WNZK

WNZK
Broadcast areaDetroit metropolitan area
Frequencies
  • 690 kHz (day)
  • 680 kHz (night)
Programming
FormatEthnic
Ownership
OwnerBirach Broadcasting Corporation
History
First air date
October 12, 1985 (1985-10-12)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID5348
ClassB
Power2,500 watts
Transmitter coordinates
42°5′55″N 83°19′48″W / 42.09861°N 83.33000°W / 42.09861; -83.33000
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
WebsiteWNZK website

WNZK (680 and 690 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Dearborn Heights, Michigan, United States, and serving the Detroit metropolitan area. It is owned by the Birach Broadcasting Corporation and airs an ethnic format billed as the "Station of the Nations". The programming is brokered, where hosts pay for their time and may advertise their clients' goods and services during their shows. It broadcasts in a variety of languages, including Arabic and several from Eastern Europe.

WNZK is unusual in that it broadcasts on two different frequencies: at 690 AM during the daytime, and at 680 AM during the nighttime.[2] The transmitter is sited off Will Carleton Road in Huron Charter Township, Michigan.

History

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WNZK began broadcasting on October 12, 1985.[3] The western Detroit suburb of Westland was its original city of license. It switched to Dearborn Heights by 1990. The station was always owned by Birach Broadcasting. The original studios were at 21700 Northwestern Highway in Southfield, Michigan.

According to the FCC online database, WNZK is the only AM radio station in North America using two frequencies, one by day, one at night.

At one time, several radio stations in Detroit were multi-lingual. 97.9 FM aired a similar ethnic format for many years with a similar call sign, WMZK. It used the same "Station of the Nations" slogan until 1980. That station is now urban contemporary WJLB. Several Detroit-area AM stations were also aimed at different ethnic groups. But they have also changed to more mainstream formats.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WNZK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ FCC.gov/WNZK
  3. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1992 page A-171, Broadcasting & Cable
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42°05′55″N 83°19′48″W / 42.09861°N 83.33000°W / 42.09861; -83.33000