WNMT

WNMT

Nashwauk, Minnesota
Broadcast area	Hibbing, Minnesota/Iron Range
Frequency	650 kHz
Branding	WNMT AM 650
Programming
Format	Commercial; news/talk
Affiliations	ABC News Radio
Ownership
Owner	Duey E. Wright (Midwest Communications, Inc.)
Sister stations	WMFG, WMFG-FM, WNMT, WTBX, WUSZ
History
First air date	1968
Former call signs	WKKQ (1975–1998)
Call sign meaning	W Northern Minnesota Talk
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	73173
Class	B
Power	10,000 watts day 1,000 watts night
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	wnmtradio.com

WNMT (650 AM) is a talk radio station in Hibbing, Minnesota. Currently, WNMT is owned by Midwest Communications. Midwest also owns five radio stations on the Iron Range; WMFG, WMFG-FM, WNMT, WTBX, and WUSZ. All five stations share the same studio location at 807 W. 37th Street, Hibbing.

WNMT broadcasts a typical AM station pattern during the day which gives it good coverage over most of Northeastern Minnesota. However at nighttime, the station broadcasts a directional pattern from five towers which makes it difficult to receive south of the immediate Iron Range. This is done to protect signals to the south broadcasting on the same frequency; particularly clear-channel station WSM in Nashville, Tennessee.

History

The initial broadcast over WNMT is thought to have been that of the assassination of Presidential contender Robert F. Kennedy the previous night, June 5, 1968.

The former WNMT station broadcast from dawn to dusk nearly every day, and broadcast a variety of family-oriented programming. The owner and operator was an elderly (now deceased) gentleman, surname Watkins, (date of birth contested).

Before changing its callsign to WNMT, 650 AM Hibbing was WKKQ. WKKQ signed on the air on June 1, 1975 at 1060 AM with a clear channel daytime-only signal. The station was variously known as "The Super Q" and "Clear Channel Country". The first song played was John Denver's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy". The station signed off at sunset with a special arrangement of "Happy Trails to You" ending with "Happy trails to you from WKKQ". WKKQ was affiliated with the United Press Radio news and provided strong local news and community calendars to compete with Hibbing's pioneer station WMFG. The station moved to 650 AM in the mid-1980s and was allowed to broadcast on reduced power from sunset to sunrise. At one point in time, the station also broadcast in AM Stereo. The move to 650 kHz coincided with a switch to ABC Radio and WKKQ took Paul Harvey from WMFG. In early 1998, the call letters were changed to the current WNMT, followed by a format change in April 1998.

External links

• WNMT website
• Facility details for Facility ID 73173 (WNMT) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WNMT in Nielsen Audio's AM station database