WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
Third Ward – More Constantine Street History: People, Places and Things
Near the city limits on Constantine Street are two important places involved in making a difference in the life of Three Rivers. Children in the Three Rivers Little League were helped by citizens, companies and businesses supporting the Little League Parent’s Association by providing things like a field, equipment, dugouts, etc. John Tokarski and Walter Reed built a dugout in 1963. Early sponsoring companies/businesses/organizations included Michigan Gas & Electric, Wells Saws, Rotary Club, AFL-CIO, FOP, Weyerhaeuser, First National Bank, Jaycee’s, Civitan, Lions. The list goes on and grows over the years.
The Three Rivers FOP (Fraternal Order of Police) Baseball Park which opened in 1968 provided 10 teams (16 players each) a home field to play from June to August. 1969 had 12 teams of 14 players. Sgt. Doug Babcock, Sgt. Dan Puskas, and Officer Jim Wheat shared the board duties. 1975 FOP National League champs coaches were Paul Allard, Jim Rose, and Virgil Eirschele. The American League Champs coaches were Gerald Bradford, Ron Henschel, and Wayne Schiminoski. Police officers Earl Stark (1990) and Jason Bingaman (2016) were presidents. (see TR Historical Scrapbooks more info.)
The FOP Park moved to the W. Broadway area becoming part of the H.C. Gleason and L.C. Beal Memorial Park complex on land donated in their remembrance by Jim Gleason. The two fields are maintained by the Little League baseball players, families, and the FOP.
May 1962 – WLKM Radio (Voice of Three Rivers, Inc.) began operations in the Riviera building at 48 N. Main. Frank Bulgarella was the first manager of the station. The original 160-foot tower was located at the corner of Constantine Street and Wolf Road. The addition of FM caused the need for a 330-foot tower. Manager James Ganley oversaw the new FM station built in 1974 on Constantine Street. People of all ages, students up, played different roles at different times from disc jockey to manager, to head of news department, to morning announcer. Some info: Dennis Rumsey, owner of WLKM since 2002, as a child lived at 318 Constantine Street. He started at WLKM at age 16 in 1969, and became general manager in 1978. Some of the “cast members” of yesteryear: Joe Placido, Steve Manos, Larry Wayne Simon, Bruce Hoffman, Randy Huyck, Joan Peters, Susie Rigdon, Marc Young, Larry Martin, Randy Miller, Mark Lambert, Vince Desmond, Neil Person, Harold Sparks, Susan Wittenberg, Barb Penny, Dave Milholer, Bruce Snook, Tammie (Beal) Epley, Shane Raver, Scott Karle, Donald Montcalm, Bret Jacobs Jacobowitz, Russ Emmerling. 2011-2013 Robert Tomlinson reported the “Wildcat News”. Our daily lives were and are enriched and also impacted by the news they reported (snowy winters, flood waters, accidents). WLKM-FM features adult contemporary music, live stream, and the latest news.
Next time: Andrews Street.
Submitted by Anna Smith, who is a Three Rivers history and mystery lover.
