WGMO (95.3 FM; "95 GMO") is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Spooner, Wisconsin, United States, the station serves the Rice Lake area with the broadcast studios in Shell Lake. The station is owned by Zoe Communications, Inc.[2]
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Broadcast area | Rice Lake, Wisconsin / Hayward, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 95.3 MHz (HD Radio) |
| RDS | PS/RT: ARTIST TITLE 95-GMO AN OBERG FAMILY STATION |
| Branding | 95 GMO |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Subchannels | HD2: Classic hits "Rice Lake's 94.7 The River" HD3: Classic country "Willie 105.7" (WXCX simulcast) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Zoe Communications, Inc. |
| WXNK, WZEZ, WPLT, WXCX | |
| History | |
First air date | 1975 (as WKCF) |
Call sign meaning | WKCF (1975-1977) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| 10529 | |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 7,100 watts |
| HAAT | 156 meters (512 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 45°40′28.00″N 91°58′52.00″W / 45.6744444°N 91.9811111°W |
| Translators | HD2: 94.7 W234BG (Chetek) HD3: 93.5 W228BQ (Rice Lake) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | 95gmo.com |
WGMO features a classic rock format that was patterned after KQRS-FM in the Twin Cities prior to their 2025 transition to mainstream rock, and also features imaging voiced by former KQRS morning show host Tom Barnard.
KQRS weekday evening host Chris Nelson currently voicetracks weekday afternoons at WGMO.
History
editWGMO began broadcasting in 1975 at its current frequency of 95.3 MHz licensed to Shell Lake, Wisconsin under the callsign WKCF and owned by Erwin Gladdenbegk.[3] In 1976, Gladdenbegk would sell WKCF to Charles R. Lutz for $60,000.[4] In 1977, now under Lutz's ownership, WKCF would change its callsign to WGMO.[5]
WGMO was listed in the 1989 Directory of Religious Broadcasting as featuring a contemporary Christian music format.[6]
Sometime in the mid to late 1990s, WGMO upgraded its facility from 2.4kW at 508ft. to 7.1kW at 512ft.[7]
In 1998, the M Street Journal reported that WGMO had changed its format from Christian programming to ABCs syndicated adult standards service, Stardust.[8]
In 1999, Mike Oberg and George Manus' Zoe Communications, Inc. began operating WGMO, and sister station WCSW (now WXNK), under an LMA-to-buy agreement with Lutz. Under Zoe's leadership, WGMO would flip to its current classic rock format. The two stations would sell for $800,000.[9][10]
In 2007, in a coordinated city-of-license move, WGMO would change its city-of-license from Shell Lake to Spooner, while sister station WPLT would change its city-of-license from Spooner to Sarona.[11] The reason for these changes stemmed from WPLTs re-location (which required a city of license change) from a facility just southwest of the city of Spooner to WGMOs facility just southwest of the city of Shell Lake. Spooner, unlike Shell Lake (who already has the then-WCSW), did not have any other broadcast licenses assigned to it aside from WPLT, meaning that WPLTs move could not be completed unless another station could be assigned or re-assigned to Spooner.[12]
HD Radio
editWGMO broadcasts in HD Radio (digital). Its HD2 subchannel carries a classic hits format known as "Rice Lake's 94.7 The River". WGMO-HD3 formerly broadcast an oldies format, but in 2017, WGMO-HD3 and translator station W228BQ 93.5 FM began simulcasting WXCX in Siren.
References
edit- ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WGMO". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ↑ "WGMO Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ↑ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 14, 1975. p. 73. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via World Radio History.
- ↑ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 11, 1976. p. 58. Retrieved May 14, 2026 – via World Radio History.
- ↑ "BC-1977-05-16" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Directory-of-Religious-Broadcasting-1989" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ↑ "FMedia-1997" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ↑ "M-Street-1998-10" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ↑ "M-Street-1999-09" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ↑ "RR-1999-10-22" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ↑ "E7-13270" (PDF). govinfo.gov. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
- ↑ "Broadcasting News-June 2007". Northpine.com. Retrieved May 13, 2026.
External links
edit- Facility details for Facility ID 10529 (WGMO) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WGMO in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 154846 (W228BQ) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- W228BQ at FCCdata.org
- Facility details for Facility ID 150567 (W234BG) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- W234BG at FCCdata.org
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