WYSS - History

History

The station took to the air in July 1972 with 3,000 watts at 92.7 FM as WSMM, owned by Lock City Broadcasting. The station programmed a format of MOR and country music. Lock City sold WSMM to Chippewa Broadcasting in 1974, and a few years later the station moved from 92.7 to 99.5 with a dramatic power increase to 26,500 watts. During the late 1970s, the station featured a soft rock format. As WLXX (1981-1986), the station continued with its AC format and eventually added nighttime Top-40 programming, competing with CKCY.

In May 1986, "Yes FM" was born when Martz Communications Group (d/b/a Algoma Broadcasting) purchased WLXX, changed the call letters to WYSS, and installed a full-time adult-leaning Top-40/CHR format to specifically target Canadian listeners in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. The success of "Yes FM" hurt CKCY and forced the station off the air permanently in the early 1990s. Martz also brought the talk radio format to the Twin Saults in 1990 with the sign-on of an AM sister station, WKNW. Martz sold WYSS/WKNW to Northern Star Broadcasting in 2001. Under Northern Star's ownership, WYSS migrated to a Hot AC format for a time in the 2000s, but has since returned to its previous adult-leaning CHR presentation.