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WAMJ (FM)
Encyclopedia
WPZE is a radio station
located in Atlanta, Georgia
. Operating on 102.5 MHz, it is assigned Mableton
as its city of license
, and transmits from a location in southwest Atlanta, near I-285 and Langford Parkway
. The callsign was previously assigned to what is now WUMJ FM in Fayetteville, Georgia
until they were moved to 102.5 FM along with the Urban Gospel format on February 16, 2009. The previous call sign WAMJ was moved back to the 107.5 FM frequency (formerly WJZZ-FM) to reunite with the "Majic" branding and format which started simulcasting on WUMJ.
This station is broadcasting in IBOC digital radio
, using the HD Radio
system from iBiquity
.
. Several applicants requested the new allotment be assigned to one of four cities: Mableton, Lithia Springs, Douglasville, and Forest Park
. The frequency already belonged to WGHR
in Marietta
, the student radio station at what is now Southern Polytechnic State University — however the forced downgrade to second-class status left the class D station vulnerable. It applied for the new allotment and to have it reserved to Marietta and as noncommercial, however the FCC refused this, leaving WGHR with no chance of upgrading. The remaining contenders applied in 1988, and had a lengthy battle in court
. After many years of legal wrangling over the frequency
, the station came on the air in 2001, forcing WGHR at SPSU to 100.7, and then off the air completely due to WWWQ's move-in on 100.5.
The station was assigned the call sign WAWE FM on November 24, 1997 during its construction permit
. On June 27, 2001, the station was then assigned the WAMJ call sign just before it went on the air. The call sign was moved from 107.5 FM, which then upgraded to a Class C3 station and took on the call sign WJZZ-FM and adopted a "Smooth Jazz" format.
In April 2004, Radio One acquired New Mableton Broadcast Corporation (WAMJ's owner) for approximately $35 million. Radio One operated the station under a local marketing agreement
beginning in August 2001. Radio One then completed this acquisition
during the fourth quarter of 2004, under the name ROA Licenses (Radio One Atlanta Licenses), which also owned WJZZ-FM, WPZE-FM, and WHTA-FM.
In October 2005, the station changed format to Urban Adult Contemporary
with the addition of current R&B and soul
songs; it only skewed more to an Urban Oldies/Classic Soul heavy segment of the format months later. When attempts to secure broadcasting rights to The Tom Joyner
Morning Show failed, WAMJ began carrying The Steve Harvey
Show in the mornings, and syndicated talk programming (including the Al Sharpton
program and The Michael Baisden
Show) during the midday and afternoon hours. Evenings and weekends remain dedicated to music, however.
In February 2009, the Praise branding moved to 102.5 FM from 97.5 FM, which changed formats to a simulcast of Majic 107.5 (as WUMJ). At this time, the WAMJ call sign was returned to 107.5 FM (formerly WJZZ-FM) to reunite with the "Majic" branding.
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...
located in Atlanta, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Operating on 102.5 MHz, it is assigned Mableton
Mableton, Georgia
Mableton is a census-designated place in Cobb County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 37,115.It was named for Robert Mable, who in 1843 bought 300 acres of land on September 11...
as its city of license
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
, and transmits from a location in southwest Atlanta, near I-285 and Langford Parkway
Langford Parkway
Arthur E. Langford Jr. Parkway , formerly known as the Lakewood Freeway, is a six-mile freeway through the northern portion of East Point and southwestern Atlanta, Georgia, USA...
. The callsign was previously assigned to what is now WUMJ FM in Fayetteville, Georgia
Fayetteville, Georgia
Fayetteville is a town in Fayette County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,945. The city is the county seat of Fayette County. Fayetteville is located approximately 22 miles from the city of Atlanta....
until they were moved to 102.5 FM along with the Urban Gospel format on February 16, 2009. The previous call sign WAMJ was moved back to the 107.5 FM frequency (formerly WJZZ-FM) to reunite with the "Majic" branding and format which started simulcasting on WUMJ.
This station is broadcasting in IBOC digital radio
Digital radio
Digital radio has several meanings:1. Today the most common meaning is digital radio broadcasting technologies, such as the digital audio broadcasting system, also known as Eureka 147. In these systems, the analog audio signal is digitized into zeros and ones, compressed using formats such as...
, using the HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
system from iBiquity
IBiquity
iBiquity Digital Corporation is a company formed by the merger of USA Digital Radio and Lucent Digital Radio, with the goal of creating an in-band on-channel digital radio system for the United States and around the world...
.
History
The station is the result of Docket 80-90, the FCC plan to allow more stations on the air by reducing the required spacings. During the mid-1980s, it was decided that one of these new stations would be assigned to the west-northwest side of metro AtlantaMetro Atlanta
The Atlanta metropolitan area or metro Atlanta, officially designated by the US Census Bureau as the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metro area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ninth-largest metropolitan statistical area in the United States...
. Several applicants requested the new allotment be assigned to one of four cities: Mableton, Lithia Springs, Douglasville, and Forest Park
Forest Park, Georgia
Forest Park is a city in Clayton County, Georgia, United States. It is located approximately nine miles south of Atlanta and is part of the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Marietta Metropolitan Statistical Area...
. The frequency already belonged to WGHR
WGHR
WGHR is a noncommercial radio station operated solely by the students of Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Georgia, USA. The station is student- and listener-supported, with diverse programming from a wide variety of genres.-History:...
in Marietta
Marietta, Georgia
Marietta is a city located in central Cobb County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat.As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 56,579, making it one of metro Atlanta's largest suburbs...
, the student radio station at what is now Southern Polytechnic State University — however the forced downgrade to second-class status left the class D station vulnerable. It applied for the new allotment and to have it reserved to Marietta and as noncommercial, however the FCC refused this, leaving WGHR with no chance of upgrading. The remaining contenders applied in 1988, and had a lengthy battle in court
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
. After many years of legal wrangling over the frequency
Frequency
Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...
, the station came on the air in 2001, forcing WGHR at SPSU to 100.7, and then off the air completely due to WWWQ's move-in on 100.5.
The station was assigned the call sign WAWE FM on November 24, 1997 during its construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
. On June 27, 2001, the station was then assigned the WAMJ call sign just before it went on the air. The call sign was moved from 107.5 FM, which then upgraded to a Class C3 station and took on the call sign WJZZ-FM and adopted a "Smooth Jazz" format.
In April 2004, Radio One acquired New Mableton Broadcast Corporation (WAMJ's owner) for approximately $35 million. Radio One operated the station under a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
beginning in August 2001. Radio One then completed this acquisition
Takeover
In business, a takeover is the purchase of one company by another . In the UK, the term refers to the acquisition of a public company whose shares are listed on a stock exchange, in contrast to the acquisition of a private company.- Friendly takeovers :Before a bidder makes an offer for another...
during the fourth quarter of 2004, under the name ROA Licenses (Radio One Atlanta Licenses), which also owned WJZZ-FM, WPZE-FM, and WHTA-FM.
In October 2005, the station changed format to 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...
with the addition of current R&B and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
songs; it only skewed more to an Urban Oldies/Classic Soul heavy segment of the format months later. When attempts to secure broadcasting rights to 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 failed, WAMJ began carrying The Steve Harvey
Steve Harvey
Broderick Steven "Steve" Harvey is an American actor, comedian, entertainer, television and radio personality and best-selling author. He is best known as the star of the WB sitcom The Steve Harvey Show, and as one of the four comedians featured in the Spike Lee film The Original Kings of Comedy...
Show in the mornings, and syndicated talk programming (including the Al Sharpton
Al Sharpton
Alfred Charles "Al" Sharpton, Jr. is an American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and television/radio talk show host. In 2004, he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. presidential election...
program and The Michael Baisden
Michael Baisden
Michael Baisden is an American author, motivational speaker, host of the TV One talk show Baisden After Dark, and host of his own nationally-syndicated radio show.-Career:...
Show) during the midday and afternoon hours. Evenings and weekends remain dedicated to music, however.
In February 2009, the Praise branding moved to 102.5 FM from 97.5 FM, which changed formats to a simulcast of Majic 107.5 (as WUMJ). At this time, the WAMJ call sign was returned to 107.5 FM (formerly WJZZ-FM) to reunite with the "Majic" branding.