Area’s oldest FM station may move north

The area’s oldest FM radio station may be moved to another community, nearly 70 miles away. Synergy Media Inc., owner of WKLA-FM, has requested the station’s license be transferred from Ludington to Thompsonville, according to a Federal Communications Commission document.

In May 2012, Synergy took over operations of WKLA-AM and FM, along with WKZC-FM and WMLQ-FM (Coast FM). It also operates WWKR-FM (K-Rock) and WLDN-FM. WKLA-AM is the area’s oldest radio station. It was started in the 1940s. WKLA-FM was started in the early 1970s and is the area’s oldest FM radio station.

“Synergy believes this application meets the provisions under this new docket for a community of license change for WKLA-FM, mainly because current community of license, Ludington, Michigan, will continue to be served by a fulltime AM station, WKLA-AM, and as Synergy is simultaneously proposing, a fulltime FM station WLDN,” the FCC city of license change statement reads. “The proposed substituted community, Thompsonville, Michigan, does not have a fulltime AM, FM or TV station providing a transmission service; thus WKLA-FM will be the community’s first local full-time transmission service.”

MCP sent an email to Todd Mohr, president of Synergy, Tuesday evening asking for comment on the move.

See the entire document here.