WMMJ
Encyclopedia
WMMJ is a top rated station Urban Adult Contemporary
radio station owned by Radio One in the Washington, D.C.
market. It is licensed to Bethesda
, but its transmitter is located in Tenleytown
. During the sixties
, seventies
, and early eighties
, the station had been home to the original "progressive rock" formatted WHFS
, who later migrated to the higher powered Annapolis
Maryland
based 99.1 frequency.
in Lancaster, New York
from its sign-on in 1965 until 1970.
In 1987, Cathy Hughes purchased WMMJ and changed the format from easy listening
to Urban Oldies as, "Majic 102.3". The station has basically maintained this format for 18 years with it skewing its format more toward the 25-54 demographic as an Urban Adult Contemporary
. During that time, Majic 102.3 has become synonymous with its Urban Oldies format in the African-American community. Majic has consistently been one of the market's leaders delivering Washington's most loyal audience. In 1999, WMMJ acquired the syndication rights of the Tom Joyner
Morning Show from rival Urban AC, WHUR, and has maintained it ever since. In the summer of 2008, it also became home to Mo'Nique in the afternoon until March 18, 2009, when Mo'Nique decided leave to "further her career in television, film, and comedy."
On June 23, 2010, WMMJ's live airstaff was fired from their jobs in a surprise shakeup despite the station posted its best numbers in the Washington Arbitrons. The shakeup began in April 2010, when its GM and PD were let go. Recently, WMMJ hired former WHUR morning man John Monds to be the new afternoon drive personality 3–7PM and Courtney Hicks as the new midday personality 10AM–3PM.
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
radio station owned by Radio One in the Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
market. It is licensed to Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
, but its transmitter is located in Tenleytown
Tenleytown
Tenleytown is a historic neighborhood in Northwest, Washington, DC.-History:In 1790, Washington locals began calling the neighborhood "Tennally's Town" after area tavern owner John Tennally...
. During the sixties
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, seventies
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
, and early eighties
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, the station had been home to the original "progressive rock" formatted WHFS
WHFS
WHFS was the call sign for three different FM stations in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Maryland markets on various frequencies for nearly 50 years. The first and longest run was a progressive rock station and was usually, and affectionately, referred to as 'HFS...
, who later migrated to the higher powered Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
based 99.1 frequency.
History
The WMMJ calls were originally used on current radio station WXRLWXRL
WXRL is an AM radio station located in Lancaster, New York, serving the greater Buffalo market. The station is owned and operated by Ramblin' Lou Schriver, a well known local country music performer, under the name Dome Communications.-History:...
in Lancaster, New York
Lancaster, New York
Lancaster, New York may refer to the following locations in Erie County, New York:*Lancaster , New York*Lancaster , New York...
from its sign-on in 1965 until 1970.
In 1987, Cathy Hughes purchased WMMJ and changed the format from easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
to Urban Oldies as, "Majic 102.3". The station has basically maintained this format for 18 years with it skewing its format more toward the 25-54 demographic as an Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
. During that time, Majic 102.3 has become synonymous with its Urban Oldies format in the African-American community. Majic has consistently been one of the market's leaders delivering Washington's most loyal audience. In 1999, WMMJ acquired the syndication rights of the Tom Joyner
Tom Joyner
Thomas "Tom" Joyner is an American radio host, host of the nationally syndicated The Tom Joyner Morning Show, and also founder of REACH Media Inc., the Tom Joyner Foundation, and BlackAmericaWeb.com.-Early life:...
Morning Show from rival Urban AC, WHUR, and has maintained it ever since. In the summer of 2008, it also became home to Mo'Nique in the afternoon until March 18, 2009, when Mo'Nique decided leave to "further her career in television, film, and comedy."
On June 23, 2010, WMMJ's live airstaff was fired from their jobs in a surprise shakeup despite the station posted its best numbers in the Washington Arbitrons. The shakeup began in April 2010, when its GM and PD were let go. Recently, WMMJ hired former WHUR morning man John Monds to be the new afternoon drive personality 3–7PM and Courtney Hicks as the new midday personality 10AM–3PM.