WMKC
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| City | Indian River, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Petoskey, Michigan |
| Branding | 102.9 Big Country Hits |
| Slogan | Northern Michigan's Home for Continuous Country Favorites, 12 in a Row |
| Frequency | 102.9 MHz |
| First air date | January 1982 |
| Format | Country |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 336 meters |
| Class | C0 |
| Facility ID | 42141 |
| Callsign meaning | MacKinaC |
| Former callsigns | WIDG (9/1/81-12/16/81, CP) |
| Owner | Black Diamond Broadcasting |
| Sister stations | WCBY, WCHY, WGFE, WGFM, WGFN, WQEZ, WTWS, WUPS |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1029bigcountry.com |
WMKC (102.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to Indian River, Michigan. It airs a country music format called Big Country 102.9. The station is owned by Black Diamond Broadcasting.
WMKC ("MacKinaC"), owned by Mighty-Mac Broadcasting Corp., signed on in January 1982 by a Lansing dentist, Donald "Doc" Benson. Benson loved country music and wanted northern Michigan to have a WITL clone for when he traveled up north. He already owned an AM in St. Ignace, WIDG ("Widge By The (Mackinac) Bridge") 940. WIDG aired various formats, but usually was MOR. In December 1979 Doc Benson closed WIDG with a "dark" license until April 12, 1981. He had to bring WIDG-AM back on in order to continue the CP for WIDG-FM. Initially the station was to be WIDG-FM and be automated and be called "Big Country-102 FM." TM Programming was hired to consult the station; they felt that the "Big Country" name was too "hickish" and insisted on something "slicker." General Manager Rick Stone held a "name the FM" contest in which the winner would win a Big Mac sandwich from McDonald's. Joe Raica came up with WMKC, for "MacKinaC", the county of license. The station went on the air in February 1982 with Steve Cook as morning host, Chuck LaTour as News Director, Greg Salo mid-days, Tim O'Brien (Ahlborn) (also Program Director and assistant manager - later General Manager several times) afternoons and Joe Raica evenings.
When WMKC signed on, they were known as "103-WMKC", playing an automated country format (TM Country). Mornings were live with the rest of the day voicetracked. Legend has it that Benson, although a huge country fan, hated songs that dealt with immoral issues. It has been reported, for example, that Benson would order his staff to edit "Dueling Banjos" by Eric Weissberg and Steve Mandell out of the TM reels with a razor blade and a marker because of the song's association with a movie (1972's Deliverance) featuring sodomy; however, the staffers sometimes reportedly slipped the song in anyway just for laughs.
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