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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | |
| Frequency | 105.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Majic 105.7 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Classic hits |
| Subchannels | HD2: K-Love Eras |
| Affiliations | iHeartRadio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | December 6, 1948 (76 years ago) (1948-12-06) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Stands for "magic" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 73268 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 16,000 watts |
| HAAT | 344 meters (1,129 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°23′2.00″N81°41′44.00″W / 41.3838889°N 81.6955556°W /41.3838889; -81.6955556 |
| Translator | HD2: 103.7 W279BT (Cleveland) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | wmji |
WMJI (105.7FM) is a commercialradio station licensed toCleveland, Ohio, featuring aclassic hits format dubbed "Majic 105.7". Owned byiHeartMedia, the station servesGreater Cleveland and much of the surroundingNortheast Ohio. WMJI's studios are located indowntown Cleveland'sGateway District at theSix Six Eight Building, while the transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb ofParma. In addition to a standardanalog transmission, WMJI broadcasts over twoHD Radio channels and is also available online viaiHeartRadio.[2]
On December 6, 1948, the station signed on as WTAM-FM, under the ownership ofNBC and largely simulcastWTAM (1100 AM). Both radio stations were also paired with WNBK-TV (laterWKYC-TV), which signed on that same year. NBC traded its radio and television holdings in Cleveland withWestinghouse Broadcasting's stations inPhiladelphia on February 13, 1956.[3] Westinghouse installed its own call signs on the stations, with WTAM-FM becoming KYW-FM.[4] The AM station became KYW and the TV station became KYW-TV.
When the NBC-Westinghouse trade was reversed on June 19, 1965, the station reverted to NBC ownership. The call letters were changed to WKYC-FM to match those of the AM station, which kept the popular "KY" slogan and identity Westinghouse brought into Cleveland.[5][6] WKYC-FM played similarmiddle of the road (MOR) music to WKYC, but for part of the day, it used its own disc jockeys and had less chatter than theAM station.
NBC eventually sold off WKYC and WKYC-FM in 1972 to Ohio Communications, owned byNick Mileti and Jim and Tom Embrescia.[7] The station became WWWM, and initially broadcast a syndicatedbeautiful music format.
In 1975, the format was changed toalbum-oriented rock and the station identified itself as "M-105". The station used the slogan "The Home of Continuous Music" and was led by formerWIXY program director Eric Stevens. M-105 competed aggressively with rock station rivalWMMS for ratings by programming a more limited playlist. Never able to eclipse WMMS in the ratings, by 1980 M-105 began billing itself as "Cleveland'sClassic rock", playing a mix of rock music from the mid-1960s to the late 1970s, with a few current rock titles from veteran artists on itsplaylist.[8][9]
WWWM and WBBG were sold to Robinson Communications, headed by famed jeweler Larry "J.B." Robinson, in 1981. The station changed to anadult contemporary format as WMJI on June 14, 1982, branded as "Majic Radio".[10][11][12] The station was sold toJacor Communications of Cincinnati along with AM stationWBBG on September 19, 1984.
John Lanigan began his long-running morning show with formerWHK newscaster John Webster on September 17, 1985, returning to Cleveland after a brief stint atWMGG inTampa, Florida. He replaced husband-and-wife team Dan Deely and Kim Scott after they resigned, citing that the job had put strains on their marriage.
When co-owned WBBG (1260 AM) dumped itsadult standards format on October 29, 1987, it simulcast WMJI's programming for a time - and took the WMJI call letters - until it was sold off. Therefore, 105.7 FM technically was WMJI-FM for several months in 1988. When WBBG became WRDZ with aChristian radio format, the FM station returned to the WMJI call letters without the FMsuffix. In 1988, Jacor Communications entered alocal marketing agreement (LMA) with Legacy Broadcasting, headed by former Malrite executive Carl Hirsch. Legacy took over the running of WMJI and bought the station outright in 1990.
By September 1990, the station adjusted the format tooldies, featuring much of the music made famous by Top 40 legendsWHK andWIXY.[13] WHK, which dropped the rock and roll format in the mid-1960s, had re-established itself as an oldies station in the 1980s, but had dropped that format by November 1988. Ironically, WIXY was the former identity of its previous sister station, WBBG, and held the same studio space that WIXY once did. In addition, much of WMJI's music library already consisted of former WIXY tapes and jingles.
John Gorman, former program director of legendary Cleveland rock stationWMMS, was brought in to redesign WMJI as a 100% rock oldies format, with no pop or dance hits.[14] Under his guidance, the station immediately posted major ratings increases and became one of the top performing stations in Cleveland. Gorman also reunited with former WMMS artist and co-creator of the station's "Buzzard" mascot, David Helton, to create a new logo, which was featured in early print ads and billboards for WMJI. Gorman chose the "Majic 105.7" font as a tribute to the 1967-era logo for Boston'sWRKO (680 AM), which, under the direction of Program Director Mel Phillips, was an influence on Gorman's programming.
WMJI owner Legacy Broadcasting was later renamed OmniAmerica in 1994 and sold the station toNationwide Communications in 1997. By then, WMJI had established consistent ratings dominance in the Cleveland market under Program Director Denny Sanders, a market veteran who replaced John Gorman. (Gorman relocated toCBS Radio in Detroit). WMJI was led by its highly rated morning show featuring Lanigan, Webster, and local comedian Jimmy Malone. Webster left the station amid a health scare in 1997, while the "Lanigan & Malone Show" remained intact until Lanigan's retirement on March 31, 2014. During the period when Lanigan and Malone hosted mornings, WMJI achieved the highest total weekly listenership of any Cleveland radio station in the decade of the 1990s, winning theNational Association of Broadcasters "Large Market Station of the Year" honor in 1998. It later became the FMflagship station forCleveland Brownsfootball broadcasts from 1999 to 2001.[15]
The popularity of WMJI in the late 1990s allowed Clear Channel to "franchise" WMJI's format and "Majic" nickname on several FM oldies stations and one AM station, mostly in the Midwest. These stations included, at its height:WYNT inMarion,WIMJ inFindlay,WMJK inSandusky,WZOM inDefiance (then also branded as "Majic 105.7"),WMKJ inLouisville andWKEQ inSomerset, Kentucky.
Of those stations, onlyWYNT still uses the "Majic" name and shares a similar logo to WMJI, although the station switched toadult contemporary music. Early in November 2006,WTHZ-FM inLexington, North Carolina, a station owned by "Davidson County Broadcasting", changed formats to "Majic 94.1" - replete with a similar logo to WMJI's. This continued until March 2010, when the station changed formats.
On July 30, 2022, the station was branded as "Elton 105.7" from noon to midnight, only playingElton John songs during hisFarewell Yellow Brick Road tour when he performed in Cleveland that night.[16]
In August 1998, Nationwide Communications merged operations with Jacor, reuniting WMJI with its former owner (and also was paired up withWTAM again, bringing the two stations' original relationship full circle). This was followed in May 1999 by the $6.5 billion purchase of Jacor and its 454 stations byiHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications), including WMJI. Denny Sanders departed WMJI in 2001 to join the management team atThe Telos Alliance, a Cleveland-based international broadcast equipment design company.
Under the oldies format, WMJI has been recognized at theNAB Marconi Radio Awards. The station has been named Large Market Station of the Year twice (1998, 2003), and three times as Oldies Station of the Year (2002, 2004, 2006). Longtime morning teamJohn Lanigan andJimmy Malone were also named Large Market Personality of the Year in 2005.[17]
WMJI's lineup features longtime WMJI personality Mark Nolan and Jen Picciano in mornings,[18]Martha Quinn's nationally syndicated show on middays (from iHeart), and local host Keith Kennedy overnight.[19] The station also airsPremium Choice content fed from outside of Cleveland during weekday afternoons, evenings, and weekend shifts.[20]Christmas music is played on WMJI throughout theholiday season.[21] WMJI previously airedCasey Kasem's American Top 40: The 70s and 80s from early 2009 through May 2021. The HD2 subchannel previously aired iHeart 50s until August 2019. The HD2digital subchannel was soon reactivated in August 2021 and began airingK-Love programming.[22] In February 2025, as a result ofWFHM-FM flipping to the K-Love radio network, WMJI-HD2 stopped airing the network, which has since been replaced with K-Love 2000s.
WMJI's HD2 subchannel broadcasts K-Love'scontemporary Christian music network, K-Love Eras, via low-power translator W279BT (103.7 FM).
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W279BT | 103.7 FM | Cleveland, Ohio | 153187 | 250 | 184.33 m (605 ft) | D | LMS |
Clear Channel... is rolling out Premium Choice, a menu of national formats chosen by headquarters. There is no local programming on Premium Choice stations except for commercials...
The Cleveland Clear Channel stations using the Premium Choice programming package are WAKS, WGAR, WMJI, and WMMS. Each station uses it overnight on weekdays, and for selected hours on weekends.
