Alton AM radio station adding an FM sister for oldies music

By DENNIS GRUBAUGH

This month, if all radio dials have been tuned as expected, the sounds of the 1960s and ’70s will blare fourth across much of the Metro East.

Alton-based radio station WBGZ-1570 AM, long an advocate of news talk programming in the River Bend region, is launching a sister station, My Mix 94.3 FM. Doing so will give audiences a music option that had all but disappeared in the market. Station operators are working to install the necessary equipment at their radio tower in Godfrey and hopeful of being live this month.

“Being able to add a whole new format is what we’re excited about,” WBGZ Vice President and General Manager Nick Darr (shown). “We love our news talk listeners. It’s a large and loyal audience, but we also recognized that people listen to music as well. And if you look at the landscape of St. Louis radio, something you won’t find right now are classic hits, an oldies format. There really isn’t anybody playing hits of the ’60s and ’70s in the St. Louis market.”

The “Big Z,” as it has been known since its start in 1984, will retain its 24-hour, mostly news format at 1570 AM. Since 2015, the AM has also been simulcast on 94.3 FM. Now the Big Z simulcast will be moved to 107.1 FM.

The latest changes began when station ownership was able to acquire a construction permit and the second FM frequency.

“It will expand our territory somewhat although our footprint and territory will be pretty similar,” Darr said. “We describe our coverage area as Jerseyville to Edwardsville.”

WBGZ is preparing to install a second antenna atop its radio tower to serve the FM music audience. The original antenna now faces north toward Carrollton. It will be turned to face east, toward the heavier population area of Edwardsville. The tower is located off Levis Lane in Godfrey.

A professional tower crew must be hired to worked atop the 400-foot structure.

“We’re waiting on some equipment and as that gets there, we’re ready to roll from that point,” Darr said. “We’ll be a little bit at the mercy of the weather.”

Those tuning to 94.3 FM will eventually hear “Motown, rock ’n’ roll, and a pretty eclectic mix,” he said.

Sam Stemm, a longtime presence at the Big Z, is president and owner. Darr started working there in 2000 doing weekend news. He then moved into the advertising department in 2003 and was there until 2009. He left to be a financial adviser with Edward Jones for six years.

In the summer of 2015, Stemm called Darr to tell him that he was going to be stepping down from day to day.

“He asked me if I was interested in coming back as general manager. He was comfortable with me since I’d done a little bit of everything at the station,” said Darr, who came on as GM on Jan. 1, 2016.

WBGZ operates out of the Hotel Stratford in Downtown Alton and has a 10-year lease with a five-year option with the new owner, the AltonWorks group led by John and Jayne Simmons, who hope to eventually refurbish the historic hotel.

Darr does not see the need to expand staff with the change.

“I can operate with the (staff) we’ve got now, but we’re always looking for good people, and I’m always in recruitment mode.” Broadcast staff includes News Director Mark Ellebracht, Sport Director Brent Burklund and afternoon newsman Doug Jenkins.

“Everybody on our team basically grew up here,” Darr said. “It’s good to have that fabric woven into what we do.”

This story appears in our February print edition. Read more Southern Illinois stories of interest by going to the Current Edition link at ibjonline.com