WLMG

WLMG (101.9 MHz, "Magic 101.9 FM") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to New Orleans, Louisiana. Owned by Entercom, it broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format. From mid-November to December 25 each year, it switches to all-Christmas music. The station's studios and offices are located at the 400 Poydras Tower in New Orleans' downtown district.[1]

WLMG
CityNew Orleans, Louisiana
Broadcast areaNew Orleans metropolitan area
Frequency101.9 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding"Magic 101.9 FM"
SloganBetter Music For a Better Workday
Programming
FormatAdult contemporary
Ownership
OwnerEntercom
(Entercom License, LLC)
Sister stationsWEZB, WKBU, WWL, WWL-FM, WWWL
History
First air dateMarch 15, 1970 (1970-03-15) (as WWL-FM)
Former call signsWWL-FM (1970–1980)
WAJY (1980–1987)
Call sign meaningW Louisiana's MaGic
Technical information
Facility ID34376
ClassC0
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT300 meters (980 ft)
Transmitter coordinates29°55′11″N 90°01′29″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitemagic1019.com

WLMG has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for non-grandfathered FM stations.[2] The transmitter site is off Bahrman Highway in the Algiers neighborhood of New Orleans.[3] WLMG broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format.[4]

History

WWL-FM

On March 15, 1970, the station first signed on the air as WWL-FM.[5] It was owned by Loyola University of the South, now known as Loyola University New Orleans. Loyola also owned Channel 4 WWL-TV and AM powerhouse 870 WWL.

WWL and WWL-FM had the same call sign but separate formats. The AM was a full service middle of the road station while WWL-FM played beautiful music. It featured quarter hour sweeps of instrumental cover versions of popular songs with Hollywood and Broadway show tunes.

Top 40 and Easy Listening

In the mid-1970s, station management decided to go in a radically different direction, seeking a younger demographic for WWL-FM. Out went the soft instrumental musicians such as Henry Mancini and Percy Faith, trading them in for Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney. WWL-FM flipped to a Top 40 sound. But this was an era where most young people still were listening to inexpensive AM radios for their favorite hits. The station failed to make much headway against AM Top 40 leader 690 WTIX (now WQNO).

By May 1976, WWL-FM returned to easy listening music. The format featured mostly instrumental songs with several soft vocals each hour. On December 26, 1980, to separate the FM station's image from its AM and TV counterparts, the call letters were changed to WAJY. The station, calling itself "Joy 102," moved closer to a 50/50 mix of instrumentals and vocals, some from soft rock artists such as Elton John, Olivia Newton-John, Stevie Wonder and Chicago.

Switch to WLMG

Through the 1980s, the easy format saw its audience continuing to age, while most advertisers seek young and middle-aged listeners. In 1987, the station completed its transition to a soft adult contemporary sound, eliminating the instrumental songs. The call sign was changed to WLMG using the moniker "Magic 102." With most radios in the 1990s going from analog dials to digital, the station began calling itself "Magic 101.9" in 1995.

Over the next decade, WWL and WLMG switched hands several times. In 1989, Loyola University sold the stations to Keymarket Communications.[6] The TV station was sold to a group of its employees, using the name Rampart Broadcasting. In July 1995, the radio stations were acquired by River City Communications.[7] Later ownership switched to Sinclair Broadcasting. And in December 1999, WWL and WLMG were acquired by Entercom.[8]

In the early 2000s, WLMG moved to a mainstream adult contemporary sound. The tempo of the songs was picked up and the disc jockeys added more personality. The playlist extends from the 1980s to current day AC hits. In 2006, the WWL-FM call sign returned to New Orleans, on another station. Entercom decided to give AM 870 WWL an FM simulcast on 105.3 MHz, allowing WWL listeners the choice to hear the station on FM or AM.

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References
  1. Magic1019.com/contact-us
  2. FCC.gov/WLMG
  3. Radio-Locator.com/WLMG-FM
  4. HDradio.com/stations
  5. Broadcasting Yearbook 1971 page B-91
  6. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1990 page B-138
  7. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1996 page B-182
  8. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2001 page D-197
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