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WDTW (AM)

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WDTW (AM)

WDTW (1310 kHz, "La Z 1310 & 107.9") is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Dearborn, Michigan, United States, and serving the Detroit metropolitan area. Owned by Pedro Zamora, the station broadcasts a Spanish-language radio format branded as La Z 1310. It features Spanish-language contemporary hit radio, Latin pop, reggaeton and regional Mexican. The radio studios and offices are on Goddard Road in Taylor, Michigan.

WDTW is powered at 5,000 watts. It uses a directional antenna with a six-tower array. The transmitter is on Monroe Boulevard near Interstate 94 in Taylor. Programming is also heard on 85-watt FM translator W300DI at 107.9 MHz in Detroit.

The station signed on the air on December 29, 1946 (78 years ago) (1946-12-29). The original call sign was WKMH. The owner was Fred A. Knorr, who served as president and General Manager. It was originally a daytime-only station broadcasting on 1540 kHz. It added an FM station, WKMH-FM 100.3 (now WNIC) in the same month. WKMH AM moved to its current frequency and began round-the-clock operations in 1948.

WKMH-AM-FM specialized in local news, information, sports, and mainly middle of the road (MOR) music. WKMH's most popular personality was Robin Seymour, a pioneering rock and roll disk jockey. Seymour's "Bobbin' with Robin" show featured a music mix that foreshadowed the birth of the Top 40 radio format in playing R&B and early rock and roll artists like The Crows alongside mainstream pop stars like Patti Page. Seymour remained with the station as it became WKNR and later became the host of Swingin' Time, a popular local teenage dance show on CKLW-TV.

WKMH garnered some notice through early 1960s Top 40 shows hosted by personalities such as Lee Alan "On the Horn" and Dave "Sangoo" Prince, but the station was generally considered an also-ran in the Detroit market and a weak competitor to WJBK and WXYZ, which were Detroit's dominant Top 40 stations. At night, the station featured a jazz show hosted by Jim Rockwell (later of WABX). In addition, WKMH was briefly Detroit's CBS Radio network affiliate in 1960, after WJR dropped its ties to CBS to add more local programming. Despite, or some might say because of, this unusual move, WKMH continued to flounder.

In 1962, the station shed its CBS affiliation (which WJR regained) and became "Flagship Radio", an early adult contemporary format featuring a mix of softer current pop hits and MOR album cuts, but this format, too, was not popular.

Despite the power of WJBK and WXYZ and the 50,000-watt signal of CKLW, consultant Mike Joseph (best known for developing the Hot Hits format in the late 1970s) was convinced there was room for a fourth Top 40 station in Detroit and that 1310 AM could easily climb ahead of the competition. With WKMH owner Nellie Knorr, he developed the formula that ultimately became a success.

Joseph instituted a shorter playlist of only 31 records plus one "key song" of the week and a liberal sprinkling of oldies. Most Top 40 stations of that era played many more current records. WJBK, WXYZ and CKLW all had very long playlists at the time, stretching to 80 to 100 songs at times. WKNR's shorter playlist ensured the station played more hits and fewer "stiffs" and that listeners would hear one of the top hits whenever they tuned in. WKNR also played the hits 24 hours a day, as opposed to the other hit stations in Detroit which were loaded with non-music full-service features (especially on weekends).

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