New stations on WLDR

Jan. 18, 2009

Sunny Country (HD-1)
WLDR will continue with its country format on HD-1, playing new country and country legends. Borrowing from Henderson’s Southern influence, the station brings in up-and-coming singers from Nashville and Texas to Turtle Creek Casino; it broadcasts the shows live on Thursday nights (twice a month, 7 p.m., cover at Turtle Creek is free).
This week’s broadcast (January 22) will feature Joey + Rorey, a husband and wife duo who placed third in the Can You Duet reality show. Their hit song, Cheater, Cheater, climbed to No. 37 on the Billboard Hot Country chart.
“We helped break out a number of artists on our Wednesday Night Live show for our stations near Austin,” Henderson said. “They’re known artists, but not as known. They’re looking for that big break.”
And to compete on Friday—when local radio stations pull out the stops for listeners—Cleetus Crow pulls out a deep fryer in front of the radio station at M-72 and M-22. He calls it Fry Day. “We have a deep fryer outside in the snow—we deep fry everything.” On Christmas, it was candy canes and reindeer (well, actually venison).

“The Vineyard” Smooth Jazz (HD-2)
This station offers what it says—smooth jazz artists, including Kenny G., Ramsey Lewis, Anita Baker, and the Backstreet Boys. You’ll hear the elegant voice of Zann Henderson, Roy’s wife, whom he met at an antique London bookstore.

The Sports Leader with Fox Sports Network (HD-3)
The 24-hour sports radio station will appeal to sports fanatics and Northern Michigan parents with kids in sports—any kind of sport
“Some of these kids train all season, but never get the recognition they deserve unless they’re in football,” said program man-ager Dave B. Goode.
The station has an ambitious agenda to not only scroll sports scores, but to also interview coaches
and players.