After being on the air for over 24 years, WMKG TV is still not on the Fruitport, Spring Lake, Grand Haven and Whitehall cable system.

WMKG TV started broadcasting 24 years ago from a location just a few miles from Fruitport at 4237 Airline Road. It started out as W40AK, a low power television station with 100 watts and a 65 foot tower. Soon they switched from channel 40 to channel 38 and the call letters changed to WMKG. After being approved by the FCC, WMKG was changed to WMKG-CA. The CA stands for Class A, which is the highest class for a low power station. Now, changing from analog to digital and broadcasting from a 200 foot tower with 15,000 watts erp. WMKG-CA is on channel 49 and broadcasts over 45 miles with 3 additional channels. Broadcasting on channels 49, 49.2, 49.3 and 49.4. Channel 49 has the original AMGTV Network, 49.2 is broadcasting the Launch Network, 49.3 is an advertisement for 49 with local and children’s programming coming from 49. Also channel 49.4 broadcasts local and children’s as well as a stationary weather program. The additional channels will become more local in the near future with one of them hopefully being local music.

Comcast cable did put WMKG on it’s cable lineup and although the channel has changed from channel 4 to channel 16 to channel 295 to it’s present channel of 397, it has been on the lineup for over 20 years. The Charter cable that is servicing Fruitport, Grand Haven, Spring Lake and Whitehall has never offered any channel regardless of the many inquires.

We are the only real, over the air broadcast television station in the Muskegon area. The other over the air broadcast stations are 40 miles away in Grand Rapids, and we here at WMKG don’t consider them local Muskegon broadcasting.

The switch over to digital was a very big move for the station. We have plans in the future to expand our localism with more local churches, local sports and local talents such as music. We have been broadcasting the Fruitport Memorial Day Parade for over 20 years and plan to continue, along with plans for more holiday events.

We get very little national advertising and have relied on local businesses to support us. We are always looking for more local programming such as talk shows, sports, music, church/school events, and are thinking of starting another news program. We are your “hometown” local television station and hope to continue to be.

Fenton Kelley
WMKG-CA