WMFR
Encyclopedia
WMFR is a radio station
broadcasting a sports radio
format. Licensed to High Point, North Carolina
, USA, the station serves the Piedmont Triad
area. The station is currently owned by Curtis Media Group
and features programing from ESPN Radio
.
. Among its programs in the early years were Guy Lombardo
and Boston Blackie
.
WFMY-TV
sportscaster Charlie Harville started his career on WMFR in 1938, airing Class D Thomasville Tommies baseball as well as football games.
The 8-story Radio Building in High Point housed several banks, including Commercial National Bank
, and NCNB
in the late 20th century. As of 2005, WMFR had been located in the 83-year-old building since the 1940s, the longest of anyone there, though for five years the station broadcast from outside Greensboro, returning to its former home on Dec. 26, 2000.
In the late 40s an FM station, WMFR-FM, was added at 97.7, later moved to 99.5. In 1983 the station became WMAG
.
Max Meeks became morning host in 1947; at age 75, he was still there in 2000 when he took time off for heart surgery, but he had no intention of retiring. He did sell furniture for a while starting in the late 1950s, but he came back to radio. Listeners compared him to Walter Cronkite
and James Stewart
and considered him an old friend. He tried sounding like famous people when he started, but it didn't work. He was at his best just being a regular person. and he played a wide variety of music, even hymn
s. Among the stars Meeks interviewed from the WMFR studios: Eddy Arnold
and The Carter Sisters
, but not Elvis Presley
("I didn't think he would amount to anything"). After other medical procedures, when he couldn't drive to the studio, he just broadcast from home. He was named to the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1996.
Meeks announced his retirement at the end of 2009.
Winfred Red "Diamond" Carter was a WMFR personality for 17 years, playing The Beatles
, Elvis Presley
, and country
and big band
music. His Greensboro News & Record
obituary said "He was a natural on the radio, warm and chatty, almost like he was sitting in your living room or the front seat of your car. He would take a minute out of every program to read a poem, most of which he had written."
Changes made in 1992 by the Federal Communications Commission
allowed a company to own more radio stations than previously possible. Voyager Communications owned WMFR, WMAG and WNEU
and would be allowed to sell them in 1994. WNEU was sold to Radio Equity Partners, owner of WSJS
and WTQR
, later that year.
In 1994, WGLD, at 1320 AM, dropped its adult standards
format for all-news radio
and began airing Dennis Elliott's WMFR "Opinion Please" show.
In 1995, HMW Communications moved its four stations—WMFR, WMAG, WWWB (which was WGLD) and WFXZ
--to a location outside Greensboro, though news director Larry Craven continued to do a morning program from the old High Point studios. Wes Jones hosted "Tell Your Neighbor," but he had a producer for the first time—Tom Jorgensen.
In 1996, SFX Broadcasting purchased the HMW stations. In 1997, WMFR and the other SFX stations were purchased by the Capstar Broadcasting affiliate of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Broadcasting Corp. of Dallas, Texas
. On July 14, 1999, the company formed by the merger of Capstar and Chancellor Media Corp. began trading as AMFM Inc., a company which in turn merged with Clear Channel Communications
in a deal announced October 4, 1999.
In 1998, WMFR programming was once again heard on 1320 AM (called WTCK at the time), which had changed its format to sports talk, which did not prove successful. Among the programs on WMFR at the time were Larry King Live
and CBS Radio Mystery Theater
.
In 2001, after Infinity Broadcasting
purchased the station (as well as WSJS and its simulcast partner WSML
), WMFR added Paul Harvey
and The Fabulous Sports Babe
, and a local talk show hosted by program director Elliott replaced Dr. Toni Grant
in the late afternoon. Other changes included a weekly financial talk show and a show about area businesses. Later in 2001, WMFR added Sean Hannity
on weekdays other than Wednesday, replacing Elliott, and Meeks' morning show added more news, focusing more on the Triad as a whole. WSJS began helping WMFR with its news coverage.
On February 14, 2007, WMFR (along with WSJS and WSML) was sold by CBS (formerly Infinity) to Raleigh-based Curtis Media Group
. This move marries WSJS with FM news/talk station WZTK, which covers both the Triad and Triangle (as well as southern Virginia and as far south as Fayetteville).
WMFR dropped its long-standing news/talk
format on July 15, 2010, adopting its current sports radio programming.
(including Mike and Mike in the Morning
, as well as its nighttime and weekend programs) and the regionally-syndicated show The David Glenn Show (simulcast from WCMC-FM
in Raleigh), and The Drive, with Taylor Zarzour and Marc James (simulcast from WFNZ
in Charlotte
). It also carries Appalachian State Mountaineers
football and basketball and High Point University
Panthers basketball, as well as select additional local sports coverage.
Most of WMFR's programming is simulcast with WCOG (the former WGLD/WWWB/WTCK) and WSML; all three stations break away to carry certain programming as necessary.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting a sports radio
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
format. Licensed to High Point, North Carolina
High Point, North Carolina
High Point is a city located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. As of 2010 the city had a total population of 104,371, according to the US Census Bureau. High Point is currently the eighth-largest municipality in North Carolina....
, USA, the station serves the Piedmont Triad
Piedmont Triad
The Piedmont Triad, or Triad, is a north-central region of the U.S. state of North Carolina that consists of the area within and surrounding the three major cities of Greensboro, Winston-Salem, and High Point. This close group or "triad" of cities lies in the Piedmont geographical region of the...
area. The station is currently owned by Curtis Media Group
Curtis Media Group
Curtis Media Group is a broadcast media company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. The company owns and operates several North Carolina radio stations and four radio networks.-AM:*WPTF 680 AM *WQDR 570 AM...
and features programing from ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
.
History
WMFR signed on October 15, 1935 by the Lambeth family of Thomasville, North CarolinaThomasville, North Carolina
Thomasville is a city in Davidson County in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The population was 21,354 at the 2010 census. The city is notable for its furniture industry as are its neighbors of High Point and Lexington. This Piedmont Triad community was established in 1852 and hosts the state's...
. Among its programs in the early years were Guy Lombardo
Guy Lombardo
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo was a Canadian-American bandleader and violinist.Forming "The Royal Canadians" in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert, and Victor and other musicians from his hometown, Lombardo led the group to international success, billing themselves as creating "The Sweetest...
and Boston Blackie
Boston Blackie
Boston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle . Originally a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's novels, he became a detective in adaptations for films, radio and television—an "enemy to those who make him an enemy, friend to those who have no friend."-Literature:Jack...
.
WFMY-TV
WFMY-TV
WFMY-TV is a television station in Greensboro, North Carolina. Owned by the Gannett Company, WFMYis the CBS affiliate for the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem area...
sportscaster Charlie Harville started his career on WMFR in 1938, airing Class D Thomasville Tommies baseball as well as football games.
The 8-story Radio Building in High Point housed several banks, including Commercial National Bank
Commercial National Bank
Commercial National Bank was a bank formed in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1874, which was a predecessor to the American Commercial Bank which then helped form North Carolina National Bank. NCNB changed their name to NationsBank in 1991 and then again to Bank of America in 1999 through a series of...
, and NCNB
North Carolina National Bank
North Carolina National Bank was a bank based in Charlotte, North Carolina, prior to 1960 called American Commercial Bank. It was one of the top banking institutions.-History:...
in the late 20th century. As of 2005, WMFR had been located in the 83-year-old building since the 1940s, the longest of anyone there, though for five years the station broadcast from outside Greensboro, returning to its former home on Dec. 26, 2000.
In the late 40s an FM station, WMFR-FM, was added at 97.7, later moved to 99.5. In 1983 the station became WMAG
WMAG
WMAG is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station licensed to High Point, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad region, including Greensboro and Winston-Salem...
.
Max Meeks became morning host in 1947; at age 75, he was still there in 2000 when he took time off for heart surgery, but he had no intention of retiring. He did sell furniture for a while starting in the late 1950s, but he came back to radio. Listeners compared him to Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
and James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
and considered him an old friend. He tried sounding like famous people when he started, but it didn't work. He was at his best just being a regular person. and he played a wide variety of music, even hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
s. Among the stars Meeks interviewed from the WMFR studios: Eddy Arnold
Eddy Arnold
Richard Edward Arnold , known professionally as Eddy Arnold, was an American country music singer who performed for six decades. He was a so-called Nashville sound innovator of the late 1950s, and scored 147 songs on the Billboard country music charts, second only to George Jones. He sold more...
and The Carter Sisters
The Carter Sisters
The Carter Sisters, were an American singing quartet consisting of Maybelle Carter and her daughters June Carter Cash, Helen Carter, and Anita Carter...
, but not Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
("I didn't think he would amount to anything"). After other medical procedures, when he couldn't drive to the studio, he just broadcast from home. He was named to the North Carolina Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1996.
Meeks announced his retirement at the end of 2009.
Winfred Red "Diamond" Carter was a WMFR personality for 17 years, playing The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, and country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
music. His Greensboro News & Record
Greensboro News & Record
The News & Record is the largest newspaper serving Guilford County and the surrounding region. It is based in Greensboro, NC, and produces local sections for Greensboro and Rockingham County, NC. As of April, 2011, it had an average weekday circulation of 60,993 and an average Sunday circulation...
obituary said "He was a natural on the radio, warm and chatty, almost like he was sitting in your living room or the front seat of your car. He would take a minute out of every program to read a poem, most of which he had written."
Changes made in 1992 by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
allowed a company to own more radio stations than previously possible. Voyager Communications owned WMFR, WMAG and WNEU
WGBT
WPTI , is an talk radio station serving the Piedmont Triad area of the United States, covering the Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point metropolitan area. The Clear Channel Communications station's community of license is Eden, North Carolina...
and would be allowed to sell them in 1994. WNEU was sold to Radio Equity Partners, owner of WSJS
WSJS
WSJS is a radio station based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that broadcasts at 600 AM. It has a news/talk radio format and its slogan is "The Triad's News Radio", where "Triad" refers to the Piedmont Triad.-Programming:...
and WTQR
WTQR
WTQR is a country music station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad region, including Greensboro and High Point. The Clear Channel Communications outlet broadcasts at 104.1 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW...
, later that year.
In 1994, WGLD, at 1320 AM, dropped its adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
format for all-news radio
All-news radio
All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks...
and began airing Dennis Elliott's WMFR "Opinion Please" show.
In 1995, HMW Communications moved its four stations—WMFR, WMAG, WWWB (which was WGLD) and WFXZ
WVBZ
WVBZ , known as "The Buzz", is an active rock radio station licensed to High Point, North Carolina, that serves the Piedmont Triad region, including Greensboro and Winston Salem. The Clear Channel Communications outlet broadcasts at 100.3 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW.-History:This station...
--to a location outside Greensboro, though news director Larry Craven continued to do a morning program from the old High Point studios. Wes Jones hosted "Tell Your Neighbor," but he had a producer for the first time—Tom Jorgensen.
In 1996, SFX Broadcasting purchased the HMW stations. In 1997, WMFR and the other SFX stations were purchased by the Capstar Broadcasting affiliate of Hicks, Muse, Tate & Furst Broadcasting Corp. of Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. On July 14, 1999, the company formed by the merger of Capstar and Chancellor Media Corp. began trading as AMFM Inc., a company which in turn merged with Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
in a deal announced October 4, 1999.
In 1998, WMFR programming was once again heard on 1320 AM (called WTCK at the time), which had changed its format to sports talk, which did not prove successful. Among the programs on WMFR at the time were Larry King Live
Larry King Live
Larry King Live is an American talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was CNN's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly....
and CBS Radio Mystery Theater
CBS Radio Mystery Theater
CBS Radio Mystery Theater was a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS affiliates from 1974 to 1982....
.
In 2001, after Infinity Broadcasting
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
purchased the station (as well as WSJS and its simulcast partner WSML
WSML
WSML is located in Graham, North Carolina and broadcasts at 1200 AM. The station is part of a sports trimulcast with WCOG from Greensboro and WMFR from High Point. The station is owned by Curtis Media Group. Studios are located in downtown Graham.-History:...
), WMFR added Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
and The Fabulous Sports Babe
The Fabulous Sports Babe
Nanci Donnellan, best known by her title of "The Fabulous Sports Babe," is an American sports radio broadcaster, currently broadcasting on WHBO in the Tampa Bay, Florida area. She is best known nationally for being syndicated across the United States on both ESPN Radio and ESPN2, from 1994 until 2001...
, and a local talk show hosted by program director Elliott replaced Dr. Toni Grant
Toni Grant
Toni Grant is an American psychologist and talk radio host. She was one of the first licensed psychologists to have her own radio talk show, and a pioneer in the advice-giving genre.-Personal life:...
in the late afternoon. Other changes included a weekly financial talk show and a show about area businesses. Later in 2001, WMFR added Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity
Sean Hannity is an American radio and television host, author, and conservative political commentator. He is the host of The Sean Hannity Show, a nationally syndicated talk radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks. Hannity also hosts a cable news show, Hannity,...
on weekdays other than Wednesday, replacing Elliott, and Meeks' morning show added more news, focusing more on the Triad as a whole. WSJS began helping WMFR with its news coverage.
Curtis Media Group
Curtis Media Group is a broadcast media company based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. The company owns and operates several North Carolina radio stations and four radio networks.-AM:*WPTF 680 AM *WQDR 570 AM...
. This move marries WSJS with FM news/talk station WZTK, which covers both the Triad and Triangle (as well as southern Virginia and as far south as Fayetteville).
WMFR dropped its long-standing news/talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format on July 15, 2010, adopting its current sports radio programming.
Programming
WMFR primarily airs syndicated programming, both national programming from ESPN RadioESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
(including Mike and Mike in the Morning
Mike and Mike in the Morning
Mike and Mike in the Morning is an American sports-talk radio show hosted by Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg on ESPN Radio and simulcast on television, normally on ESPN2. If ESPN is broadcasting a live sporting event during the show's timeslot, Sportscenter will air on ESPN2, and the show's...
, as well as its nighttime and weekend programs) and the regionally-syndicated show The David Glenn Show (simulcast from WCMC-FM
WCMC-FM
WCMC-FM is a Sports Talk radio station based in Raleigh, North Carolina and licensed to nearby Holly Springs. Its studios are located in downtown Raleigh along with WRAL-FM, an adult contemporary music station...
in Raleigh), and The Drive, with Taylor Zarzour and Marc James (simulcast from WFNZ
WFNZ
WFNZ "610 AM The Fan" is a Sports Talk format radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina.-History:WFNZ signed on in 1941 as WAYS . For much of the 1960s through early 1980s, it was Charlotte's top-rated Top 40 station under the moniker "61 Big Ways." The morning show was aired on both WAYS and...
in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
). It also carries Appalachian State Mountaineers
Appalachian State Mountaineers
The Appalachian State Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, United States. The Mountaineers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and have been a member of the Southern Conference since 1972....
football and basketball and High Point University
High Point University
High Point University is a private liberal arts university in High Point, North Carolina, USA, affiliated with the United Methodist Church.- Beginnings :...
Panthers basketball, as well as select additional local sports coverage.
Most of WMFR's programming is simulcast with WCOG (the former WGLD/WWWB/WTCK) and WSML; all three stations break away to carry certain programming as necessary.