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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Delaware Valley |
| Frequency | 102.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 102-9 MGK |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Subchannels | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBEN-FM,WMMR,WPEN,WTEL,WTMR,WWDB,WXTU | |
| History | |
First air date | 1941; 84 years ago (1941) |
Former call signs |
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Former frequencies |
|
Call sign meaning | "Magic" (Magic was the name of a former adult contemporary format) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 25094 |
| Class | B |
| ERP |
|
| HAAT | 350 meters (1,150 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°2′21.4″N75°14′11.6″W / 40.039278°N 75.236556°W /40.039278; -75.236556 (WMGK) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | wmgk |
WMGK (102.9FM, "102-9 MGK") is acommercialFM radio station licensed to servePhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned byBeasley Broadcast Group and broadcasts aclassic rockradio format. The broadcast tower used by the station is located in theRoxborough section of Philadelphia.[3] The station's studios are inBala Cynywd. The station features Philadelphia radio personalities Andre Gardner, Matt Cord, Eric Johnson, and Tony Harris.
On November 26, 1940, theFederal Communications Commission granted WCAU Broadcasting Company a construction permit for a new FM station on 46.7 MHz on the original 42–50 MHz FM broadcast band with the W67PHcall sign. The construction permit was modified on January 28, 1941, when the FCC reallocated the station to 46.9 MHz with a corresponding call sign change to W69PH.
On November 24, 1941, the FCC granted the station authority to begin broadcasting and granted its first license on November 18, 1942.[4]
On November 1, 1943, the station was assigned the WCAU-FM call sign.[4] After the FCC created the current FM broadcast band on June 27, 1945,[5] the commission granted WCAU Broadcasting the authority to begin operating the station on 102.7 MHz on December 17, 1945.[4]
The FCC granted a voluntarily reassignment of the station's license to Philadelphia Record Company on October 17, 1946. On June 27, 1947, the FCC reallocated the station to 102.9 MHz, followed by another voluntary reassignment of the station's license on November 28, 1947, to William Penn Broadcasting Company. This reassignment was effective on December 18, 1947, at which time the station's call sign was changed to WPEN-FM. The new owners filed an application for a construction permit to move the station to 102.9 MHz on July 12, 1948. A new license for operation on the new frequency was granted by the FCC on August 17, 1950.[4]
WPEN-FM was one of the first two FM stations to be licensed forSCA (subcarrier) service. The station filed an application for the SCA on October 12, 1955, with the FCC granting the authorization on July 1, 1956.[4] Subcarriers could be used to send special programming to subscribers, such as background music for stores and restaurants.
From its founding until the 1960s, WPEN-FM mostlysimulcast 950 WPEN. In 1966, when the FCC no longer allowed most FM stations to simulcast their AM counterparts full-time, WPEN-FM carried amiddle-of-the-road format, similar to the AM station, but with fewer interruptions and with mostly pre-recorded DJ comments.[6] Some hours were still simulcast.
On October 16, 1974, the station's license was voluntarily transferred by the FCC to Greater Philadelphia Radio, Inc., a subsidiary ofGreater Media,[7] with an effective date of January 6, 1975. On September 2, 1975, the station's call sign was changed to WMGK.[4] The station adopted asoft rock format and changed its slogan to "Magic Music" with theMagic 103 branding. The first song aired under the new call sign was "Could It Be Magic" byBarry Manilow. The music onMagic 103 was mostly album cuts from singer-songwriters of the 1960s and early 1970s, presented in four-song blocks with minimal talk. The station did not play artists primarily found on theTop 40, such asThe Carpenters orAnne Murray. Theplaylist was made up of softer songs heard onalbum rock stations, from artists such asElton John,Carole King,Billy Joel, andCarly Simon. The format was quite successful, with Greater Media putting "Magic Music" on its other FM stations, along with call letters referring to "Magic",WMJC inDetroit,WMJX inBoston andWMGQ inNew Brunswick, New Jersey.
On December 22, 1976, the FCC granted Greater Philadelphia Radio, Inc. a construction permit to relocate the station's transmitter and antenna to theRoxborough section of Philadelphia. The station's license was renewed by the FCC with the new facilities on July 12, 1978.[4]
Over time, WMGK began to lose listeners toWUSL, known as "US 1". WUSL had switched fromeasy listening to a soft vocal format similar to WMGK, but with a shorter playlist of more familiar songs. Eventually, WMGK responded with an even tighter playlist, moving from soft rock to asoft adult contemporary format and rebounded past WUSL in the ratings. The station was programmed by the late Dave Klahr and signed on by its first midday host Pete Booker, who later programmed Greater Media sister station WMJC in Detroit, and who recently retired as CEO of theDelmarva Broadcasting Company.
In the mid 1980s, Magic 103 leaned soft, but played several uptempo songs an hour, along with more current product. In the spring of 1986, WMGK started a contemporary jazz show calledSunday Morning Jazz, later renamedSunday Evening Jazz in early 1987. The show was hosted by WMGK's then Program Director, Bob Craig and ended in October 1988 when Craig left the radio station. Craig returned in the spring of 1990, and again hosted a contemporary jazz show, this one running on both Saturday and Sunday nights from 7 p.m. to midnight. Along with the jazz, some soft rock songs were mixed in as well. The show lasted one year and ended in the early summer of 1991. Eventually, Philadelphia obtained its first full-timesmooth jazz station in 1993, 106.1WJJZ, which made its debut two years after WMGK's contemporary jazz show had ended.
WUSL, the chief rival to WMGK, switched tocountry music in 1981. In 1989, WEAZ, an easy listening outlet known as "Easy 101", made the transition to soft AC, and in 1993, changed its call sign toWBEB, calling itself "B-101". Easy 101 had a large number of listeners, and most of them stayed with the station when it became B-101, causing WMGK to slip in the ratings. In addition,WSNI was also playing adult contemporary music, giving Philadelphia three stations in the AC format.[8]
On July 11, 1994, WMGK dropped the long time AC format and changed it to an all-1970s format. The 1970s hits includedclassic rock,soft rock,disco andR&B.[9] By 1995, the station added a few big 1960s and 1980s hits, and no longer used the term "Magic". By the Fall of 1995, WMGK played mostly classic rock with some rock-friendlyclassic hits thrown in, but not much of the harder material.
In 1997, Greater Media acquired two more Philadelphia FM stations,album rockWMMR andmodern ACWXXM.[10] WMGK continued to position itself as a Classic Hits station. But whenWYSP changed its format from classic rock tomodern rock, WMGK began to describe itself as classic rock, eliminated non-rock 1970s songs altogether. Still, with rocker WMMR in the cluster, playing plenty of harder-edged classics, WMGK leaned softer than most classic rock stations.
On November 17, 2006, at 6 p.m., formerNew Jersey–based classic rock stationWTHK became "The New Smooth Jazz 97.5 WJJZ". With WTHK no longer airing classic rock, WMGK became the Philadelphia region's only classic rock station. The station on 97.5 is now co-owned with WMGK and carries asports radio format asWPEN-FM, which was once WMGK's call sign.
OnApril Fools' Day in 2015, WMGK briefly reverted to its previous adult contemporary/soft rock music format during DJ Andre Gardner program. Gardner announced WMGK "Magic 103" and played the old Magicjingles. The prank ended when a listener called in to the station to complain about the loss of classic rock.
On July 19, 2016,Beasley Media Group announced it would acquire Greater Media and its 21 stations (including WMGK) for $240 million.[11] The FCC approved the sale on October 6, and the sale closed on November 1.[12]
WMGK had three major competitors in Philadelphia. On August 25, 2008, WYSP switched fromactive rock to classic rock, with a harder sound than that of WMGK. On September 2, 2011, WYSP switched toSports Radio asWIP-FM. WFKB107.5 Frank FM,licensed to serveBoyertown, Pennsylvania, competed with WMGK in Philadelphia's northern and western suburbs and in theLehigh Valley. On March 30, 2009, WFKB switched toChristian programming and becameWBYN-FM. Currently, listeners in the northern suburbs of Philadelphia can receiveWODE-FM99.9 The Hawk, licensed to serveEaston, Pennsylvania, and primarily focused on theLehigh Valley.
In early 2006, WMGK launched a digitalHD2 subchannel with its "WMGK Deep Trax" format. It features "classic rock nuggets and 'oh wow' songs that may be a bit outside the radio norm".[13] The format has since been switched tooldies.
WMGK is short-spaced to two otherClass B stations:
WNEW-FMNEW 102.7 (licensed to serve New York City) andWQSR102.7 Jack FM (licensed to serveBaltimore, Maryland) both operate on 102.7 MHz, a first adjacent channel to WMGK. The distance between WMGK's transmitter and WNEW-FM's transmitter is 82 miles, while the distance between WMGK's transmitter and WQSR's transmitter is 92 miles, as determined by FCC rules.[14] The minimum distance between twoClass B stations operating on first adjacent channels according to currentFCC rules is 105 miles.[15]