.3	Crystal Valley, Michigan	1,500	200 m (660 ft)	A	WSMZ FCC
WDTE	88.3	Grosse Pointe Shores, Michigan	5,500	50 m (160 ft)	A	WDTE FCC
WJOM	88.5	Eagle, Michigan	4,300	40 m (130 ft)	A	WJOM FCC
WYOR	88.5	Republic, Ohio	100	32 m (105 ft)	A	FCC
KOYR	88.5	Yorktown, Arkansas	4,500	190 m (620 ft)	C3	FCC
WSIS	88.7	Riverside, Michigan	6,000	117 m (384 ft)	B1	WSIS FCC
WDTR	88.9	Imlay City, Michigan	3,200	61 m (200 ft)	A	WDTR FCC
WTLI	89.3	Bear Creek Township, Michigan	50,000	312 m (1,024 ft)	C1	WTLI FCC
WSMB	89.3	Harbor Beach, Michigan	12,000	145 m (476 ft)	C3	FCC
WDTP	89.5	Huron Charter Township, Michigan	700	95 m (312 ft)	A	WDTP FCC
WJOJ	89.7	Rust Township, Michigan	31,000	143 m (469 ft)	C2	WJOJ FCC
WTAC	89.7	Burton, Michigan	15,000	110 m (360 ft)	B1	WTAC FCC
WKKM	89.7	Speaker Township, Michigan	100	32 m (105 ft)	A	FCC
WSLI	90.9	Belding, Michigan	11,500	73 m (240 ft)	B1	WSLI FCC
WJOG	91.3	Good Hart, Michigan	6,000	190 m (620 ft)	C3	WJOG FCC
WJOH	91.5	Raco, Michigan	5,500	100 m (330 ft)	A	WJOH FCC
WVMV	91.5	China Township, Michigan	1,050	75 m (246 ft)	A	WVMV FCC
WSMO	91.9	Mount Forest, Michigan	6,000	100 m (330 ft)	A	FCC
WAIR	104.9	Lake City, Michigan	2,800	195 m (640 ft)	A	WAIR FCC

Translators rebroadcasing Smile FM include:

Call sign	Frequency (MHz)	City of license	ERP W	Height m (ft)	Class	FCC info
W242BH	96.3	Marshall, Michigan	120	32.1 m (105 ft)	D	W242BH FCC
W246CW	97.1	Long Lake Township, Michigan	10	261 m (856 ft)	D	W246CW FCC
W247CG	97.3	Russellville, Michigan	80	12 m (39 ft)	D	W247CG FCC
W247CU	97.3	Fort Gratiot, Michigan	25	89 m (292 ft)	D	W247CU FCC
W260CQ	99.9	Plainfield Township, Kent County, Michigan	10	126 m (413 ft)	D	W260CQ FCC
W262AF	100.3	Parchment, Michigan	38	76 m (249 ft)	D	W262AF FCC
W272DG	102.3	Pittsfield Township, Michigan	13	23 m (75 ft)	D	W272DG FCC
W273CR	102.5	East Bay Township, Michigan	10	265 m (869 ft)	D	W273CR FCC
W273CI	102.5	Grand Haven, Michigan	250	188 m (617 ft)	D	W273CI FCC
W280EL	103.9	Yates, Michigan	10	119 m (390 ft)	D	W280EL FCC
W299CB	107.7	Manistee, Michigan	19	91 m (299 ft)	D	W299CB FCC

Future Stations/Upgrades Approved by the FCC

WDTP Huron Township/Detroit—move to 90.1 and increase to 50 kW
W248CC Ecorse -- (97.5) new translator for WDTP
W272DG Pittsfield Township—120 meters from a different tower (expires 2/17/2020)
WYOR Republic, OH—increase to 25 kW from a different tower (expires 2/26/2018)
WJOM Eagle/Lansing—increase to 25 kW (expires 11/2/2018)

References

FCC Database
Michiguide.com

External links

Smile FM Website

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