MacDonald Broadcasting
| Limited liability company | |
| Industry | Radio broadcasting |
| Founded | 1962 |
| Headquarters | Saginaw, Michigan |
|
Key people
|
Kenneth MacDonald, Sr. |
| Services | Radio, digital media |
| Owner | Kenneth MacDonald, Jr. |
| Website | greatlakesbayregionadvertising |
MacDonald Broadcasting is a privately held radio broadcasting company in Michigan owned by Kenneth MacDonald, Jr. The family-owned broadcasting group is headquartered in Saginaw and owns eight radio stations across Mid-Michigan, including stations in the Tri-Cities and Lansing markets.
Under the name MacDonald Audio Communications, Kenneth MacDonald also owns a MUZAK service delivering commercial-free music to retail stores across the region.
The company previously owned stations in the Petoskey and Cadillac radio markets; however, those stations were spun off to MacDonald-Garber Broadcasting. Prior to the split of the company, MacDonald Broadcasting was the largest privately held and family-owned broadcaster in the state.
MacDonald Broadcasting began in 1962 when Kenneth MacDonald (Sr.) moved from Ann Arbor to Saginaw and purchased WSAM. The station broadcasts on AM 1400, and was moved from its original studio and transmitter at Weiss and Bay Streets on Saginaw's west side to Whittier Street on Saginaw's east side shortly after MacDonald's purchase, where it remains to this day. The station's over-300-foot-tall self-supporting tower is a local eastside Saginaw landmark, and was originally constructed for both the radio station and television station WNEM. The TV station later abandoned its plans to broadcast from the MacDonald tower and moved to Indiantown. For much of the 1960s and 70s, WSAM had a top 40 CHR format at the time. "Sam" saw local competition from 1250 WKNX until the format gave way to FM radio. In 1968, "Sam" got a sister station at FM 98.1. It was originally known as WSAM-FM and its call letters were changed to WKCQ, and has had a country music format since its inception.
Kenneth H. MacDonald Sr. would go on to buy stations in the Petoskey and Cadillac markets in the 1970s. He befriended WMBN founder Les Biederman, who needed to divest himself of his Petoskey properties in order to increase the power of WTCM in Traverse City. MacDonald, who vacationed in Petoskey and was familiar with the stations, purchased 1340 WMBN and 96.3 WMBN-FM (WLXT) from Biederman. MacDonald also picked up Biederman's Cadillac stations, 1240 WATT and 96.7 WLXV. Later, in 1994, MacDonald bought Charlevoix's 1270 WMKT and 105.9 WKHQ form Midwest Family Broadcasting.
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Wikipedia