100 Stations Carry MHSAA's 'This Week'
September 17, 2019
By John Johnson
MHSAA Director of Broadcast Properties
More than 100 over-the-air radio stations and internet audio website are carrying the MHSAA Network’s flagship program, This Week In High School Sports, as part of their weekly high school sports programming for the third straight year.
The five-minute program, powered by Michigan Student Aid, is in its fifth year. It leads off each week with feature stories from around the state from the MHSAA’s Second Half, or from network affiliated stories and interviews. This Week Game Balls are then presented for team or individual achievements in the past week. Be The Referee, a 60-second look at the fine art of officiating, comes in the middle of the show, and is followed by a closing MHSAA Perspective.
This week’s show will feature the inspirational story of Larry Prout Jr. at Pinckney High School, present game balls in 8-player football to Powers North Central and in boys soccer to Gaylord; address a swimming rules change during Be The Referee and conclude with an MHSAA Perspective on how most decisions in high school sports take place at the local level.
Here is a list of radio stations and web audio outlets carrying This Week In High School Sports:
Alma - WQBX-FM (104.9) - Halftime of game broadcasts, Between 1-2 p.m. Saturdays if no game that week
Alma – WFYC-AM (1280) – Halftime of game broadcasts, Between 1-2 p.m. Saturdays if no game that week
Alpena – WHSB-FM (107.7) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Alpena - WKJZ-FM (94.9) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Alpena - WZTK-FM (105.7) - Football Fridays, 6:30 p.m.; Halftime of basketball game broadcasts
Ashley - WJSZ-FM (92.5) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Battle Creek – WBCK-FM (95.3) – Following game broadcasts
Beaverton – WMRX-FM (97.7) - Halftime of game broadcasts; Sundays, 8 a.m.
Bridgman – WYTZ-FM (97.5) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Cadillac - WKAD-FM (93.7) – Immediately following Friday game broadcasts
Canton - WSDP-FM (88.1) - Halftime of football game broadcasts
Caro – WIDL-FM (92.1) – Prior to pregame show
Cheboygan - WCBY-FM (100.7) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Clawson – Detroit Sports & Entertainment – Halftime of game broadcasts
Coldwater - WTVB-AM (1590) - Halftime of Friday game broadcasts
Coldwater - WTVB-FM (95.5) – Halftime of Friday game broadcasts
Deckerville - ThumbTailgater.com - Halftime of game broadcasts
Detroit - WDTK-FM (101.5) - Pregame of game broadcasts
Detroit - WDTK-AM (1400) - Pregame of game broadcasts
East Lansing - WVFN-AM (730) – Fridays at 6 p.m. during football season
Escanaba - WCHT (600) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Escanaba – WUPF-FM (107.3) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Escanaba - WDBC (680) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Escanaba – WYKX-FM (104.7) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Ferrysburg - WMPA-FM (93.1) - Fridays at 6:35 p.m. during pregame broadcast
Frankenmuth - Frankenmuth Sports Network – Pregame and halftime of game broadcasts
Frankfort – WBNZ-FM (92.3) – Pregame of game broadcasts
Grand Haven - WAWL-FM (103.5) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Grand Haven - WGHN-AM (1370) – Fridays at 6:35 p.m. during pregame broadcast
Grand Haven – WGHN-FM (92.1) – Fridays at 6:35 p.m. during pregame broadcast
Grand Haven – WGHN-FM (94.9) – Fridays at 6:35 p.m. during pregame broadcast
Grand Haven – MichiganGameNight.com – Halftime of game broadcasts
Grand Rapids - WMAX-FM (96.1) – Following post-game scoreboard show
Grand Rapids – MichiganSportsRadio.com – Pregame or halftime of game broadcasts
Grayling – WGRY-FM (101.1) - Pregame of game broadcasts
Grayling - WQON-FM (100.3) - Pregame of game broadcasts
Greenville – WGLM-FM (106.3) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Hancock – WMPL-AM (920) – Pregame of game broadcasts
Hancock – WMPL-FM (107.3) – Pregame of game broadcasts
Hancock – WKMJ-FM (93.5) – Pregame of game broadcasts
Holland - WHTC-AM (1450) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Holland - WHTC-FM (99.7) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Howell – LivingstonPost.com – Halftime of game broadcasts
Houghton - WHKB-FM (102.3) - Postgame of game broadcasts
Houghton Lake – WTWS-FM (92.1) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Iron Mountain – WZNL-FM (94.3) – Halftime of game broadcasts, Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
Ironwood – WJMS-AM (590) – Pregame of game broadcasts
Jackson – WKHM-AM (970) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Jackson – WKHM-FM (101.5) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Jackson - WKHM-FM (105.3) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Kalamazoo – WQLR (1600) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Kalamazoo – WKZO-AM (590) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Lansing – LansingHerald.com – Halftime of game broadcasts
Lowell – WRWW-FM (92.3) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Ludington – WKLA-AM (1450) – TBA
Ludington – WKLA-FM (92.7) - TBA
Ludington – WKLA-FM (96.3) – TBA
Ludington - WLDN-FM (97.7) – TBA
Ludington - WLDN-FM (98.7) – TBA
Manistique - WTIQ-AM (1490) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Marquette – WRUP-FM (98.3) – Postgame of game broadcasts
Marquette - WKQS-FM (101.9) – Postgame of game broadcasts
Marquette - WFXD-FM (103.3) – Postgame of game broadcasts.
Marquette – WFXD-HD2 (105.1 – 99.9) - Postgame of game broadcasts
Marquette – WUPZ-FM (94.9) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Marquette - WZAM-AM (970) - Tuesdays between 4-5 p.m.
Marquette - WZAM-FM (93.3) - Tuesdays between 4-5 p.m.
Midland – WMPX-AM (1490) – Halftime of game broadcasts; Sundays, 8 a.m.
Midland – WMPX-FM (107.7) - Halftime of game broadcasts; Sundays, 8 a.m.
Monroe - MonroeCountyRadio.com - Halftime of game broadcasts
Mt. Pleasant – WCZY-FM (104.3) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Mt. Pleasant - WMMI-FM (92.3) - Halftime of game broadcasts
Muskegon - WLCS-FM (98.3) - Pregame of game broadcasts
Muskegon – WVIB-FM (100.1) - Pregame of game broadcasts
Muskegon – WMUS-FM (107.9) – Following post-game scoreboard show
Newberry – WNBY-AM (1450) – Halftime of game broadcasts, Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
Newberry – WNBY-FM (93.9) – Halftime of game broadcasts, Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
Niles – RCSportscasting.com – Halftime of game broadcasts
Novi – WOVI-FM (89.5) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Ontonagon – WUPY-FM (101.1) – Pregame of game broadcasts
Oscoda – WWTH-FM (100.7) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Petoskey - WMBN-AM (1340) – Immediately following Friday game broadcasts
Petoskey – WMBN-FM (104.7) – Immediately following Friday game broadcasts
Rogers City – WHAK-FM (99.9) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Saugatuck - WVYN-FM (92.7) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Sault Ste. Marie - WSOO-AM (1230) – Halftime of game broadcasts, Saturday at 11:30 a.m.
Sault Ste. Marie – WUPN-FM (95.1) – Halftime of game broadcasts, Monday at 8:50 a.m.
Scottville – WKZC-FM (94.9) – TBA
South Haven – WCSY-FM (103.7) – Halftime of game broadcasts
St. Ignace/Cheboygan – WWMK-FM (106.3) – Halftime of Friday game broadcasts
St. Joseph – WSJM-AM (1400) – Halftime of game broadcasts, Daily at 1:40 p.m.
St. Joseph – WSJM-FM (106.1) – Halftime of game broadcasts, Daily at 1:40 p.m.
St. Joseph – WSJM-FM (94.9) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Sturgis – WBET-AM (1230) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Sturgis – WBET-FM (99.3) – Halftime of game broadcasts
Sturgis – JoeInsider.com – Halftime of game broadcasts
Tawas City - WKJC-FM (104.7)
Grisdale to be Honored for 40 Seasons on Call for Cheboygan Football
By
Tom Spencer
Special for MHSAA.com
September 13, 2024
When Jason Friday was in high school, there were two types of football fans in Cheboygan.
Folks either went to watch the Cheboygan Chiefs play under the lights, or they listened to the game on the radio called by play-by-play announcer Mike Grisdale.
Well, not much has changed. Friday, a 1992 Cheboygan grad, is now the school’s athletic director. And Grisdale is in the middle of his 40th season on the air.
What is changing tonight, though, is Cheboygan will officially dedicate the stadium press box to Grisdale in a special pregame ceremony before the Chiefs (1-1) take on Elk Rapids (1-1).
Former Cheboygan coaches, Grisdale’s family and people who have worked with him on the radio over the years will be on hand for the ceremony.
“We were able to get Dan Miller, George Blaha, Ken Kal and Dan Dickerson — radio broadcasters for all four Detroit sports — to record statements that we will play over the public address system,” said Friday. “Mike will be presented a smaller version of the plaque that we will be hanging in the press box, and he will have a chance to talk.”
Naming the press box after Grisdale has been in the works for more than a year, Friday noted. Grisdale first learned of the plan when he was interviewing Friday during halftime of a football game last year.
“Jason surprised me on the air,” Grisdale recalled. “I was shocked, but honored and thankful.”
Grisdale, a 1979 Cheboygan grad, is humbled noting there are so many people who contribute to the radio broadcasts and football program. He remembers listening with his father to Jorden James and Bob Martin call Chiefs games when some of the older kids from the neighborhood were playing high school football.
“I have just been so fortunate to do it for this long and have become the go-to guy for historical information and perspective,” Grisdale said.
Grisdale, who has also done nearly 1,000 Chiefs basketball games on the air, along with some hockey and soccer, said his interest in sports goes back to his childhood.
Grisdale grew up in Cheboygan with three brothers in a neighborhood full of kids. Sports were a big part of their lives — collecting baseball cards, listening to the Detroit Tigers on the radio, and playing basketball, kickball and wiffle ball.
Grisdale, who also hosts a Saturday morning radio show from a local restaurant called “Coaches Corner,” vividly recalls trying to keep a scorebook while listening to high school basketball games on WCBY radio and dreaming of becoming the next Blaha, or Ernie Harrell, Bob Ufer, or Bruce Martin - four legendary broadcasters of Michigan professional and college sports.
While at Central Michigan University earning a broadcasting degree, Grisdale got extensive of on-air experience on student stations. He worked on Cheboygan radio stations during summers.
Some of his fondest memories of Chiefs broadcasts have come from the locations where they’ve played.
“I have enjoyed having the opportunity to cover games at places like the Pontiac Silverdome, Palace of Auburn Hills, Crisler Arena and the Breslin Center,” Grisdale said. “You remember the exciting moments and big games”
The 40 years on the air, along with earlier turns covering Marshall and Albion football and basketball games, are really just a blur to the highly-revered radio personality.
“The seasons just seemed to run together,” Grisdale said. “There were many, many times when the weather and the long road trips took their toll.”
Grisdale played football at Cheboygan High School and was an offensive end and a defensive safety on a 9-0 squad his senior year in 1978. He caught three touchdown passes that season. He also held for extra points, collecting snaps from his brother Mark, the Chiefs’ long-snapper.
Mike Grisdale doesn’t hesitate to point out the best player he covered was fullback Shannon Scarborough from the 1991 team that reached the Silverdome – “The all-stater was strong and fast and played both ways,” he noted. But Grisdale has loved all the players and teams over the years. “I do it because I enjoy promoting the kids, keeping the traditions alive, seeing the community come together, good sportsmanship, and being part of a team.”
Friday, who also has broadcast multiple games alongside Grisdale over the years, has enjoyed Grisdale’s efforts to promote every player.
“Kids always love to hear their name on the radio,” Friday said. “What I think he does better than anyone is to make sure the offensive and defensive linemen are consistently mentioned — those boys in the trenches often get overlooked, but not with Mike on the call.”
When Cheboygan installed NFHS Network cameras, the athletic department sought to successfully connect Grisdale’s radio broadcast through the video feed.
“That has been a huge bonus and something that many community members have told me they appreciate,” Friday said.
Grisdale, who also works part-time for Black Diamond Broadcasting in its Cheboygan studios and serves Mackinaw Health System based in St. Ignace as its marketing director, has no plans to end his broadcasting career.
“As long as our local radio station can keep the tradition alive and I am still around, it would be my privilege to keep it going,” Grisdale said.
Cheboygan High School games are carried on WCBY (Cheboygan) 1240 AM, 100.7 FM and 98.1 FM, and streaming at BigCountryGold.com.
Tom Spencer is a longtime MHSAA-registered basketball and soccer official, and former softball and baseball official, and he also has coached in the northern Lower Peninsula area. He previously has written for the Saginaw News, Bay County Sports Page and Midland Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected] with story ideas for Manistee, Wexford, Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw, Iosco, Alcona, Oscoda, Crawford, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse, Benzie, Leelanau, Antrim, Otsego, Montmorency, Alpena, Presque Isle, Cheboygan, Charlevoix and Emmet counties.
PHOTOS (Top) Mike Grisdale, right, and partner Nate King broadcast a Cheboygan game from Central Michigan University. (Middle) The Cheboygan stadium press box will be dedicated to the longtime broadcaster. (Below) Grisdale is on the call for another Chiefs game. (Photos provided by Grisdale and the Cheboygan athletic department.)