WUSZ
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Iron Range |
| Frequency | 99.9 MHz |
| Branding | 99.9 Radio USA |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | June 2, 1971; 53 years ago (1971年06月02日) (as WHLB-FM on 107.1 MHz) |
Former call signs |
|
Former frequencies | 107.1 MHz (1971–1988) |
Call sign meaning | "US" |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 70302 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 162 meters (531 ft) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WUSZ (99.9 MHz "Radio USA") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Virginia, Minnesota, and serving the Iron Range region. It is owned by Midwest Communications and it airs a country radio format. The studios and offices are on West 37th Street in Hibbing. It is co-located with its Midwest Communications sister stations: KQDX, WDKE, WEVE-FM, WMFG, WNMT and WTBX.
WUSZ is a Class C1 station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for most FM stations.[1]
History
[edit ]The station signed on the air on June 2, 1971.[2] Its original call sign was WHLB-FM. It was the FM counterpart of WHLB (1400 AM), which dated back to 1936 but is now dark. In its early years, WHLB-FM was an adult contemporary station.[3] WHLB-FM broadcast at first on 107.1 MHz as a Class A station with 3,000 watts on a 105-foot (32 m) tower. Its signal was limited to an area in and around the town of Virginia. On April 12, 1973, the station changed its callsign to WIRN to represent its listening area, the "Iron Range" of Minnesota; it returned to WHLB-FM on April 23, 1979.[4] The WHLB stations were owned by Frank P. Befera until 1985, when ownership passed to his son Frank.[3]
The station switched its call sign to WCDK-FM in 1987, ahead of its 1988 move its current frequency of 99.9 MHz, allowing it to increase its power and tower height. On April 8, 1988, the station relaunched as "K100, Radio USA".[3] The station became WUSZ, matching the "Radio USA" moniker, in 1993. It continued to share studios with WHLB until 2000, when WUSZ moved to a facility in Hibbing and WHLB was sold off.[3]
References
[edit ]- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WUSZ
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-114. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Riebe, Angie (April 12, 2008). "'Voice of Virginia'". Mesabi Tribune . Retrieved February 14, 2025.
- ^ "WHLB-FM (WUSZ) history cards" (PDF). Retrieved February 14, 2025.
External links
[edit ]- 99.9 Radio USA official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 70302 (WUSZ) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WUSZ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
47°22′23′′N 93°00′50′′W / 47.373°N 93.014°W / 47.373; -93.014
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