WVFN
Broadcast areaLansing-East Lansing metropolitan area
Frequency730 kHz
BrandingLansing 730 AM
Programming
FormatNews/Talk/Sports
AffiliationsCompass Media Networks
Detroit Tigers Radio Network
Westwood One
Spartan Sports Network
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
January 20, 1965
(60 years ago)
 (1965-01-20)
Former call signs
  • WVIC (1965–1981, 1983–1989, 1989–1992)
  • WVGO (1981–1983)
  • WAAP (1989)
Call sign meaning
Former "Fan" branding
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID24638
ClassD
Power
  • 500 watts (day)
  • 50 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
42°38′45″N 84°33′39″W / 42.64583°N 84.56083°W / 42.64583; -84.56083
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitethegame730am.com

WVFN (730 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to East Lansing, Michigan. The station broadcasts a News/Talk/Sports radio format. It is owned by Townsquare Media with studios and offices are on Pinetree Road in Lansing.

WVFN is powered at 500 watts during the day. As 730 AM is a Mexican and Canadian clear-channel frequency, the station must power down to 50 watts at night.

Programming includes the conservative talk program "The Steve Gruber Show," a local sports show hosted by Tim Staudt, and "Michigan's Big Show starring Michael Patrick Shiels".[2]

WVFN previously featured an all sports format originally dubbed "The Fan" and later known as "The Game". Following a flip of sister station WJIM to sports-talk on December 1, 2025, WVFN is now know known as "Lansing 730 AM".

Additional programming includes Markley, Van Camp & Robbins show from Compass Media Networks, The Ramsey Show with Dave Ramsey, and Red Eye Radio.

WVFN is an affiliate of the Detroit Tigers baseball and Grand Valley State Laker football radio networks.[3][4] The station also airs select Michigan State University hockey and basketball games.[5]

History

[edit]

WVFN began broadcasting as WVIC in 1965 with a Middle-of-the-Road (MOR) format, as sister station WVIC-FM programmed a Beautiful Music format. WVIC and WVIC-FM adopted a full-time Top 40 format in 1968, competing with cross-town rivals WJIM and WILS. WVIC and WVIC-FM would simulcast the Top 40 format full-time for most of the 1970s, eventually leading WVIC-FM to beat out its AM competitors with the advantage of a 24-hour FM stereo signal. WVIC, during this time, was licensed to operate from 6:00 am to local sunset, and aired a promotional announcement at nightly sign-off, encouraging listeners to tune to WVIC-FM. WVIC made a partial break in their simulcast with WVIC-FM in 1979, airing an Urban Contemporary format during the midday, while continuing to simulcast WVIC-FM for the remainder of the broadcast day.

WVFN Logo as "The Game"

WVIC and WVIC-FM were purchased by Goodrich Broadcasting in August 1981, and WVIC was reprogrammed with Al Hamm's Music of Your Life format, featuring Big Band music from the 1940s, along with vocal standards from the 1950s and 1960s. Along with the format change came a call-sign change to WVGO. Less than two years later in July 1983, the Music of Your Life format was abandoned, the WVIC call-sign was restored, and the station returned to a Top 40 simulcast with WVIC-FM as "The New 73 AM". The simulcast would continue until May 1992, when the current Sports Talk format was introduced under the call-sign WVFN.

Goodrich Broadcasting changed the call-sign of WVIC to WAAP for a brief period in 1989, apparently to prevent cross-town rival WLNZ (The Ape 92) from acquiring the same call-sign (WLNZ later changed its call-sign to WGOR). There were no programming changes made to WVIC during this period.

Between 1972 and 1976, the original use of the WVFN (“Voice of the Forty-Niners”) call letters were assigned to a 10-watt AM carrier current campus radio station (710 kHz) at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, NC.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WVFN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ https://lansing730.com/game-730am-to-lansing-first/
  3. ^ "Football Radio Network". Grand Valley State Lakers. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  4. ^ "Broadcast Affiliates". Detroit Tigers. Archived from the original on March 14, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  5. ^ https://msuspartans.com/sports/2018/7/20/sports-m-footbl-spec-rel-radioaffiliates-html
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