WTMX
| File:101.9 The Mix (WTMX) (logo).png | |
| Broadcast area | Chicago metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 101.9 MHz (HD Radio) 101.9-HD2 FM Smooth Jazz "The Groove 103.9" |
| Branding | The Mix |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult Top 40 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WDRV, WWDV, WSHE-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | August 18, 1961 (as WRSV) |
Former call signs | WRSV (1961-1970) WCLR (1970-2/21/1989[1] |
Call sign meaning | W The MiX |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 6377 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 4,200 watts |
| HAAT | 476 meters (1,562 ft) |
| Translator(s) | 103.9 W280EM (Chicago, relays HD2) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wtmx.com |
_(logo).png){kind=link}
WTMX (101.9 FM "The Mix") is an Adult Top 40 radio station licensed to Skokie, IL in the Chicago market. It is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting. WTMX has studios at One Prudential Plaza and its transmitter co-located atop Willis Tower (the former Sears Tower).
WTMX broadcasts in the HD digital hybrid format.[2]
History
The station currently known as WTMX began as WCLR in December 1970; prior to that, its call sign was WRSV (for Radio Skokie Valley). The station ran a "beautiful music" format for years. The station played easy listening renditions of pop standards/other songs along with a few vocalists and AC artists. The station dropped the instrumentals in the late 1970s and became a very Soft AC station still known as MOR playing a blend of easy listening vocals and soft pop songs from the 1950s to 1970s.
The 1980s
By the early 1980s, the station evolved to a straight-ahead AC format with studios located at 8833 Gross Point Road in Skokie, Illinois. WCLR was "Chicago's Lite Rock" from about 1982 until 1989. The station was best known for its soft rock starsets in the 1980s and their Saturday night all-request oldies program.
In 1989, WCLR moved to a hot AC format, changed its call letters to WTMX, and became known as "The Mix". By 1995, WTMX had moved its studios to the Prudential Building in downtown Chicago and began leaning more toward modern rock. By 1996, the format was modern AC, basically modern rock without any hard rock. They played more female vocalists and 1980s music than most modern rock stations and were hot AC in tempo and presentation.
The 1990s and the debut of the Eric & Kathy Morning Show
In September 1996, The Mix debuted the "Eric & Kathy Morning Show" fronted by Chicago natives Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart. They have boasted strong listenership among advertiser-coveted 25-to-54-year-old females for most of their tenure at the station. The key to the success of this entertainment based, lifestyle driven show has been its ability to keep the content edgy enough to engage grownups. On any given week, The Eric & Kathy Show will feature interviews with top Hollywood celebrities, including Josh Duhamel, Melissa McCarthy, Will Ferrell, Maria Menounos, Jenny McCarthy, Jeff Garlin and others. In addition to celebrated guests, the show has played host to live performances from platinum selling, chart topping artists like Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Bruno Mars, Bon Jovi, Kelly Clarkson, Train and others.
The 2000s
In 2006, WTMX evolved toward an Adult Top 40 format with the addition of pop-crossover music by artists such as Rihanna, Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, while still retaining many of the modern AC artists they have been playing since 1996.
On January 19, 2011 Bonneville International announced the sale of WTMX, as well as 16 other stations, to Hubbard Broadcasting [3] The sale was completed on April 29, 2011.[4]
On-air staff
WTMX's current weekday airstaff includes: Eric Ferguson and Kathy Hart (mornings), Lisa Allen (middays), Koz (afternoons), TBA (evenings), and Mike Roberts (overnights).
References
- ^ "Call Sign History (WTMX)". Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ^ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=25 HD Radio Guide for Chicago
- ^ "$505M sale: Bonneville sells Chicago, D.C., St. Louis and Cincinnati to Hubbard". Radio-Info.com. January 19, 2011. Retrieved January 19, 2011.
- ^ "Hubbard deal to purchase Bonneville stations closes". Radio Ink. May 2, 2011. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
External links
- Official website
- The Mix's Eric Ferguson co-hosts "Live! With Regis & Kelly, Chicago Sun-Times, January 27, 2011
- Chicago's celebrity dads dish on fatherhood - 101.9fm THE MIX's Eric Ferguson, Chicago Parent, May 24, 2010
- WTMX in the FCC FM station database
- WTMX in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- W280EM in the FCC FM station database
- W280EM at FCCdata.org