WMXJ
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2014) |
| Broadcast area | South Florida |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.7 MHz(HD Radio) |
| Branding | 102.7 The Beach |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic Hits |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WAXY, WSFS, WLYF | |
| History | |
First air date | 1960 (as WRBD-FM) |
Former call signs | WRBD-FM (1960-1972) WCKO (1972-1985) |
Call sign meaning | MaJic (former branding) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 30840 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 98,000 watts |
| HAAT | 307 meters (1007 ft) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WMXJ (102.7 MHz, "102.7 The Beach") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Pompano Beach, Florida and serving the Miami media market. The station is owned by Entercom and airs a classic hits radio format. Its studios and offices are located on Northwest Second Avenue in Miami Gardens.[1] The transmitter is off Northwest 210th Street, also in Miami Gardens.[2]
WMXJ broadcasts in the HD Radio format.[3]
History
R&B and Disco
In 1960, the station signed on as WRBD-FM as a simulcast for AM 1470 WRBD (now WWNN), in Broward County. Because WRBD was a daytime only station, it used WRBD-FM to simulcast its R&B format around the clock. It later changed its call sign to WCKO-FM, ending the simulcast and airing a more FM sound but still keeping its urban contemporary format. In late 1977 WCKO changed its brand to K-102 and switched to an automated disco format.
Rock Format
In 1979 K-102 changed formats again, to a tight rotation of album-oriented rock hits with DJs Buddy Hollis, Bo Walker, Alan Michaels, Tom Stevens and Geoff Allen. By late 1980 K-102's audience share in South Florida had begun to rise, Zeta-4 (now WZTU) had slipped to the number three rock station in the market and was about to switch to a top 40/CHR format since WMJX 96X was losing its FCC license. At this time K-102 was calling itself "South Florida Hottest Rock"[citation needed]. In early 1982 K-102 began playing a new wave format and calling itself "K-102 Rock of the Eighties", which infringed on copyright owned by KROQ-FM at the time.[citation needed] In 1983 K-102 moved to a more mainstream rock format programmed by broadcaster Neil Mersky. This lasted until the station was sold.
Switch to Oldies
In early 1985, the station was purchased by Sconnix Broadcasting, and on March 7th of that year, WCKO changed call letters to WMXJ-FM, changing the format to adult contemporary as "Majic 102", and upgraded their signal, moving the station to the master antenna system serving South Florida, the result of another station moving from 92.1 to 92.3. In 1986, the station migrated to a full-time 1950s and 1960s oldies format and was commercially successful in the 25-54 demographic through 1991.
In 1994, the station was sold to Jefferson-Pilot Communications continuing the oldies format into 2006. At that point, the station slowly transitioned from oldies to its current classic hits format adopting the slogan "The Greatest Hits of the 60s and 70s" after Jefferson-Pilot's television and radio operations were acquired as a division of Lincoln National Corporation and renamed Lincoln Financial Media.
From 2012, Sam Zniber was program director with a steady growth led to a 5.1% share in December 2013 (from 2.8% in April 2012) in the Arbitron PPM ratings. results In late 2013, the station hired Ken Payne as Program Director.[4] The station's slogan transitioned from "The Greatest Hits of the 60s, 70s and 80s" to "Miami's Greatest Hits" to "The Greatest Hits of the 70s and 80s" beginning in early July 2013. The lineup included former midday host Mindy Lang and prior evening host Vance Phillips paired together in morning drive, Joe Johnson in middays, and DJ Holiday in the afternoons after Ron St. John had retired after forty years of broadcasting. The station stressed engagement both on the air and through station and community events. The station describes itself as a top 40 station aimed at adults, mainly playing hits from the 1970s and 1980s, with a small number of 1960s' singles.
Purchase by Entercom
On December 8, 2014, Entercom announced that it was purchasing Lincoln Financial Media's entire 15-station lineup (including WMXJ) in a $106.5 million deal, and would operate the outlets under a local marketing agreement (LMA) until the sale was approved by the FCC.[5] The sale was consummated on July 17, 2015.
On December 8, 2015, the entire air staff and management of WMXJ were told that they were being released, despite having placed sixth in the November 2015 Nielsen Audio PPMs. WMXJ then ran a mix of classic hits and Christmas music with no live DJs through the rest of the month. On January 1, 2016, at midnight, WMXJ rebranded as "102.7 The Beach", keeping the classic hits format, but taking a decidedly more 1980s-heavy approach. The last song on "Magic" was "The Tide Is High" by Blondie, while the first song on "The Beach" was "The Way You Make Me Feel" by Michael Jackson. "The Beach" currently features Kenny Walker, DJ Holiday and Jade Alexander.
Previous logos
File:WMXJ-FM Majic 102.7 Oldies Radio.gif File:WMXJhor4c.jpg File:Magic 102.7.png
References
- ^ http://www.thebeachmiami.com/connect/contact-us
- ^ http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=WMXJ-FM
- ^ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=12 HD Radio Guide for Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood
- ^ "Ken Payne Named PD At WMXJ/Miami". All Access Group. 9 December 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ^ "Entercom Acquires Lincoln Financial Media" from Radio Insight (December 8, 2014)
External links
- 102.7 The Beach Website
- Facility details for Facility ID WMXJ ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
