Founded in August 1926 by the Callaway Music Company, WIZM (originally named WKBH) came into being during the early days of radio broadcasting. The idea sparked when the founders, who ran a local music shop on Main Street in La Crosse, decided to expand their musical business into the newly emerging radio scene. After decades of broadcasting, the station was purchased in 1971 by Family Radio, Inc., and officially changed its call letters to WIZM. Today, the news website and radio station continue to operate under the ownership of Mid-West Family Broadcasting. Today, WIZM is based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and is mainly focused on a mix of local and national news. They have made a name for themselves among area residents by covering a wide variety of daily topics, including local government updates, regional sports, outdoor activities, and community entertainment events like the Sunday Market and Moon Tunes concerts. In addition to traditional news reporting, their platform offers extensive talk radio programming and lifestyle podcasts covering topics like local business, cooking, and gardening. **One interesting fact**: A unique fact about WIZM is its humble beginnings as a music store's side project. Long before it became a dedicated news and talk station, it was established by the Callaway Music Company, which utilized its background in music retail to build a local broadcast platform straight out of its shop in 1926.