WMGC-FM

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WMGC-FM
Spanish Tropical)
Ownership
Owner
WCSX, WRIF, WDMK
History
First air date
March 6, 1960; 64 years ago (1960-03-06)
Former call signs
  • WGRV-FM (1999–2001)
  • WXDG (1997–1999)
  • WQRS (1987–1997)
  • WQRS-FM (1979–1987)
  • WQRS (1960–1979)
Call sign meaning
MaGiC 105.1 (former branding)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID40407
ClassB
ERP50,000 watts
HAAT150 meters (490 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
42°27′13″N 83°9′50″W / 42.45361°N 83.16389°W / 42.45361; -83.16389
Translator(s)HD2: 93.5 W228CJ (Detroit)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitewww.1051thebounce.com

WMGC-FM (105.1

Royal Oak Charter Township in Oakland County.[2]

History

Classical music as WQRS (1960–1997)

The station

signed on the air on March 6, 1960, owned by Fine Arts Broadcasters.[3] For nearly four decades, 105.1 was home to Detroit's commercial classical music station, WQRS. During its early years, WQRS was commercial-free and listener-supported, a precursor to NPR. Operated by volunteers headed by General Manager Richard Hughes, it had tiny studios at the top of the Maccabees Building near Wayne State University. It also featured folk, jazz
and other adult-appeal forms of music. Classical music was one of the most common formats on the fledgling FM dial during the 1950s and 1960s, but WQRS continued with fine-arts programming long after many other stations had dropped it.

Personalities such as Geri Brooks, Dave Wagner and Dick Wallace were well known to fans of fine music in the Motor City. Dave Wagner was noted for an irreverent sense of humor that might have fit just as well on a pop music radio station – regarded by fans as something different in a format often derided as "staid" or "stuffy". Voted "The Classiest Lady in Detroit" by the

Michigan Opera Theatre
.

Never a ratings powerhouse, WQRS nevertheless attracted a loyal audience of affluent adults, as was often the case with classical radio stations. WQRS was also the

motion pictures
.

The Edge/The Groove (1997–2001)

WQRS's classical format was on thin ice following a series of sales in the mid-1990s. Marlin Broadcasting sold the station to

urban contemporary WJLB-FM and urban AC WMXD) to Evergreen Media Corporation (which later was absorbed into AMFM, and was subsequently merged into Clear Channel Communications). Evergreen was now over FCC ownership limits in Detroit, forcing them to trade WQRS to Greater Media for $9.5 million and in exchange for WGAY-FM in Washington, D.C.

At 5 p.m. on November 21, 1997, the playing of "

CIMX (88.7) and WPLT (96.3), and "The Edge", although it sounded more "progressive" and "free-form" than the competition and did attract a loyal audience, was an overall failure in both ratings and revenue. The WQRS calls reappeared on two stations in 2006—WQRS in Salamanca, New York and an AM in Morgantown, West Virginia
.

Former WQRS personality Dick Wallace has surfaced at

WRCJ. Another former WQRS personality, Jack Goggin, is a fill-in host at WRCJ and has revived his popular "Film Classics" show (now heard Sunday nights). Geri Brooks died in April 2008 at the age of 78 in Carlsbad, California
.

On April 4, 1999, 105.1 abruptly pulled the plug on "The Edge" and switched to the fad format sweeping the nation at the time –

Orlando. Bill Gable, formerly of CKLW
, hosted The Groove morning show along with Mitzi Miles. Randi Myles (no relation to Mitzi) hosted middays and Doc Reno hosted the afternoon show. The station showed immediate ratings improvement and drew large crowds at Detroit concerts and events. Though the format was built around an uptempo combination of Detroit's musical heritage and "groovin' oldies," the station struggled to improve its ratings. After much research, it was determined that while the station was popular, it could not garner the ratings to win advertisers in large national buys. Other similarly formatted stations around the country shared the same issues and ultimately changed formats as well.

Magic 105.1/Soft Rock 105.1/Today's 105.1 (2001–2013)

adult contemporary format on 105.1 FM, under new call letters WMGC-FM. (The "Magic" format was first heard in Detroit on 94.7 FM as Magic 95, from 1976 to 1987.) The first song played on the new "Magic 105.1" was "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion.[8][9]

As an AC station, WMGC competed primarily against the Detroit market's AC mainstay, Clear Channel-owned WNIC. Fries continued as station PD, while noted AC consultant Gary Berkowitz consulted the station. Greater Media also hired Jim Harper, Linda Lanci and Cyndy Canty away from WNIC to host the station's morning show. WMGC stole listeners away from top-rated WNIC almost immediately, jumping to #1 in the Arbitron ratings.[10] The ratings battle between the two stations continued for 12 years.

Like rival WNIC, WMGC typically switched to an all Christmas music format in November and December of each year. In 2009, the station billed itself as "The New Home for the Holidays."[11]

In August 2011, WMGC modified its positioning statement from "Detroit's Best Variety of Yesterday & Today" to "Detroit's Only Variety..." under new Program Director Brian Figula, to reflect its status as Detroit's only remaining traditional adult contemporary station after competitor WNIC's switch to a more contemporary

hot AC
format as Fresh 100 in December 2010.

On October 28, 2011, WMGC-FM shifted to Christmas music. Unlike in years past, it dropped the "Magic" moniker and began referring to itself as "Christmas 105.1." On December 23, morning show host and longtime Detroit radio fixture Jim Harper retired.[12] On December 26, at Midnight, the station rebranded as "Soft Rock 105.1." The first song on "Soft Rock" was "Don't Stop Believin'" by Journey.[13][14]

In contrast to WNIC's "Fresh" presentation, "Soft Rock 105.1" was more gold-based and initially played few current songs. By July 2012, the station increased the number of current hits, although the station focused on more retro songs, cutting "Soft Rock" from its name and branding itself as just "105.1 FM." On August 10, 2012, at 5 p.m., it rebranded again, this time to "Today's 105.1" with the first song being "

Modern AC direction, while still playing select hits from 1975 to 1980. WNIC reverted to its former AC format in September 2012
. In response, WMGC re-added some songs from the 1970s.

Detroit Sports 105.1 (2013–2016)

On August 12, 2013, at 3 p.m., WMGC-FM dropped its AC format (

AM 1090 WCAR before that station affiliated with NBC Sports Radio just a few weeks prior.[16][17]

Local hosts on Detroit Sports 105.1 included former WRIF morning show co-host Drew Lane, as well as Matt Dery, Drew Sharp, Sean Baligian, Tom Mazawey, Marc Fellhauer, Ryan Ermanni, Rico Beard, Lindsey Hunter and Dave Shore.[18][19][20]

In April 2014, WMGC-FM announced a broadcast deal with the

Nielsen ratings report for the Detroit market, WMGC-FM held a 0.9 share, far behind competitor WXYT-FM
.

105.1 The Bounce (2016–present)

On June 29, 2016, at 6 p.m., WMGC-FM dropped the sports format and began

Rhythmic AC direction (the latter format was last heard in the market on WDTW-FM from 2009 to 2011).[26]

At Noon on July 1, WMGC-FM officially flipped to classic hip-hop, branded as "105.1 The Bounce." The first song on "The Bounce" was "The Real Slim Shady" by Detroit native Eminem.[27][28]

The station continued to be the flagship station of the Pistons for the 2016-17 NBA season in order to fulfill the last year of the station's three-year contract with the team. (Pistons basketball would then return to WXYT-FM beginning with the 2017–18 season.)[29] After the flip to "The Bounce", WMGC-FM jumped from a 0.7 to a 3.1 in the June/July 2016 Nielsen PPM ratings report, followed by an even higher jump to an 8.0 in the August 2016 ratings, going from one of the lowest-ranked stations in Detroit to the highest in a matter of just one month. After an initial buzz, the station has settled into the mid-3 shares in the Detroit market ratings.

On July 19, 2016, Beasley Media Group announced it would acquire Greater Media and its 21 stations (including WMGC-FM) for $240 million.[30] The FCC approved the sale on October 6, and the sale closed on November 1.[31]

HD Radio

WGRV/WMGC-FM was one of the first radio stations in the country to broadcast in HD Radio. Starting in 2000, a company called iBiquity installed one of the first HD transmitters on 105.1 to test and develop HD radio technology. Ease of collaboration with leaders in the auto industry may have been the reason for the test site in Detroit.

  • HD1 is a simulcast of the analog (traditional) signal.
  • HD2 broadcasts a tropical music format branded "Playa".[32]

Previously, the HD2 channel broadcast ESPN Radio programming, as well as "80's on 105.1 HD2" for 6 months after main station's switch to a sports/talk format. The 80's format was a carryover from the WMGC-FM's AC format and had been in place since early 2012 when WMGC-FM rebranded as "Soft Rock 105.1." Prior to that, WMGC's HD2 feed was known as "More Magic Radio" and featured a format of Soft AC hits, ballads, and pop standards. This was launched in August 2005.[33]

During the holiday season, when Christmas music would take over the main channel, the HD2 channel would assume the normal WMGC-FM format. It briefly continued with Christmas music after the main station would switch back to its normal AC format after December 25.

Since November 2023, the HD2 subchannel has aired a tropical music format branded as "Playa", which also broadcasts on translator W228CJ (93.5 FM).


References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WMGC-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WMGC-FM Radio Station Coverage Map". radio-locator.com.
  3. ^ "not found" (PDF).
  4. ^ "RR-1997-11-28" (PDF).
  5. ^ "105.1 WQRS flips from Classical to Modern Rock "The Edge"". November 21, 1997.
  6. ^ "Retuning: WXDG to Motown, Wyur to Classical". Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  7. ^ "RR-1999-04-09" (PDF).
  8. ^ "RR-2001-07-06" (PDF).
  9. ^ "The Groove Magically Changes". June 30, 2001.
  10. ^ "Harper Draws Listeners to His New Home". Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  11. ^ Kristen Jordan Shamus (November 15, 2009). "We may be rushing things, but we need a little Christmas now". Detroit Free Press.
  12. ^ "Jim Harper bids farewell to Detroit radio". Detroit Free Press. December 23, 2011. Archived from the original on January 10, 2012.
  13. ^ "Soft Rock 105.1 Comes To Detroit". December 26, 2011.
  14. ^ "WMGC Rebrands As Soft Rock 105.1". December 26, 2011.
  15. ^ "WMGC Detroit Relaunching Again". August 10, 2012.
  16. ^ "DETROIT SPORTS 105.1 TO LAUNCH ON MONDAY". August 12, 2013.
  17. ^ "WMGC Becomes Detroit Sports 105.1". August 12, 2013.
  18. ^ "Drew Lane Exits Detroit Sports 105.1". October 19, 2015.
  19. ^ "Detroit Sports 105.1 Goes Local In Mornings". February 11, 2016.
  20. ^ "Detroit Sports 105.1 Announces New Afternoon Show". March 21, 2016.
  21. ^ "Detroit Pistons on Radio".
  22. ^ "Detroit Sports 105.1 Drops Format; Begins Stunting". radioinsight.com. RadioBB Networks. June 29, 2016.
  23. ^ Paul, Tony (June 29, 2016). "105.1 FM dumps sports talk format after 3 years". The Detroit News.
  24. ^ "Detroit Sports 105.1 off the radio after nearly 3 years". Detroit Free Press. June 29, 2016.
  25. ^ Monarrez, Carlos (July 1, 2016). "How did Detroit Sports 105.1 fail in less than 3 years?". Detroit Free Press.
  26. ^ "Daily Domains 6/30: Lots Of Options Bouncing Around For 105.1 Detroit". June 30, 2016.
  27. ^ "105.1 The Bounce Brings Classic Hip-Hop To Detroit". July 2016.
  28. ^ "WMGC Becomes 105.1 The Bounce". July 1, 2016.
  29. ^ "TALKERS magazine - The Bible of Talk Radio and the New Talk Media". TALKERS magazine. January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  30. ^ "Beasley Acquires Greater Media". August 3, 2016.
  31. ^ "Beasley Closes On Greater Media Purchase; Makes Multiple Staff Moves". November 2016.
  32. ^ "Radio Guide for Detroit".
  33. ^ Tucker, Ken (January 19, 2006). "Greater Media, Emmis Unveil HD2 Strategies". Billboard. Retrieved January 19, 2016.

External links

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