News broke on Monday, via Radio Insight and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, that Milwaukee radio stations FM 102/1 (WLUM-FM) and B93.3FM (WLDB-FM) had been sold to Tennessee-based Christian radio network K-Love Inc. for $4 million. Both Milwaukee stations are/were operated by the Milwaukee Radio Alliance. The sale still needs approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
On Tuesday afternoon, FM 102/1 Vice President of Programming and Operations Michelle Rutkowski made a tearful on-air announcement regarding the news. Here’s the full transcript of her announcement. (You can watch an Instagram video of the announcement HERE.)
In 2006, a bunch of weirdos launched this station in the hopes of creating something real. No schlocky shock jock personalities, no consultants, and most importantly, no Nickelback. Back then we called ourselves independent alternative radio, a radio station designed to play outside of corporate radio rules, but one that was still big enough to put a national spotlight on our beloved Milwaukee.
We wanted a station run by people who lived and breathed the music and who called this amazing city home. For the last 19 years, we’ve succeeded in doing just that, while accomplishing some pretty great things along the way. Like that time we brought Weezer here to perform on a boat, and they sang “Island In The Sun” as we sailed into the Lake Michigan sunset. And that other time we put a concert on in the haunted Rave pool, which was with All Time Low and no one has ever been able to do since—the first time it ever happened in Milwaukee because of FM 102/1. It’s also that time that we played ping pong with Imagine Dragons before they crushed Summerfest. And lastly, that time we smashed a Nickelback platinum record live on the air and declared it a Nickelback free station. That’s important.
Yesterday, we were all unfortunately greeted with the news that our company has been sold. What does that mean? It means that this station, in about a month’s time, will no longer exist as it is. Now, along with it go all of the events and concerts and giveaways and personalities who have been lucky enough to make magic here. Until that day comes, which we’re not sure when that’s going to be, we’re all going to say goodbye the only way we know how: with music and bad jokes. We’re going to celebrate the ever-living crap out of you, Milwaukee, and all the ways you’ve supported this little station that could.
Over the coming weeks, we hope to send the station off in our signature tacky style. You’ll hear some old friends and see some familiar faces. There will be a lot of gallows humor at our own expense. And again, I cannot be more clear about this, there will be absolutely no Nickelback whatsoever.
I hope you’ll stick around with us for a little while longer and be a part of our final celebration. Thank you for letting us be a part of your lives, Milwaukee. It’s been the honor of our lives. W-L-U-M, if you didn’t know, stands for “We Love You Milwaukee,” and we always will.
It feels fitting to sail off into the Lake Michigan sunset with this song, Weezer, on FM102/1.
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