| Broadcast area | Louisville metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.3MHz |
| Branding | 102.3 The Rose |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WDJX,WGHL,WGZB-FM,WMJM | |
| History | |
First air date | October 1964; 61 years ago (1964-10) (as WLRS) |
Former call signs | WLRS (1964–2000) WULV (2000–2002) |
Call sign meaning | WMAX (A previous moniker) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 37236 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 6,000watts |
| HAAT | 87 meters (286 feet) |
Transmitter coordinates | 38°14′37″N85°45′34″W / 38.24361°N 85.75944°W /38.24361; -85.75944 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live Listen live (via iHeartRadio) |
| Website | 1023therose.com |
WXMA (102.3FM) is acommercialradio station inLouisville, Kentucky. It is owned byConnoisseur Media and broadcasts anadult contemporaryradio format known as "102.3 The Rose". For part of November and December, WXMA switches toChristmas music. In the evening, it carries thenationally syndicated call-in and dedication showDelilah fromPremiere Networks. Theradio studios and offices are on South 4th Street inDowntown Louisville.
WXMA is aClass A station with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 6,000watts. Thetransmitter site is atopThe 800 Apartments building, a few blocks from the studios.[2]
102.3 FMsigned on the air in October 1964; 61 years ago (1964-10). It was a stand-alone FM station for the Louisville Radio School, hence thecall sign WLRS. It was used as a training ground for the school's broadcast students in its early years and had a studio at the school on 1701 S. 3rd Street in Louisville.[3]
In the late 1960s, station ownerClarance Henson entered into an agreement to sell WLRS to crosstown AMTop 40 stationWAKY. But the deal fell apart when WAKY did not meet the six-month deadline to complete the transaction. By 1970, WLRS was noted as being one of only nine stand-alone FMs in the state of Kentucky.
In 1974, under the aegis of Henson Broadcasting, Henson's daughter Louisa Henson became more involved in the family station. Under her control, WLRS aired analbum-oriented rock (AOR) format.[4] Theplaylist ofThe Beatles,The Rolling Stones,The Who andCreedence Clearwater Revival brought WLRS top ratings in 1978 even though the station was only had an effective radiated power of 3,000 watts. Some said it marked the first time in the nation an FM rock station had placed first in anArbitron ratings survey, a trend that would continue as the era of FM dominance got under way.[4]
The WLRS program director during the 1970s and early 80s wasJarl Mohn, known then by the air name of Lee Masters. Masters andBob Pittman went on to become the founders of theMTV cable channel.[4]
Henson Broadcasting later hired high-spiriteddisc jockeys Ron Clay and Terry Meiners to host the wake-up show. In 1983, both were hired away by competitor 95.7WQMF after a brief legal dispute.[4][5][6][7] The duo's show "Morning Sickness" was broadcast from the800 Building on weekdays in AMdrive time.[8] When the pair left, a judge ruled that the name of the show and their sketches would remain WLRS's intellectual property.[6]
WLRS began using a "walrus" as the stationmascot in the 1970s. The spelling of walrus roughly translated to the station's call letters. WLRS hired local artists Danny Messex and Victor Troutman Jr. to make the walrus art.[citation needed] Under the helm of manager Louisa Henson, the station began a series of memorable promotions that lasted over a decade. In 1981, DJ Terry Meiners memorably promoted "sex withMick Jagger" during the Rolling Stones' only regional appearance in a WLRS-promoted concert.[9]
For ten years, the station conducted the Christmas toy drive, "Bridge the Gap." It distributed as many as 50,000 toys to needy children each year. WLRS would broadcast from Louisville'sPhoenix Hill Tavern for the event.[4] Louisa Henson continued charity work after the station folded, and spun Bridge the Gap off as a nonprofit.[10][11]
By 1981, WLRS was beaten by rival album rock station 95.7 WQMF in Arbitron. It signaled a decline for WLRS's ratings. In 1984, the station switched to a hybrid format of album rock hits andTop 40/CHR songs as "The Flamethrowing LRS 102". At the same time, the station began adding normal pop artists likeMichael Jackson,Phil Collins,Whitney Houston andMadonna to itsplaylist while still leaning toward rock music, as well as additional CHR-leaning programming such asCasey Kasem'sAmerican Top 40. The format was designed to fill the void left whenWKJJ abandoned Top 40 foradult contemporary in 1982 andWJYL dropped Top 40 for urban contemporary in 1984.
Eventually, WKJJ switched back to CHR as WDJX the following year in August 1985, and both WLRS and WDJX briefly battled each other for the next few years. WDJX won the mainstream battle when WLRS returned to its original album rock format in 1986. The station later flipped back to Top 40/CHR in 1988 before being sold to Toney Brooks' One Broadcasting.
On December 27, 1990, at 2 a.m., WLRS began stunting withMacintosh'sTalking Moose counting down from 70,000 to 1.[12] On January 1, 1991, at approximately 9:27 a.m., WLRS flipped toadult contemporary music as "Mix 102". The first song on "Mix" was "This Is It" byKenny Loggins.[13] As was done in a number of AC stations at the time (includingWWMX in Baltimore andWMXC in Charlotte), it complemented its branding with the call letter slogan "WMIX" while maintaining WLRS as the hourly legal call letters.[14]
However, the "WMIX" branding was dropped by June 1991 due to trademark concerns. Withers Broadcasting, which owns two actual WMIX stations inMount Vernon, Illinois, (WMIX AM andWMIX-FM), registered the "WMIX" branding as an officialtrademark.
The format gained ratings momentum over the next 18 months, and WLRS had beaten long time adult contemporary ratings leader WVEZ with 25-54 adults in the Summer 1992 Arbitron survey.
On May 18, 1997, at 6 p.m., after playing "The Last Song" byEdward Bear, WLRS beganstunting with a loop of "I Am the Walrus" byThe Beatles, as well as promotions for other Louisville radio stations and teaser formats. One of the teaser formats wascountry as "Hot Country 102, The Bull".[15][16]
On May 26, at 1:02 p.m., WLRS switched toalternative rock as "LRS 102.3". The first song on "LRS" was "Spoonman" bySoundgarden.[17][18] The alternative format lasted two years.
On July 30, 1999, at 3 p.m., WLRS flipped tosoft adult contemporary as "Love 102.3", and changed call letters to WULV. (The WLRS call letters would be resurrected on105.1 FM in February 2000, with that station featuring anactive rock format.)[19][20] On May 17, 2002, WULV switched toHot AC as "102.3 The Max", WXMA.[21][22]
On August 31, 2017, at noon, WXMA changed toadult hits, branded as "102.3 Jack FM".[23] It used the nationalJACK FM syndicated feed with no DJs. The "voice of Jack" made sarcastic quips and ironic remarks between songs.
On August 30, 2022, at noon, WXMA flipped back to Soft AC, branded as "102.3 The Rose".[24] By September 2 2025, WXMA evolved to mainstream AC.