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WNSN (101.5 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in South Bend, Indiana. It is owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting and airs an adult contemporary radio format known as Sunny 101.5. WNSN is usually the market's top rated radio station according to the Nielsen ratings. Sunny 101.5 carries Delilah's syndicated love songs show in the evening from Premiere Networks. Most weekends it features 1980s hits. From mid-November to December 26, WNSN switches to all Christmas music.

The studios and offices are on Monroe Street in Downtown South Bend. The transmitter is off Ironwood Road, south of downtown South Bend. It is co-located with sister station 960 WSBT's tower.

History

WSBT-FM, WWJY and WTHQ

The station signed on the air on August 1, 1962, as WSBT-FM. At first it simulcast the middle of the road (MOR) format of music, news and sports, on its AM counterpart, 960 WSBT. In the late 1960s, WSBT-FM began separate programming, airing beautiful music. From the mid-1970s until 1981, the station was WWJY, using the Schulke beautiful music package.

In 1981, the station shifted to adult contemporary music as WTHQ, using the Satellite Music Network's StarStation format. In 1984, the station switched to locally programmed AC music, with the call letters WNSN. The SN stands for "Sunny 101.5".

Ownership changes

Longtime owner Schurz Communications announced on September 14, 2015, that it would exit broadcasting and sell its television and radio stations, including WNSN, to Gray Television for $442.5 million. The sale separated WNSN from both the station's longtime co-owned newspaper, the South Bend Tribune (which Schurz kept until 2019), and WSBT-TV 22 (which was sold separately due to Gray's existing ownership of WNDU-TV 16).

Gray initially said it would keep Schurz' radio stations. But on November 2, it announced that Mid-West Family Broadcasting would acquire WNSN and Schurz's other South Bend radio stations for $5.5 million. The purchase by Mid-West was consummated on February 16, 2016.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WNSN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. WSBTradio.com/contact
3. Radio-Locator.com/WNSN
4. Broadcasting Yearbook 1965 page B-56
5. Broadcasting Yearbook 1970 page B-73
6. Broadcasting Yearbook 1985 page B-94
7. "Schurz Communications to sell WSBT and other TV, radio stations". South Bend Tribune. September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
8. Kuperberg, Jonathan (September 14, 2015). "Gray Acquiring TV, Radio Stations from Schurz for $442.5 Million". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
9. "Gray Sells Radio Stations From Schurz Deal". TVNewsCheck. November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
10. Venta, Lance (November 2, 2015). "Gray Television Divests Schurz Clusters To Three Buyers". RadioInsight. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
11. Allen, Kevin (November 2, 2015). "WSBT Radio Group will have a new owner, again". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved November 2, 2015.

External links

• Sunny 101.5 website
• Facility details for Facility ID 73984 (WNSN) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WNSN in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

41°37′01″N 86°13′01″W / 41.617°N 86.217°W / 41.617; -86.217

• Radio stations in South Bend, Indiana
• Radio stations established in 1962
• 1962 establishments in Indiana
• Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States