WMMJ
Urban oldies–AC | |
Subchannels | HD3: Urban talk (WOL) |
---|---|
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
WDCJ, WKYS, WOL, WPRS-FM, WYCB | |
History | |
First air date | November 12, 1961 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Majic" |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 54712 |
Class | A |
ERP | 2,900 watts |
HAAT | 146 meters (479 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 38°56′10″N 77°05′31″W / 38.93621°N 77.09208°W |
Repeater(s) | 92.7 WDCJ (Prince Frederick) |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen live |
Website | mymajicdc |
WMMJ (102.3
WMMJ simulcasts on WDCJ (92.7 FM, Prince Frederick, Maryland) for the southeastern counties of the Washington metro.[2]
WMMJ broadcasts in the HD format.[3]
WHFS (1961–1983)
On March 20, 1960, High Fidelity Broadcasters, Inc., applied to the
WTKS (1983–1987)
With WHFS having moved to 99.1, the 102.3 frequency went silent before emerging as WTKS, which was originally announced as a talk outlet to complement Outlet-owned WTOP (1500 AM) and one of just two talk stations in Greater Washington.[6] However, in a surprise move, WTKS debuted on September 23 as an easy listening station using syndicated music from Carson Radio Services of Providence, Rhode Island; one source told Billboard that Outlet sought the call sign WRLX ("Relax") for the station.[7] However, the new call sign did not come to pass. A 1984 profile of the Washington radio market in Billboard explained that WTKS had been kept since it appeared next to WTOP in the ratings books, while the stations had been unable to co-locate because WTKS was licensed to Bethesda, not Washington.[8]
In December 1984, the Carson music format was dropped for the
WMMJ
In January 1987, to match its Magic moniker, the station changed its call sign to WMMJ, remaining an adult contemporary outlet.
On February 27, 1989, WMMJ flipped from adult contemporary to an
In 2000, WMMJ acquired the syndication rights of the Tom Joyner Morning Show from rival WHUR-FM. The move of Joyner to WMMJ vaulted it into the top ten in Washington;[17] interest was so great that the station had to hire three switchboard operators.[18] By 2003, WMMJ was the top-rated radio station in the market.[19] In the summer of 2008, it also became home to Mo'Nique in the afternoon until March 18, 2009, when Mo'Nique decided leave to "further her career in television, film, and comedy".
On June 23, 2010, WMMJ's live airstaff were let go in a surprise shakeup, despite the station posting its best numbers in the Washington Arbitrons. The shakeup began in April 2010, when its GM and PD were let go.[20] WMMJ hired former WHUR morning man John Monds to be the new afternoon drive personality from 3 to 7 PM and Courtney Hicks as the new midday personality from 10 AM to 3 PM. Michel Wright has since replaced Courtney Hicks in Middays, and Adimu replaced John Monds in afternoon drive, and finally Donnie Simpson replaced Adimu, all formerly of WPGC (except John Monds). Monds was moved into the 7P.M.-midnight timeslot.
Since the airstaff change, the playlist has been steadily leaning toward a
On August 3, 2015, WMMJ announced their new slogan as The Real Sound of the DMV, and also made a surprise announcement that Donnie Simpson will return to the airwaves after retiring from his morning show on WPGC-FM in January 2010. The Donnie Simpson Show returned on August 17, 2015, and airs Monday thru Friday from 3-7P.M. (ET). In January 2016, Russ Parr moved over from sister station WKYS to WMMJ to replace Tom Joyner after 17 years on the station.
To bolster coverage in the southern and eastern portions of the Washington market, Radio One purchased WWXT (now WDCJ) from Red Zebra Broadcasting. WDCJ began simulcasting WMMJ on May 1, 2017.[2][21]
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WMMJ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b "Majic Expands, Can Now Be Heard on 102.3 and 92.7 FM". 1 May 2017.
- ^ http://hdradio.com/dc HD Radio Guide for Washington D.C.
- ^ "History Cards for WHFS". Federal Communications Commission.
- ProQuest 962773440.
- ProQuest 1014703166.
- ProQuest 1286381602.
- ProQuest 1286430178.
- ProQuest 138158088.
- ProQuest 138612030.
- ProQuest 139247849.
- ProQuest 139250781.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ProQuest 1017203203.
- ProQuest 140059428.
- ProQuest 139994661.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Radio One's "Majic" WMMJ (102.3) Washington D.C. Cleans House". Radio-Info.com. 23 June 2010.
- ^ Venta, Lance (20 April 2017). "Radio One Acquires Red Zebra Pair In DC & Richmond; WMMJ To Add Simulcast - RadioInsight". RadioInsight.
External links
- Official website
- WMMJ in the FCC FM station database
- WMMJ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database