OUR STORY
A Minnesota Radio Legacy. A Family Tradition.
WDGY is one of Minnesota’s most iconic radio brands.
For more than 100 years, the WDGY name has been part of Minnesota radio, introducing listeners to new music, legendary artists, memorable personalities and the songs that became the soundtrack to their lives.
From the early days of radio in the 1920s to the legendary Top 40 years of the 1960s and 70s, WDGY has always been about more than a signal on the dial. It has been about music, personalities, community and the memories created along the way.
Today, our family is proud to be part of that story.
The Borgen Family Story
Our family’s broadcasting story began decades after WDGY first went on the air.
In the 1950s, while attending college, our grandfather, O.B. Borgen, got his start in radio at WKTY in La Crosse, Wisconsin. He worked his way into sales, where he quickly discovered his greatest gift: connecting with people.
O.B. believed radio wasn’t simply about broadcasting. It was about building relationships with listeners, local businesses and the communities they served.
That belief became the foundation of the Borgen family’s broadcasting company.
Over the following decades, O.B. built and operated successful radio stations throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin, Missouri and Florida. His sons continued the family business, expanding the company while remaining committed to local ownership, local programming and serving the communities where they lived and worked.
The Many Chapters of WeeGee
1920s
The early days of radio
60s–70s
The Top 40 years
1977
WDGY goes country
2010
The Original Rock & Roll Station
WDGY has never been afraid to evolve.
During its legendary Top 40 years, WDGY became an important part of the Twin Cities music scene, helping bring the sounds of a generation to Minnesota listeners.
Then, in 1977, WDGY made another major move, changing formats to country music.
It became another chapter in the long and colorful history of the WDGY call letters, demonstrating something that has always been true about this brand: WDGY has a history of connecting with Minnesota listeners through the music they love.
That chapter is part of our history, and as we look toward the future, it may have a role to play in the next chapter of the WDGY story as well.
Bringing WeeGee Back
In the early 1990s, when the original WDGY station changed formats and the legendary call letters became available, our family recognized what those four letters meant to Minnesota.
WDGY had already been part of Minnesota’s radio history for generations.
The call letters had been there when Top 40 radio exploded, when The Beatles came to Minneapolis, when legendary DJs became local celebrities and when radio became part of the fabric of everyday life.
Our family became the custodians of the WDGY call letters, determined to keep that legacy alive.
In 2010, Greg Borgen took that commitment even further, rebuilding WDGY as The Original Rock & Roll Station.
His vision was simple: bring back the spirit of the legendary WDGY by celebrating great music, local personalities and the hometown feel that made radio special.
A New Chapter
Today, the third generation of the Borgen family proudly carries that mission forward.