3657259

New Radio Format Due as WHFB Retires

3657259

For years, the call letters WHFB were synonymous with local radio in Michigan's Great Southwest. Originally owned and operated by the family that also owned and operated the Benton Harbor News Palladium and the St. Joseph Herald-Press, forerunners to the current day Herald-Palladium Newspaper, the radio station was sold long ago to broadcasters in Northern Indiana and eventually came to be known as New Country 99-9. Well, effective immediately, the WHFB call letters have been retired, and next week the station itself will shift to an entirely new format.

Midwest Family Broadcasting, South Bend is announcing today a new radio station kicking off at noon next Tuesday, October 11, 2016. The new station is called LIVE 99.9 and will play a Top 40 format of the newest music from the hottest artists.

LIVE 99.9 takes over the frequency of the former New Country 99-9, and, as noted, the WHFB call letters slip into history. The new call letters for LIVE 99.9 are WQLQ.

The new LIVE 99.9 will feature the songs of Rihanna, Drake, Ariana Grande and many more current artists. A live morning show, Brooke & Jubal, will consume the morning hours from 5a-9a, with an all music format following for the balance of the workday, and then, a live DJ, Shady Live, takes over from 6 until 11pm.

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In addition to being active in the community, Midwest family leaders tell us the station will be extremely active on social media and will engage listeners using Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. An aggressive marketing campaign will be used to inform the community of the new LIVE 99.9.

Jim Roberts is General Manager of the South Bend Stations for Midwest Family Broadcasting. He says, “This is the first true format change we’ve done with any of our stations since we first started working with WHFB in 1999. That’s over 17 years!” He adds, “We’re extremely excited about this new, young station and encourage people to tune in next week."

Roberts points out that there is currently no radio station like this in the market.  From Benton Harbor to South Bend, the entire area has no true CHR radio station. That makes it exciting for Roberts and his crew because industry research shows that millennials use radio more than any other age group and there are very few radio stations in this area targeted to millennials.

Roberts says, "LIVE is more than great music. Our morning show will be the Marconi award winning Brooke & Jubal show, and they are topical and funny." He adds, "We will also have the 'LIVE' interactive night show with 'Shady' and you’ll be able to connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat."

Bill Gamble is Program Director for Live 99.9. He wants everyone to know, “LIVE 99.9 is the only station in the area that plays 'all the hits.'  We’re thrilled that LIVE 99.9 is, in fact, live."
 
For General Manager Roberts and his team as well as the audience, it should be great. He notes, “there was clearly a hole in the market. No radio station in the region is a 'true Top 40' station right now, so it’s an obvious choice for us.” 

Make plans now to tune in to LIVE 99.9 Tuesday morning to find out for yourself. For die-hard country music fans, you will not be lost in the ether, as the station has already begun the promotional push to invite you to down a couple of notches to 97.5 Y-Country Radio so you don't miss a beat. 

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