 | |
| Broadcast area | Central Florida /Orlando |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 107.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Magic 107.7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Subchannels |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| W283AN,WFLF,WJRR,WRSO,WRUM,WTKS-FM,WXXL,WYGM | |
| History | |
First air date | February 1966; 59 years ago (1966-02) (as WHIY) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Magic Florida" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 51981 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 484 meters (1,588 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 28°55′11″N81°19′07″W / 28.91975°N 81.3185°W /28.91975; -81.3185 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | FM/HD1:Listen Live HD2:Listen Live HD3Listen Live |
| Website | FM/HD1:magic107 HD2:wloqradio HD3:wflaorlando |
WMGF (107.7FM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toMount Dora, and servingOrlando andCentral Florida. It is owned byiHeartMedia and airs anadult contemporaryradio format, switching to aChristmas music for much of November and December. Its offices and studios are on Maitland Center Parkway inMaitland.
WMGF broadcasts with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 98,000watts from atransmitter on Miller Road inOrange City, Florida. The station can be heard as far asJacksonville to the north, as far asSebastian to the south, and is one of the few Orlando stations that coversOcala and parts ofGainesville.[2] WMGF broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Onedigital subchannel airssmooth jazz, informally using thecall sign of a past Orlando jazz station,WLOQ. Another subchannel rebroadcasts thetalk radio programming of co-ownedWFLF540 AM.
In February 1966, the station firstsigned on as WHIY, powered at 28,000 watts and owned by the Orlando Radio & TV Company.[3] In 1969, Orlando Radio & TV bought WORL Orlando (nowWIWA inEatonville), operating the two stations together from offices and studios in Orlando. In the early 1970s, 107.7 began airing aTop 40 format, switching to thecall letters WORJ, standing for "Orange," a major crop in Central Florida.[4] By the late 70s, the station had switched to analbum rock format, calling itself "Zeta 7."
In 1978, Sudbrink Broadcasting bought the station. In 1981, the call letters switched to WJYO, airing asoft adult contemporary format asJoy 108.[5] (The WJYO call sign is now used on aChristian radio station inFort Myers, Florida at 91.5 FM.) In 1987, the station was bought by Metroplex Communications of Orlando. In September 1990, Metroplex changed the call sign to WMGF, calling the stationMagic 107.7. In 1993, Paxson Communications, owned by Florida millionaireBud Paxson, bought the station for $5.6 million, coupled with WWZN (nowWPRD).[6]
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In 1997, Clear Channel Communications, a forerunner of iHeartMedia, acquired the station, continuing its soft AC format.[7] In 2000, it became one of Clear Channel's first stations to test theall-Christmas format it had successfully built inPhoenix, Arizona; WMGF adopted the format November 24, 2000, a year ahead of the format's national launch.[8][9]
On January 25, 2008, it was announced that WMGF would be one of several Clear Channel radio stations to be sold, in order to remain underFederal Communications Commission ownership caps following the sale of Clear Channel to private investors. Those stations would be placed into theAloha Station Trust. But those plans changed and WMGF remains under iHeart ownership.
WMGF was, for a time, anaffiliate of theDelilah After Dark andJohn Teshsyndicated radio shows. Both were dropped in fall2010. Nights and weekends, the station adoptedClear Channel's Premium Choice music service. The station'splaylist was coordinated with the national Premium Choice playlist around the clock, which gave the station a more uptempo sound. Around Fall2011, the station had its playlist return to local programming.
By March2012, the station was placed on the Mediabase add board. When Clear Channel had another round of lay-offs in Fall 2012, the station'sprogram director was let go. In 2013, a new PD was hired who organized a playlist of softer70s,80s, and90s hits. By July2014, the station changed its slogan to "More Variety from the 80s to Now." With the new handle, the station eliminated 1970s music, moving to a playlist of 80s, 90s and 2000's music. From 2017 to 2020, WMGF played 80s music every Friday from 5 to 10 p.m. Since then, the station rotates playing a different decade of 80s, 90s, and totally 2000's music every weekend.
Weekday mornings, WMGF features the "Magic Morning Show" hosted by Chad Pitt and Leslye Gale. Gale co-hosted with John Forsythe from 2010 to 2018, when Forsythe retired after a 50-year career in radio. Outside of key hours on weekdays, the station is mostlyvoice-tracked.
Although not a Christian music station, WJYO produced a syndicated program on Sunday mornings called "Glory of Joy", which airedcontemporary Christian music. The program continued after the switch to WMGF. Another former weekend staple on WMGF isAmerican Top 40: The 80s distributed byPremiere Networks, asubsidiary of iHeartMedia (the program eventually moved toWOCL-FM in the 2010s).
WMGF is licensed for HD Radio operations and carries Broadcast Architecture'sSmooth Jazz network programming on its HD2 subchannel. In August 2011, the HD2 subchannel began simulcasting on an FMtranslator at 102.5 MHz. The translator,W273CA, was leased by Clear Channel, calling itself "102.5 WLOQ," although those call letters were not officially assigned to the station. The translator restored the smooth jazz format for analog radio listeners in the immediate Orlando area several weeks after the original 103.1 WLOQ dropped the format in favor of Spanishtropical music as WHKQ (nowWFYY). W273CA's area of strongest coverage includes the western suburbs of Orlando, includingWinter Garden,Pine Hills,Ocoee, andClermont.
The simulcast on 102.5 FM ended on February 12, 2014, when W273CA flipped to a simulcast of co-ownedtalk radio stationWFLF. Smooth Jazz WLOQ continues as the HD2 channel of 107.7 and on theiHeartRadio streaming service on line, although it is no longer available on conventional radios in Orlando.
WMGF's HD3 subchannel rebroadcasts thetalk radio programming of co-ownedWFLF540 AM.
