WMAD
Encyclopedia
WMAD is a radio station
serving the Madison, Wisconsin
metropolitan area. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications
and has been running a country music
format since December 23, 2005. The station airs a classic country
format on its HD Radio
subchannel (96.3FM-HD2).http://www.wmad.com/cc-common/hdradio/
A common practice amongst clear channel stations, WMAD often will dub advertisement for the station in songs when radio is mentioned.
).
frequency in Madison has had a varied format history. In the 70's the station was WVLR. In the mid 1990's the station played 70's music as Mix96.3 WMXF. Following this format, the station returned to a soft rock
format as WMLI, which eventually morphed into adult contemporary “Star 96.3.” In March 2002, the station shifted to a smooth jazz
format as "Smooth Jazz 96.3 WCJZ," filling a niche in the Madison market filled only by the “Magic Sunday Morning” smooth jazz program on WMGN
(Magic 98).
-formatted “MAD Radio.”http://wisconsinbroadcasting.com/Format%20Change%20Files/WMAD_Debut.m3u Fourteen months earlier, Clear Channel
replaced alternative rock
on 92.1 WMAD in favor of a Hot AC station, “Mix 92.1.” Fans of that “MAD Radio” incarnation were left disappointed by the change. Acknowledging the outcry, management resurrected “MAD Radio” at the 96.3 frequency. With this change, the WMAD call letters were moved to 96.3, while 92.1 changed their call letters to WXXM
.
Despite an early peak in interest from Madison radio listeners, the new “MAD Radio” did not build as strong a following as the old version had. An increase of older alternative hits in the playlist (highlighted by the “Sunday Morning Resurrection” program) and the addition of the syndicated Rover's Morning Glory
failed to bump up the station's fortunes. With WMAD’s Arbitron
ratings near the bottom of the Madison market, Clear Channel
would make yet another change on the frequency, ending “MAD Radio 96.3” on the night of December 22, 2005,http://www.wisconsinbroadcasting.com/Goodbye%20Message.mp3 after 2 hours of songs with a “goodbye” or "end" theme, ending with "Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley
and the Jimi Hendrix
version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” “MAD Radio” would resurface once again in 2007, airing a commercial-free alternative format on a HD Radio
subchannel of sister station WIBA-FM
.
“All Jacked Up
," the first of 10,000 songs played without interruption for commercials or DJ’s on “Star Country.”http://www.wisconsinbroadcasting.com/FlipWMAD.mp3
Originally using the tag line "Now you have a choice," Clear Channel
took an aggressive approach in promoting "Star Country" and in targeting the long-time country station in Madison, WWQM. The aggressiveness included luring away the WWQM morning team of John Flint and Tammy Lee, who would helm "Star Country's" morning shift from November 2006 until June 2011, when they departed for San Diego's
KSON
.
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...
serving the Madison, Wisconsin
Madison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
metropolitan area. The station is owned by 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...
and has been running a country music
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...
format since December 23, 2005. The station airs a classic country
Classic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
format on its 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...
subchannel (96.3FM-HD2).http://www.wmad.com/cc-common/hdradio/
A common practice amongst clear channel stations, WMAD often will dub advertisement for the station in songs when radio is mentioned.
WMAD Call Sign History
The call letters WMAD originally were on AM 1550 and later simulcast with 106.3 WMAD-FM Middleton (Now WWQM). That version of WMAD started as a country format and remained country until 1977 when the call letters on 1550 were dropped (WWQM "15Q" oldies replaced country). WMAD-FM continued as WMAD-Middleton/Madison until early 1978 when the calls were dropped from 106.3. The WMAD calls would resurface in 1979 on the station at 92.1 FM (licensed to Sun Prairie and current home to WXXMWXXM
WXXM is a radio station owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications and serving the Madison, Wisconsin metropolitan area. The station airs a progressive talk format, and is noted for surviving a planned 2007 format change from that format to all-sports radio after an organized outpouring...
).
Early 96.3 Music History
The 96.3 FMFrequency modulation
In telecommunications and signal processing, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its instantaneous frequency. This contrasts with amplitude modulation, in which the amplitude of the carrier is varied while its frequency remains constant...
frequency in Madison has had a varied format history. In the 70's the station was WVLR. In the mid 1990's the station played 70's music as Mix96.3 WMXF. Following this format, the station returned to a soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
format as WMLI, which eventually morphed into adult contemporary “Star 96.3.” In March 2002, the station shifted to a smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
format as "Smooth Jazz 96.3 WCJZ," filling a niche in the Madison market filled only by the “Magic Sunday Morning” smooth jazz program on WMGN
WMGN
WMGN is a radio station licensed to and serving the Madison, Wisconsin area. The station has been known on air as "Magic 98" and had its adult contemporary format since 1983. Prior to that, it had been automated Adult Contemporary music as "98 FM", with the call letters WISM-FM...
(Magic 98).
"MAD Radio 96.3"
WCJZ and its smooth jazz format never made any inroads among Madison radio listeners, which led management to make another change in format. At 12 Noon on December 31, 2003, WCJZ began 6 hours stunting with a ticking clock and synthesized voice announcing station ID and jokes.http://wisconsinbroadcasting.com/Format%20Change%20Files/WCJZ_Stunt.m3u This stunting ended promptly at 6:00 PM that night, with an announcement heralding the return of the alternative rockAlternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
-formatted “MAD Radio.”http://wisconsinbroadcasting.com/Format%20Change%20Files/WMAD_Debut.m3u Fourteen months earlier, Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
replaced alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
on 92.1 WMAD in favor of a Hot AC station, “Mix 92.1.” Fans of that “MAD Radio” incarnation were left disappointed by the change. Acknowledging the outcry, management resurrected “MAD Radio” at the 96.3 frequency. With this change, the WMAD call letters were moved to 96.3, while 92.1 changed their call letters to WXXM
WXXM
WXXM is a radio station owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications and serving the Madison, Wisconsin metropolitan area. The station airs a progressive talk format, and is noted for surviving a planned 2007 format change from that format to all-sports radio after an organized outpouring...
.
Despite an early peak in interest from Madison radio listeners, the new “MAD Radio” did not build as strong a following as the old version had. An increase of older alternative hits in the playlist (highlighted by the “Sunday Morning Resurrection” program) and the addition of the syndicated Rover's Morning Glory
Rover's Morning Glory
Rover’s Morning Glory is a syndicated hot-talk radio show airing weekday mornings Monday through Friday from 6:00 AM to 11:00 AM ET on 100.7 FM WMMS in Cleveland, Ohio. Hosted by Rover , the show is distributed by Clear Channel and features a blended discussion of current events and pop culture,...
failed to bump up the station's fortunes. With WMAD’s Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
ratings near the bottom of the Madison market, Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
would make yet another change on the frequency, ending “MAD Radio 96.3” on the night of December 22, 2005,http://www.wisconsinbroadcasting.com/Goodbye%20Message.mp3 after 2 hours of songs with a “goodbye” or "end" theme, ending with "Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley
Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott "Jeff" Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
and the Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
version of “The Star Spangled Banner.” “MAD Radio” would resurface once again in 2007, airing a commercial-free alternative format on a 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...
subchannel of sister station WIBA-FM
WIBA-FM
WIBA-FM is a radio station in Madison, Wisconsin. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts a classic rock music format. WIBA-FM began broadcasting Bob & Tom in the Spring of 1999, and was one of the first affiliates of the highly successful Alice Cooper show heard...
.
"Star Country"
At 12AM on December 23, 2005, WMAD launched a new contemporary country format under the branding, “96.3 Star Country,” beginning with a montage of its liners and jingles followed by Gretchen Wilson'sGretchen Wilson
Gretchen Frances Wilson is an American country music artist. She made her debut in 2004 with the Grammy Award-winning single "Redneck Woman," a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts. The song served as the lead-off single of her debut album, Here for the Party...
“All Jacked Up
All Jacked Up (song)
"All Jacked Up" is a single, released in 2005, by American country music artist Gretchen Wilson. On the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated for August 6, 2005, "All Jacked Up" debuted at #21, setting a record for the highest ever debut by a female artist on the country charts...
," the first of 10,000 songs played without interruption for commercials or DJ’s on “Star Country.”http://www.wisconsinbroadcasting.com/FlipWMAD.mp3
Originally using the tag line "Now you have a choice," Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
took an aggressive approach in promoting "Star Country" and in targeting the long-time country station in Madison, WWQM. The aggressiveness included luring away the WWQM morning team of John Flint and Tammy Lee, who would helm "Star Country's" morning shift from November 2006 until June 2011, when they departed for San Diego's
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
KSON
KSON
KSON is a radio station licensed to serve San Diego, California, USA. The station, founded in 1964, is owned by Lincoln Financial Media and the broadcast license is held by Lincoln Financial Media Company of California....
.