Memphis
Radio Now Memphis Becomes Kiss-FM
Previous Format: CHR “101.9 Radio Now” New Format: CHR “101.9 Kiss-FM” Date & Time Of Change: March 7, 2013 at 5:00pm More Info: RadioInsight, Wikipedia
94.1 The Buzz WMBZ Memphis flips to Rhythmic AC Snap! 94.1
This one is very much an example of the cause-and-effect of corporate mergers. Consider the previous format change at 94.1 FM. Entercom had just closed on the purchase of WOGY-FM from Sinclair Broadcasting in January, 2000. The ink was barely dry on this purchase when it became obvious to most observers that the writing was on the wall for the country station known as “Froggy 94”. Rumors had abounded for months about a flip to something – top candidate was a format known as “The Buzz” – the slogan for the station 94.1 would become in January ’01. The difference was, in the Fall of ’00, “The Buzz” was the monikker for Entercom’s then hot 80s format, not Modern AC. When the Buzz format launched, there were high company hopes t...
Standards WJCE Flips to Progressive Talk 680 WWTQ Memphis
With ratings continuing to slowly fall, aging demos and a business core becoming more unwilling to advertize to persons over 55, Entercom pulled the plug on its AM Standard’s outlet WJCE. The call letters were originally chosen to compliment an Urban AC format called “The Juice” some years earlier and were not changed when that format expired after the emergence of crosstown FM Urban AC 103.5 WRBO. So, with little fanfare and virtually NO imaging or announcements whatsoever, the music was pulled in the middle of a song and the CNN News feed simply clicked in, followed by the Al Franken show on the Air America Network. One of the most haphazard format changes heard in ages. We present it to you as a scoped 10+ minute audio time capsule, to serve as a place holder for the n...
Smooth Jazz 98.9 WJZN Memphis becomes Urban Power 99 WMPW
A little background on this. Back in 2001, Barnstable’s Memphis Radio Group purchased then KTMO 98.9 Kennett, MO, and moved it to Munford Tennessee to serve the Memphis Market. The format chosen was Smooth Jazz. In Kennett, the KTMO call letters and Classic Country format moved to 106.5, as it exists today. Friday, October 15 started with the normal “Smooth Ride” Morning show with Norm Miller, then into the mid-day (vt) show with Rob Moore. The flip was supposed to happen at 12 noon but some problems tweaking the audio were encountered and the new station didn’t sign on until approximately 12:50pm – with no stunt and no fanfare. The new format is going after Clear Channel’s WHRK K-97 and Flinn’s Hot 107.1 This one will shake the market to its core....
Froggy 94.1 becomes The Buzz
In the late 80s, what would eventually become Froggy 94 was actually on 94.3 FM, and was a simulcast of Oldies AM 680 WODZ. This gave way to a Beautiful Music format for a time in the early 90s, and a frequency change to 94.1. In 1992, the station flipped to Country as WOGY, and it was off to the races against well entrenched market leader WGKX “Kix 106”. For a time in the mid 90s, Froggy 94 did fairly well, even beating Kix in one or two books, but never getting past a 4 share overall. In January of 2000, the station, along with sister stations 104.5 WRVR and 680 WJCE were purchased by Entercom, and changes were in the air. By the fall of 2000, the promotions budget was reduced, and after the last major promotion, the Dixie Chicks concert at the Memphis Pyramid, it was announc...
