The WION that you know today turns 11 years old this month. September of 2004 brought our team to Ionia with the intent of providing great local radio. We still keep that in mind every day for you, our listeners.
We've made 11 years of improvements, not limited-to but including our larger AM signal for west-central Michigan, the addition of FM to our roster, then AM stereo, then streaming...and who knows what may be next! We're proud of 11 years of hard work to make this the BEST local station Ionia has ever had! Much of that comes from having working, local owners who care, and who respond to both the community feedback, and the technical needs of a 24/7 very "public" business.
That's why we still have the BEST AM station in the nation for sound quality in AM stereo (which you enjoy online)...our County-Wide FM 92.7 is clear, and brings you every detail in the music, and..our apps keep you in touch anywhere. Most small town stations don't do HALF of what we do, and it's thanks to a team of talented friends who work or donate time to this great station!
Our online Android and I-phone app is becoming more and more popular...Oh, and by the way..the WION app won't poke into your address book, your browsing history, or your other apps, either. All they do is connect to the web to bring you GREAT AM STEREO sound. We don't "data mine"...like the big radio stations, and we're not part of "I heart insert name here for the week"... either. Your information and browsing is YOUR business, not ours, and we'll always treat it that way. Anyway, go to the forum and join!
That having been said, at 11 years old, and now that it's autumn, my favorite time of year, let's turn to some GREAT things...
1) Fallfest is next week, (always the 3rd Saturday in September.) We'll be pulling up our lawn chairs and playing AM STEREO 1430 at Bertha Brock Park near Ionia, back near the Palmer Lodge. Please bring the family for a day of walking the park and meeting great organizations, businesses, and fun! In addition to attending, WION has once again sold "Fallfest Invites" on the radio, and thanks to outstanding support, our radio station gives $1000 to the Bertha Brock Park Improvement Fund. We're VERY proud of this.
2) We've got a new Halloween lineup of shows for you on Saturday October 31st....Join in the fun, beginning with Barry Scott's regular "Lost 45's" show...which we're sure will have a chilling theme to it...then it's 3 hours of classic old-time-radio shows to scare you through to midnight! Grab a great sounding radio, turn it up with the family, have some popcorn or some scary food, and do what families did years ago...before twitter, facebook, instagram, and streaming TV...they listened to the radio....TOGETHER! You might be surprised at the fun you can have!
3) The Wake up Call (trivia that is not "googleable") has returned...and we'll talk about it Wednesday mornings on WION...giving listeners a chance to win a burger of the week from the Lamplight Grill...and maybe some other fun prizes!
4) Our FORUM is free...and it's like having your very own online chat with WION anytime, 24/7. It's hosted by "satelliteugys.us" and, it's a GREAT way to keep up on our trivia, events, weekend feature programs, and more! Go sign up after you read this very engaging blog...by clicking on the "forum" button at the top of any of our website pages. Yes, you'll need to provide an e-mail to join, but many of the ads go away, and we'll know you're a REAL person wanting to join. Don't worry...we don't sell or spam that e-mail, I promise!
You'll automatically be a member of satelliteugys.us where you can talk about TV Shows, Cooking, Sports, Technology, and so much more! THEN...if you enjoy it and want to be in the "Pub" a membership there is only $20/year and lets you discuss ANYTHING with pub members only! This part is completely optional.
In 11 years of being on the air, we hope you've seen what local radio can do to grow and promote a community. We'll continue to be active with Relay for Life, with Fallfest, with the DDA, our Chamber, and others. We pride ourselves on being FIRST in most weather emergencies on the air, and we try very hard to put Ionia on the map in a GOOD way with our AM Stereo stream and apps so people worldwide get an "audio taste" of Ionia, MIchigan.
11 years has made us many friends here, and it's nice to hear feedback about WION when I'm out and about. It's fun to know you're tuned-in and responding. Again, thank you for this. It means we're part of your daily routine, and that's the highest compliment any radio station can receive.
So, if you've not familiarized yourself with WION, Welcome! Our regular schedule includes CBS news at the top of each hour, Michigan News on weekday mornings, noon, and afternoon, Michigan sports during our morning show, and great music 24/7. On the weekend, the music continues, and we add features including The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas, Edwards Archives, and Barry Scott's Lost 45's on Saturday. Then Sunday it's Pastor Ken Harger from Shiloh Church, Retro Stars, the 80's show, and encores of some of our Saturday features. We hope you find that after 11 years, we offer consistency, variety of programming, and are the best in promoting community.
Thank YOU Ionia, for 11 years on the air as "I-1430!" It's our privilege to be here and to be the radio voice of your town and your county.
