20 Years Ago Today a/k/a “Happy Birthday To Us”

Link to our Google Photos Page of WION’s 20 years, click here

Twenty years ago today, a much younger Jim Carlyle sat behind the control board of WION-AM (Only) and at 6AM, rolled our National Anthem.   At 39, I’d bought my own radio station!  Oh, I had plenty of help and advice (some of which was to run away) but, I had done it.

WION, when I bought it, was off the air.  Disliked in the community from two failed previous owners and one who, while original, was not a “programmer” so to speak, but an owner, who lived in the era when Radio could do no wrong, and money flowed!  The second half of that was the delusion I was under, too…that money would just “flow in” from businesses glad that they had their local station back on the air.  But it didn’t.

Some potential advertising clients were angered by previous owners.  Some didn’t understand that the fact they couldn’t hear us in our own city after dark was by DESIGN and FCC regulations and not our fault.  Some people had heard this all before, “Our local station is back on the air”…and were tired of it failing.  Some probably had office pools on how long we’d last.   But, 20 years ago, my bouncing baby station was alive and putting out 5000 watts of monophonic amplitude modulation,  hearable for a few miles.

Aside from one threatening phone call originating at one of our schools after a person felt that our (Michigan Network) news was too “conservative” and they’d “Make it hard for us to survive in this town” (real quote)….my first ever check was written to the Ionia Area Chamber on the air, we had a few guests, lots of music, and…Jim Aaron and I together had put together the “new” WION.

If I had it to do over again, I’d junk the call letters.  Let me say that again…I’d junk the call letters and change them.  If you’re angry at this, hear me out.  “WION” had a rather sordid reputation, and no propping-up of that name would help…at first.  Instead of “The New XXXX”  we were, “the OLD” WION is on again…..but it wasn’t. 

OUR WION had consistently scheduled news updates.  We had various music clocks that rotated different tempos, types, and times of songs.  We had a computer that could handle the studio when we’re not in, and most things ran smoother than anything in the past.  We had consistency.  We had at least two listening businesses, what was then ICNB, our financing bank, and…GilRoy Hardware downtown.  We had “Voice Guy” Steve between songs and into or out-of  commercial sets, and we had ONE advertiser…the very same bank which financed us.  (Through two name changes after that, they cut the budget twice in a big way, but the latest bank is still a client.).  We had cleaned up the very basic studios, and we had PEOPLE here to cover when weather went bad.  We did all the right things….in 2004.    But we were still “WION.”

2005 came, and in June, so did a lightning bolt.  It took out the old transmitter we inherited.  I was devastated…but without their knowing it, a larger radio company lent me some parts via their engineer….and we were patched together.   The company then known as “Clear Channel” sent a representative to us under the guise of wanting to put sports on our station in the afternoon.  They really wanted me to sell.  Some words told me were,  “This purchase of yours flew under the radar of everyone”…which it didn’t.  ALL radio station transactions are available publicly and even announced as part of the required procedure of buying.  THEY wanted to buy me out.  20 years later, we’re here.

A well going dry.  A leaky roof.  Fencing around the towers that wouldn’t keep out a fly that needed replacing.  Towers thirsty for paint.  Being off the air during power outages…we dealt with it all…including, not having even a KITCHEN SINK when we came to start this place back up all were part of the deal.  My banker, now retired gave me the very kitchen sink we’re still using today  and it had to have a counter built.  All we had was a drainpipe, broken, and coming out of the floor where friends built my kitchen.

When the power was turned on for us, the pump came on, and little did we know in the days ahead of signing back on the air that pipes were broken in the walls of the bathrooms.  With the pump running, after a few minutes we had our own indoor fountain and had to cut walls open to get pipes fixed.  We had a yard that had not been mowed in so long that I actually traded a van I owned to a buddy of mine to come up from Addison, MI and use his Brush hog to tame a 3 foot tall lawn.  THAT was the thing that tipped off much of Ionia to the fact “something” was happening at WION.

We were AM only, couldn’t be heard after dark in our city when our power lowered automatically (as it still does today by regulations) but we were on the air.  We didn’t know how much an electric bill would be, or taxes, or if we’d survive.  I lived on EBay selling things I owned and those older unnecessary things left at the radio station….to stay off having to write myself checks.  Income was minimal to the station.  We survived every hardship sent our way….my hair turned from reddish tint to gray over time, and as a business owner, I worried.  I still do.  We have, however outlasted both the many office pools, and….many businesses in the area, some of which were clients.

At five years on the air, we had an open house.  about five hundred people came to see the studios. We had a bounce house (which deflated during the event thanks to a rogue crock pot being on the same circuit) …a tent outside, and the debut of the Lamplight’s little sandwiches called the “Mini Clubs” and a visit from former News Director, Harry Boyes.  Harry was a polite gentleman, out-of-time with today’s rushing and insulting world, and SO refreshing to see visiting us.  It was his first time back in the walls of WION since he and the original owner parted company. We became good friends, though separated by a few generations.   By the end of that open house, I knew we’d be OK in the years to come….but still,  it did not come easy.

Our first-ever broadcast remote was for “Chili Dawg Challenge” to benefit Big Brothers/Big Sisters. I had just patched the phone lines together for the on-air system hours before the event.  In the years after that we covered Bertha Brock Park’s anniversary, headed-up a time capsule that is yet to be opened at the park and raised over two thousand dollars for them ahead of the event,  We re-created the 1939 radio version of “A Christmas Carol” from the Campbell Playhouse using all local talent not once, but five times…and sold copies for charity.  We attended all the Ionia Expo events when they were held at Ionia High School in the Spring of each year (and they need to return there to that space and time, by the way) …We gave away advertising to businesses hit hard by flooding on Steele Street when that water deluge hit Ionia.  (some “corporate” businesses wouldn’t even accept a free run of commercials due to “company policy”)….We assisted with public relations for Relay for Life thanks to our friend Penny’s involvement.  WION was here on the air when the tornado which tore through Portland happened.  We survived the hard economic year 2008, and…we were here for listeners during Covid…and the “Stay Home, Stay Bored” (my words) period.  I did extra long morning shows, Saturday visits, and more during Covid and the station even was given donations by eleven individuals, some of whom had never advertised, to help us with expenses during that black period of our history, now thankfully in the history books.  I still have the framed letter on the wall from those people who together CARED enough to realize that we’d lose some income during Covid…since our income is ALL advertising.

The funny thing about Covid was, we only temporarily lost three advertisers. Everyone else continued to ADVERTISE their businesses or something else, continued to pay us for it, and stayed on the air during Covid!  NO other station management to whom I’ve spoken ever could say that. When all was said and done, only ONE advertiser left us permanently from the Covid period.  Then, as now, we have loyal advertisers who believe in WION.

Over the years, we’ve done our best to put Ionia in a good light, even when it’s hard sometimes.  We enlarged our AM signal for more daytime coverage.  We added our FM 92.7 to better cover Ionia County.  We converted to AM stereo, knowing we’d be streaming eventually, and we ADDED streaming of that wonderful AM stereo sound for the sole purpose of putting AM in front of new listeners who may doubt the quality sound AM is capable of providing.  We get emails and texts from all over the world.  People discover AM stereo through us, and they learn about IONIA and our whole terrestrial coverage area from our station.  Later, we added an FM to serve Lowell on 100.3 FM, partnering with Lowell High School and the City of Lowell for the facilities we needed.   We also now have weather and other data displaying on your car radios from 92.7 FM.

We’re here during bad storms when other stations are completely automated.  We’ve had Christmas Eve open-houses for listeners live on the air…WION has been to Punxsutawney PA and broadcast live from Groundhog Day.  We’ve been to Hell (Michigan) where Phil Cloud was Mayor for the day and brought that to you live on the air.  We’ve held gatherings for the Chamber of Commerce after hours and broadcast the “lightning round” of people telling us about their businesses,  and we were the first official sponsor of “The Wizard of Oz” on the big screen during the Wizard of Oz festival. Maybe some of you remember us taking over the Ionia Community Library lawn for the “Heave on the Eve” with secretaries throwing phones for prizes….In the past we teamed with the Ionia High School “Blue Crew” and raised money for their mentoring of younger students entering High School, and  we headed up multiple “Guilt-free” food drives, and more recently a decade of collecting items for our military in, “Treasures for Troops!”

More recently, for two years in a row, WION has hosted the broadcasting students from Addison, Michigan’s LPFM, “The Panther.”  This Low Power Radio Station was not available to me when I was a student in Addison, LPFM’s had not been created by the FCC.  I’m so blessed that Addison’s students make a yearly trek to our studios to see us do the Midday show live, and allow us to give them a tour of “America’s Biggest Little Radio Station.”   The students and those who advise them have become very important to me, and I wish them well…hoping a little of what they see here inspires them to continue working toward a communications career. 

There’s no way, on the early Sunday morning to write about all the things that have happened, both positively and “challenging-ly” for WION in our 20 years.  There’s no way I even spelled everything correctly.  I’ve left people out, but not on purpose.  I’ve scoured one of the WION laptops for pictures, and I’ve included in both this writing and the Google Album some of the things that come to mind as I write.  I hope you enjoy seeing our pictures, they’re sorted by “timeline” for the most part by Google….and, if I’ve forgotten something, use the “reply” link near the bottom of this page and let me know what to add!  

Link to our Google Photos Page of WION’s 20 years, click here

Finally a huge THANK YOU to anyone and EVERYONE who supports us….by listening, advertising, and to those behind the scenes who keep WION “The Best Sounding AM Station in the Nation.” We truly ARE.

Now, for fun….call our toll free number and leave a message telling us what you like about WION and why you listen!  You may hear your voice on the air in this, our 20th year!  We’d love to hear from you.  Call 844-700-WION (9466)

And, from me;  I got to build my dream thanks to great people in ALL parts of my life right up through today.  I thank you all!

-Jim Carlyle