WWDSFM

Background: WWDSFM was an affiliate of Welker-Davin-Stoner Television Systems that broadcasted in the Flint/Tri-Cities market in Michigan, launched on September 14, 1990. Before WWDSFM signed on, Flint had been one of the few areas of Michigan without over-the-air WDS (or DTVN) service. Most cable systems in the area before then included WDS affiliates in Mount Pleasant, Bay City, Detroit, East Lansing or Toledo, OH in their lineups. WWDSFM announced in January 2009 that they are $4,000,000 in debt and will sign off permanently on December 31 of that year due to it, however, on October 27, 2009, it was announced that the Board of Trustees of Central Michigan University approved a proposal for CMU to acquire, rebrand and rename WWDSFM for a maximum of $1 million. As a result, WWDSFM was incorporated into CMU's Northern Michigan Network, renamed as WCMUFM and began using NMN logos in original programming (similar to all other CMU-owned WDS stations), as a result, WWDSFM ceased to exist after nearly two decades. It's transmitter (as of 2009) was located near Flushing, Michigan and it's studios (as of 2009) were located in Flint, MI.

1st Logo

(September 14, 1990-2000)

Nicknames: "The Wigga-Wigga Ripoff", "\/\/\/\/|)SF/\/\"

Logo: On a dark yellow (near-black) background, a light green "W" flies from the bottom left and then backwards. As it does so, a zig-zag line comes out of it to form the other letters in the call letters (it shines as it does this), with both "W"s and the "D" and "M" still taking the form of zig-zags, forming the call letters. Then, another line, also light green, slides in from the right below the call letters and forms into "TV65 FLINT", after which the WWDSFM letters shine.

Trivia: First seen as a station ID as a lead-in to the very first program WWDSFM ever broadcast, which was the original broadcast of the Tiny Toon Adventures episode "The Looney Beginning".

FX/SFX: The CGI coiled lines materializing into their respective lettering.

Cheesy Factor: Medium. The other letters in the logo seem to "drop out" from the zig-zags rather than the zig-zags just morphing into them, which becomes apparent once the animation is slowed down. Also, the excessive shining makes this look somewhat gaudy.

Music/Sounds: There have been several musical variations accompanied with a male announcer saying "TV 65 Flint" near the end:

Usually, a new age-type synthesized rock music is used, complete with drums, a synthesizer and even a guitar. Telephone-like "wigga-wigga" sounds are heard as the line zig-zags.

For sign-ons and sign-offs, the same logo is accompanied by different music. A timpani drum beat is heard first, leading into a jingle played on a flute being heard as the line uncurls. As the logo finishes, a faint choir is heard in the background. The male announcer is still heard. This was only used as a station ID.

There is a version where the male announcer cuts in earlier.

Some versions have no male announcer at all. An extremely short version with no male announcer was seen for a brief time in 1996 as a station ID.

There was a warped version during later years.

Availability: Uncommon. Many of the shows that had this logo have been updated with either the (in most cases) Northern Michigan Network or any of the below logos by now, especially on DVD releases, but it is still seen on some original shows. The flute variant, however, is now extinct, since it was only used as a station ID, so check your old VHS tapes to see if it shows up there. Also used as a station ID.

Scare Factor: Minimal for the "new age" variant. Some might be caught off-guard by dramatic FX. None for the flute variant.

Final Note: Many WWDSFM-produced shows stopped using this logo in 1999, although Flint Metro High School Football Weekly continued to use the version where the male announcer cuts in earlier until 2000.

2nd Logo(1999-2004)

Nicknames: "The Wigga-Wigga Ripoff II", "\/\/\/\/|)SF/\/\ II", "Michigan's WDS Station"

Logo: First we see the letters of "\/\/\/\/|)SF/\/\" from the previous logo in front of each other, spreading out. The background, which is dark green, is full of "Wigga-Wigga"-type "\/\/\/\/|)SF/\/\" letters along with a smoke effect slowly clearing out. The station is referred to as "WWDSFM, Michigan's WDS Station", with a line above and the WDS logo of the time to the left of "Michigan's WDS Station".

Variants:

A still version of this logo exists.

Around 2003, the logo was slightly enhanced with the words bolder.

FX/SFX: The letters spreading out, the smoke.

Music/Sounds: A descending crystallized wind chime-like sound effect culminating in a synth explosion, followed by a robotic voice (that sounds very similar to the Tiny Toon Adventures character Gogo Dodo, according to some fans of that show) saying the words "Michigan's WDS Station".

Availability: Uncommon. Also used as a station ID.

Scare Factor: Minimal bordering on low. The robotic voice may get to some.

3rd Logo

(2004-2009)

TBA