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| Broadcast area | |
| Frequency | 92.9MHz |
| Branding | Magic 93 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Affiliations | Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WBHT,WBSX,WSJR/WBHD | |
| History | |
First air date | 1946; 79 years ago (1946) (as WYZZ) |
Former call signs | WYZZ (1946–1985) |
Call sign meaning | "Magic" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 70880 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 5,300watts |
| HAAT | 422 meters (1,385 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°10′56.3″N75°52′20.7″W / 41.182306°N 75.872417°W /41.182306; -75.872417 (WMGS) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WMGS (92.9FM, "Magic 93") is acommercial radio station inWilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. It is owned byCumulus Media, through licensee Radio License Holding CBC, LLC. It broadcasts anadult contemporary radio format, switching toChristmas music for part of November and December. The studios and offices are on Baltimore Drive in Wilkes-Barre.
WMGS is aClass B station with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 5,400 watts.[2] Thetransmittertower is atopPenobscot Knob nearMountain Top, Pennsylvania, at (41°10′56.3″N75°52′20.7″W / 41.182306°N 75.872417°W /41.182306; -75.872417).[3]
The stationsigned on the air in 1946 as the first FM station inNortheast Pennsylvania.[4] (WKRZ, then WBRE-FM, got its start in 1947 andWGGY, then WGBI-FM, in 1948.) The originalcall sign on 92.9 was WIZZ, but those call letters switched to WYZZ a short time later. It was owned by Dick Evans, Sr., with the license held by the Scranton--Wilkes-Barre--Pittston Broadcasting Company. The studios were at 225 South Main Street in Wilkes-Barre.
By the 1960s, the station was known as "Whiz Radio". It had a broad basedadult standards format, playing music from the 1930s, 1940s, early 1950s, along withmiddle of the road (MOR) titles and limited amounts ofsoft adult contemporary hits from the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Core artists includedFrank Sinatra,Barbra Streisand,Neil Diamond,Peggy Lee,Nat "King" Cole,Ray Charles,Harry James,Ella Fitzgerald, softerElvis Presley,Tony Bennett,Tommy Dorsey,Lettermen,Doris Day,Carpenters,Jack Jones,Kay Starr andFrankie Laine. The station aired this format from Monday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m., 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and from midnight to 6 a.m.It switched toclassical music Monday through Saturday 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. to midnight. On Sundays, there was specialty programming such as aPolka music show,Irish music program and aBig Band show.
WYZZ was the sixth FM station in the United States to broadcast inFM stereo. During the 1960s it was also one of the first stations to broadcast live stereo remotes, the Wyoming Valley Oratorio Society and the Northeast Pennsylvania Philharmonic. If the station did not broadcast the local classical organizations live, they recorded them and played them back at a future date. WYZZ was an experimental testing ground for several developments in the art of FM radio. WYZZ was put on the air with the assistance of MajorEdwin Armstrong, a pioneer in developing FM radio. The station was part of his FM network. One of the firstvertically polarized antennas was installed there along with a transit radio service and multiplex subcarriers. In later years, the stations experimented withDolby noise reduction andquadraphonic stereo broadcasting. During its classical programming, it turned off all processing, instead using competent board operators to ride gain.
In 1972, duringHurricane Agnes, WYZZ was the only Northeast Pennsylvania radio station to remain on the air and deliver vital information to the public, thanks to having its own generators and microwave STL, with both its studio and transmitter located high out of the flood area.
The station was sold toSusquehanna Broadcasting the spring of 1985. The sale only included the transmitter and license. The building, music library, and licensing rights to the "Whiz Radio" unit were retained by Dick Evans Sr. The station wentsilent at 11:59 p.m. on March 12, 1985, as the ownership changed.
WMGSMagic 93 debuted the next morning on March 12 at 6 a.m. It began playingadult contemporary music. Core artists includedBilly Joel,Madonna,The Beatles,Carly Simon,Hall and Oates,Carole King,James Taylor,Phil Collins,Stevie Wonder,Kenny Loggins,Elton John andDiana Ross &The Supremes. The station played a mix of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s titles with a few current songs each hour. In the 1990s artists likeMariah Carey,Hootie & The Blowfish,Janet Jackson,Lionel Richie,Celine Dion andSheryl Crow were added. The station targeted adult women, especially at work.
In 1997, WMGS, andsister stationWARM were sold toCitadel Broadcasting. Magic 93's AC format continued, though the station updated itsplaylist to titles from 1980 to the current day, with an occasional 1970s hit. Citadel merged withCumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[5]