WMCS
Encyclopedia
This article is about the radio station, for the school, see West Memphis Christian School
WMCS (1290 AM
) is an African-American-oriented talk
and music
radio station
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
. The station is owned by All-Pro Broadcasting, and are part of the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, along with co-owned WLUM-FM
and WLDB.
. WMLO was an affiliate of the ABC Radio Network. They later became WMIL. A sister FM station, WMIL-FM
, was added in 1961.
The stations were owned from 1968 to 1988 by Malrite Broadcasting. As WMIL, they aired a country music
format. The station called itself "Big M Country." WMIL also simulcast the country format on 95.7 FM until that signal switched to beautiful music
as "WMVM, Stereo Radio 95.7" around 1971. Both stations switched to Top 40 as WZUU and WZUU-FM in 1972. In 1981, they flipped to oldies
first as "Solid Gold 13Z", then with a move to make it more distinguished from WZUU-FM as WLZZ ("Solid Gold Wheels") in late 1982. WLZZ also ran a short lived Country format and returned to simulcasting WZUU-FM and the WZUU calls after that. The station later split away from the FM to run a syndicated urban gold format as WMVP, prior to the station's sale to All-Pro Broadcasting.
1290 was originally a daytime-only station licensed to Milwaukee until 1980, when they were granted a power increase from 1000 watts to 5000 watts day and night and a city of license change to Greenfield, Wisconsin.
The station has been playing R&B oldies
or urban adult contemporary
music, with some local talk shows since 1985. The changeover to an all-talk format happened in 2004. The station's call letters were WMVP for many years ("MVP" referred to owner Willie Davis' pro football years with the Green Bay Packers
). ESPN Radio 1000
in Chicago purchased the call letters from Davis for their sports format, and 1290 AM became WMCS in December. 1993. The WMCS call sign stands for "Milwaukee's Community Station", to emphasize the station's heavy community involvement.
In December 2004, WMCS began airing the syndicated ESPN Radio
broadcast after sunset
, in partnership with daytime-only sports station WAUK
(then at 1510 AM) as "Milwaukee's ESPN Radio...1510 days, 1290 nights." The sports format later became home to play-by-play broadcasts for Marquette University
men's college basketball
and the AHL's
Milwaukee Admirals
via WAUK.
On January 22, 2008, Good Karma Broadcasting, owner of WAUK, purchased Jackson
-based religious station WRRD-AM (540) from Salem Communications
, and moved WAUK's sports talk format to the full-time signal on February 12, casting doubt on the nighttime simulcast agreement with WMCS.
On June 30, WMCS began airing their own content, consisting of blues
and gospel music
programming, in addition to Al Sharpton
's daily talk
show.
(1590 AM), a 1,000 watt daytime-only AM station licensed to West Allis, Wisconsin
that had signed on in 1961. WAWA aired a traditional R&B format that was popular with Milwaukee's African-American community, and was a serious rival to WNOV
during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. They also simulcast part time with their FM sister station at 102.1 FM, and later carried the WLUM call letters, as did their sister station. When All-Pro purchased the stronger 1290 frequency in 1988, they signed WAWA 1590 off for good and returned the station's license to the FCC
.
West Memphis Christian School
West Memphis Christian School is a college preparatory school with a campus located in West Memphis, Arkansas. WMCS was founded in 1970. Programs for kindergarten through Grade 8 began in 1971, and a program for grades 9–12 was added in 1974...
WMCS (1290 AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
) is an African-American-oriented 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...
and music
African American music
African-American music is an umbrella term given to a range of musics and musical genres emerging from or influenced by the culture of African Americans, who have long constituted a large and significant ethnic minority of the population of the United States...
radio station
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...
in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. The station is owned by All-Pro Broadcasting, and are part of the Milwaukee Radio Alliance, along with co-owned WLUM-FM
WLUM-FM
WLUM-FM 102.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The station airs a Alternative rock music format branded as "FM 102.1"....
and WLDB.
History
The station launched in 1947 with the WMLO call signCall sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
. WMLO was an affiliate of the ABC Radio Network. They later became WMIL. A sister FM station, WMIL-FM
WRIT-FM
WRIT-FM is a radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, owned by Clear Channel Communications. Branded as "Oldies 95.7", it airs a 60s-70s Oldies format....
, was added in 1961.
The stations were owned from 1968 to 1988 by Malrite Broadcasting. As WMIL, they aired 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. The station called itself "Big M Country." WMIL also simulcast the country format on 95.7 FM until that signal switched to beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
as "WMVM, Stereo Radio 95.7" around 1971. Both stations switched to Top 40 as WZUU and WZUU-FM in 1972. In 1981, they flipped to oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
first as "Solid Gold 13Z", then with a move to make it more distinguished from WZUU-FM as WLZZ ("Solid Gold Wheels") in late 1982. WLZZ also ran a short lived Country format and returned to simulcasting WZUU-FM and the WZUU calls after that. The station later split away from the FM to run a syndicated urban gold format as WMVP, prior to the station's sale to All-Pro Broadcasting.
1290 was originally a daytime-only station licensed to Milwaukee until 1980, when they were granted a power increase from 1000 watts to 5000 watts day and night and a city of license change to Greenfield, Wisconsin.
The station has been playing R&B oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
or 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...
music, with some local talk shows since 1985. The changeover to an all-talk format happened in 2004. The station's call letters were WMVP for many years ("MVP" referred to owner Willie Davis' pro football years with the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
). ESPN Radio 1000
WMVP
WMVP is the callsign of a commercial radio station in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It is owned by ABC. Its transmitter is located in Downers Grove. The station broadcasts live sports talk, both locally and nationally. Daily programming consists of talk shows that are both national and local...
in Chicago purchased the call letters from Davis for their sports format, and 1290 AM became WMCS in December. 1993. The WMCS call sign stands for "Milwaukee's Community Station", to emphasize the station's heavy community involvement.
In December 2004, WMCS began airing the syndicated 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...
broadcast after sunset
Sunset
Sunset or sundown is the daily disappearance of the Sun below the horizon in the west as a result of Earth's rotation.The time of sunset is defined in astronomy as the moment the trailing edge of the Sun's disk disappears below the horizon in the west...
, in partnership with daytime-only sports station WAUK
WAUK
*See also WRRDWAUK is a radio station licensed to Jackson, Wisconsin, serving the Milwaukee area. It is known on-air as 540 ESPN...
(then at 1510 AM) as "Milwaukee's ESPN Radio...1510 days, 1290 nights." The sports format later became home to play-by-play broadcasts for Marquette University
Marquette University
Marquette University is a private, coeducational, Jesuit, Roman Catholic university located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1881, the school is one of 28 member institutions of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities...
men's college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
and the AHL's
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
Milwaukee Admirals
Milwaukee Admirals
The Milwaukee Admirals are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They play in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA at the Bradley Center.-History:...
via WAUK.
On January 22, 2008, Good Karma Broadcasting, owner of WAUK, purchased Jackson
Jackson, Wisconsin
Jackson is a village in Washington County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,938 at the 2000 census. The village is located partially within the Town of Jackson.-Geography:Jackson is located at ....
-based religious station WRRD-AM (540) from Salem Communications
Salem Communications
Salem Communications is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S....
, and moved WAUK's sports talk format to the full-time signal on February 12, casting doubt on the nighttime simulcast agreement with WMCS.
On June 30, WMCS began airing their own content, consisting of blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and gospel music
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
programming, in addition to 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...
's daily 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...
show.
WAWA 1590
Prior to its purchase of WMCS in 1988, All-Pro Broadcasting owned WAWAWAWA (defunct)
WAWA was a radio station licensed to West Allis, Wisconsin, serving the Milwaukee area, located at 1590 AM. It's studio and transmitter were located in Elm Grove. For the station's entire existence, WAWA was the sister station to WAWA-FM ....
(1590 AM), a 1,000 watt daytime-only AM station licensed to West Allis, Wisconsin
West Allis, Wisconsin
West Allis is a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The population was 61,254 at the 2000 census. Its name derives from Edward P. Allis, who started the Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company in the 19th century. The site of the town was...
that had signed on in 1961. WAWA aired a traditional R&B format that was popular with Milwaukee's African-American community, and was a serious rival to WNOV
WNOV
WNOV is a community-oriented urban contemporary radio station located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. WNOV is currently the only station owned by Courier Communications, but on January 18, 2008 it was sold to a new company called Radio Multi-Media...
during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. They also simulcast part time with their FM sister station at 102.1 FM, and later carried the WLUM call letters, as did their sister station. When All-Pro purchased the stronger 1290 frequency in 1988, they signed WAWA 1590 off for good and returned the station's license to the FCC
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...
.