WCMU 89.5 FM

A National Public Radio member station owned by Central Michigan University, this public broadcaster at 89.5 FM serves as the flagship of the WCMU Public Radio network, which encompasses six additional affiliate stations across Northern Michigan. The station signed on April 6, 1964, as a 10-watt campus outlet at 90.1 FM, originally carrying a broad programming mix that included classical, popular, and progressive rock music. By 1969 it had affiliated with the National Educational Radio Network, which became NPR in 1970. The station subsequently moved to 89.5 FM at 100,000 watts in the mid-1970s, and in 1978 began expanding through rebroadcaster stations, beginning with WCML-FM in Alpena. On March 1, 2023, the station launched its current news and talk format, simultaneously introducing a dedicated 24/7 classical music service called WCMU Classical, available on HD-2, online, and on mobile platforms. Weekday programming includes Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Fresh Air, Here and Now, and On Point, while weekend schedules feature This American Life, Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!, and locally produced music programs such as The Juke Joint and Homespun. Overnight hours carry the BBC World Service.