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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.com |
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.[1]
Under the name MacDonald Audio Communications, Kenneth MacDonald also owns a MUZAK service delivering commercial-free music to retail stores across the region.
Radiologik is a system suitable for both live DJing and 24/7 radio automation on the Mac that uses iTunes (or Music in macOS Catalina) as its database and those playlists as the logical building blocks for sophisticated programming. Radiologik was developed for and is used in LPFMs, NCE-FM, college and high school stations, and online stations. How to Broadcast All Audio from Mac. Just like Windows, Mac programs don’t have a setting to grab all your computer’s audio. You can either play music or talk radio. In some cases, like with Nicecast for example, you can mix the two together and talk over music. In any case there’s a solution to broadcast all your Mac’s audio.
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.[2]
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History[edit]
MacDonald Broadcasting began in 1962 when Kenneth MacDonald (Sr.) moved from Ann Arbor to Saginaw and purchased WSAM from the estate of the late Fred Knorr.[3] The station broadcasts on AM 1400, it was originally located at Weiss and Bay Streets on Saginaw's west side but had since moved to Whittier Street on Saginaw's east side, where it remains to this day. [4] 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.[5]
MacDonald expanded to the Lansing-East Lansing market in 1992 with the purchase of 1320 WILS and 101.7 WHZZ. WILS at the time had an adult standards format and later flipped to news/talk. MacDonald changed the format for WHZZ from country music to CHR and then to variety hits as 'Mike FM.
The Northern Michigan stations of MacDonald were eventually spun off into a separate company called MacDonald-Garber Broadcasting in 1998, headed up by Kenneth MacDonald's daughter Patricia MacDonald. The group would later acquire WKAD, WZTC, and a cluster of stations in Colorado.[6]
Back in Saginaw, FM stations 104.1 WSAG and 97.3 WMJO were added to the MacDonald Broadcasting portfolio. WMJO of Essexville was purchased by MacDonald in 1998 from local owner-operator Geary Morrill and flipped its format form country to classic rock, and most recently to a variety hits format branded as Joe FM. WSAG was bought by MacDonald in 2005 and its City of License was changed from Pinconning to Linwood so the city of license would be within thirty miles of the main studios in Saginaw. WSAG simulcasts WSAM 1400's current soft adult contemporary format known as The Bay.
Most recently in Lansing, MacDonald acquired 1180 WXLA and 96.5 WQHH in 2006. WXLA, licensed to Dimondale, was broadcasting a contemporary R&B format at the time became a satellite-fed adult standards station following WILS's switch to talk radio. WQHH of DeWitt continued to keep its hip hop and urban contemporary format. In 2008, 1320 WILS launched its new 25,000-watt transmitter, making MacDonald the owner of Mid-Michigan's most powerful AM radio station.[7]
Both Kenneth MacDonald Senior and Junior have been inducted into the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.[3]
MacDonald Senior died in 1989,[8] leaving the family business to his son Kenneth (Mac) MacDonald, Jr. and daughter Patricia (Trish) MacDonald-Garber. Archives from the MacDoanlds' broadcasting career, known as the Kenneth MacDonald Papers,[8] have been donated to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan.
Radio stations[edit]
Tri-Cities[edit]
- WSAM AM 1400, Saginaw, Michigan, Soft Adult Contemporary
- WSAG FM 104.1, Linwood, Michigan, Soft Adult Contemporary
- WKCQ, FM 98.1, Saginaw, Michigan, Country
- WMJO, FM 97.3, Essexville, Michigan, Variety Hits
Lansing-East Lansing[edit]
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- WILS AM 1320, Lansing, Michigan, News/Talk
- WXLA AM 1180, Dimondale, Michigan, Adult Standards
- WHZZ, FM 101.7, Lansing, Michigan, Variety Hits
- WQHH, FM 96.5, Dewitt, Michigan, Urban/Hip-Hop
References[edit]
- ^'MacDonald Broadcasting - Michiguide.com Dials (owners)'. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^'MacDonald-Garber Broadcasting: Michigan Radio - Michiguide.com Dials (owners)'. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^ ab'Ken MacDonald Jr. enters Michigan Broadcasters Hall of Fame'. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=66883
- ^'WKHQ-FM 105.9 Charlevoix/Traverse City - Michiguide.com Dials (J)'. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^Group, Sinclair Broadcast. 'MacDonald Garber Broadcasting acquires 12 new stations'. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^'WILS AM 1320 - Lansing, MI - Urban Adult Contemporary Radio Advertising, Rate Card Cost & Media Buying Info'. Retrieved June 15, 2016.[permanent dead link]
- ^ ab'BHL: Kenneth H. MacDonald Papers 1932-1989'. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
It is necessary to have an encoder or another third-party automation application in order to go live on your Live365 station. Luckily, many programs are compatible with the Live365 platform. Below are 15 of the most-used applications with Live365 stations.
AltaCast
AltaCast is available on Windows. It runs as a standalone encoder, but also works with various media players that are compatible with Winamp plugins.
- Cost: Free
Audio Hijack
Audio Hijack was recommended by the folks at Nicecast after it retired in early 2018. It is available on MacOS and offers features like Volume Overdrive, live stream capabilities, VoIP Recording, and more.
- Cost: Free trial, $59 with bundles available
BUTT (Broadcast Using This Tool)
BUTT can be configured on Mac, Windows, and Linux. If you plan on doing live shows with voice, BUTT may just be the software for you.
- Cost: Free
LadioCast
LadioCast runs on MacOS. Users like LadioCast to mix their mic with their music. This software has four inputs and four outputs.
- Cost: Free
LiveWebDJ
LiveWebDJ is cloud-based, meaning all administration of your station is done right from your browser.
- Cost: Free trial, $19.95 with upgrades available
MegaSeg
MegaSeg is available on MacOS. Some key features are the option to choose from auto crossfade or manual control, a Playlist Browser, smart volume sensing, and more.
- Cost: $99 for DJ version or $199 for Pro version
Mixxx
Mixxx runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux. It’s a great option for DJs as it allows you four microphone inputs and four auxiliary inputs among many other great features.
- Cost: Free
NextKast
NextKast runs on various versions of Windows. Playout, music scheduling, sound processing, voice tracking, and more are included and there are never any extra charges for the features you need.
- Cost: Free trial, $99 for Standard version, $199 for Pro version, or $399 for Broadcast version
PlayIt Live
PlayIt Live requires the Windows operating system. This is another great option for DJs as it is easy to use and users are able to upgrade with plugins such as mixing microphone input with PlayIt Live output.
- Cost: Free, plugins extra
RadioBoss
RadioBoss works with Windows. The software can convert and manage audio assets, build playlists, hourly blocks, and rotations, and has crossfade as well as automatic leveling capabilities.
- Cost: Free trial, $199.95 for Standard version
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RadioDJ
RadioDJ runs on various versions of Windows. This software allows you to organize all sound files by category, making it easier to find and maintain what you want to play.
- Cost: Free
Rocket Broadcaster
Rocket Broadcaster works with Windows. Among the many great features is the ability to manually update metadata and automatically capture audio metadata from another window, helping keep the broadcast compliant.
- Cost: Free version or $49 for Pro version
SAM Broadcaster PRO
SAM Broadcaster PRO requires the Windows OS. The program provides you with built-in advanced audio processors, and SAM’s smart cross fader can automatically detect the best points to crossfade songs and gives you the ability to lay the needle down right where you want it, giving your station a professional sound.
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- Cost: $299
StationPlaylist
StationPlaylist works with Windows. This software has several different versions, so users have a good chance of finding something that works for them.
- Cost: Free trial, pricing varies
VirtualDJ
VirtualDJ is available on both Mac and Windows. This software offers an advanced mixer, equalization & filter, effects, and more.
- Cost: $19/month or $299 one-time purchase for Pro version, or $99/month for Business version
For step-by-step instructions on how to use many of the above programs with your Live365 station, visit our Knowledge Base.
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See how many stations have joined the Radio Revolution at live365.com/listen. Keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook (Live365 Official and Live365 Broadcasting) and Twitter (@Live365 and @Broadcaster365)!
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