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Midwest Communications, Inc. consists of Midwest Communications, Inc. and WRIG, Inc., which collectively own forty-six (46) radio stations. The Company got its start in Wausau, Wisconsin, with WRIG, Inc. and the acquisition by the D.E. Wright family of a 1400 kHz, 250 watt AM facility from the Wisconsin Valley Television Corporation. The call letters WRIG (for Wright) were assigned and on August 1, 1958, top forty-formatted WRIG signed on the air. Power was increased to 1,000 watts in 1961 and WRIG-FM (now WDEZ) signed on in 1964. Midwest built WROE in Appleton/Oshkosh, Wisconsin in 1971. In 1975 Midwest purchased WBAY-AM and WBAY-FM, Green Bay, Wisconsin. Due to FCC rules at that time, WROE was sold. The Green Bay call letters were changed to WGEE-AM (now WTAQ-AM) and WIXX-FM. The 1980’s saw the acquisition by Midwest of KIOA & KMGK, Des Moines, Iowa, WKKQ(now WNMT) & WTBX, Hibbing, Minnesota and KLMS & KFMQ, Lincoln, Nebraska. In addition WRIG moved to 1390 kHz and increased power to 5000 watts day and night.

The 1990’s brought radical changes in FCC ownership rules, and Midwest took advantage of the changes by consolidating in the Green Bay-Appleton/Oshkosh and Wausau-Stevens Point markets. The consolidation brought about the sale of the Des Moines, Lincoln and Hibbing stations and the acquisitions of WROE, WOZZ, WLTM (now WRQE), WNCY and WNFL in Green Bay-Appleton/Oshkosh and WSAU, WIFC, WOFM and WIZD in Wausau-Stevens Point. In addition four stations WTVB, WNWN-AM, WNWN-FM and WFAT were acquired in the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Michigan market.

Strengths

* Online growth
* Market share leadership
* Strong brand equity
* Supply chain

Weaknesses

* No online presence
* Not diversified
* Poor supply chain
* Weak management team
* Weak real estate
* Weak, damaged brand

Opportunities

* Emerging markets and expansion abroad
* Innovation
* Online
* Product and services expansion

Threats

* Economic slowdown
* External changes (government, politics, taxes, etc)
* Exchange rate fluctuations
* Lower cost competitors or imports
* Maturing categories, products, or services
* Price wars
 
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