WMDM-FM
Encyclopedia
WMDM is a classic rock
formatted broadcast
radio station
licensed to Lexington Park, Maryland
, serving the Northern Neck
. WMDM is owned and operated by Somar Communications, Inc.
WMDM aired an oldies
music format prior to May 31, 2006.
On May 31, 2006, the station switched their callsign from WMDM-FM to WYRX and their format to Modern Rock under the branding "The Rocket".
On September 17, 2007, WYRX changed their call sign to WRKZ. The WRKZ calls had been attached to a Pittsburgh
rock station until April 2007. The format has evolved into an active rock
music format with the addition of artists like Aerosmith
, Def Leppard
, and Led Zeppelin
to the playlist.
On January 22, 2008, WRKZ changed their call letters back to WYRX. Joe Sanchez was the Morning Show host and Program Director until February 2009.
On March 4, 2009, WYRX switched its call sign back to WMDM. On March 21, 2009, WMDM dropped its Active Rock format for adult contemporary and picked up the branding "Magic 97.7".
On April 21, 2009, WMDM brought back "The Rocket" branding and switched its format to Contemporary Hit Radio.
On November 30, 2009, WMDM switched formats to Easy Listening, branded as "Easy 97-7". The new format consists mainly of vocals (as opposed to the original instrumental-oriented Beautiful Music format).
On March 11, 2011, WMDM again changed formats to classic rock and again re-branded themselves as "The Rocket."
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
formatted broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
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...
licensed to Lexington Park, Maryland
Lexington Park, Maryland
Lexington Park is a census-designated place in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States, and the principal community of the Lexington Park, Maryland Micropolitan Statistical Area...
, serving the Northern Neck
Northern Neck
The Northern Neck is the northernmost of three peninsulas on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This peninsula is bounded by the Potomac River on the north and the Rappahannock River on the south. It encompasses the following Virginia counties: Lancaster,...
. WMDM is owned and operated by Somar Communications, Inc.
History
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....
music format prior to May 31, 2006.
On May 31, 2006, the station switched their callsign from WMDM-FM to WYRX and their format to Modern Rock under the branding "The Rocket".
On September 17, 2007, WYRX changed their call sign to WRKZ. The WRKZ calls had been attached to a Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
rock station until April 2007. The format has evolved into an active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
music format with the addition of artists like Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Def Leppard
Def Leppard
Def Leppard are an English rock band formed in 1977 in Sheffield as part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement. Since 1992, the band have consisted of Joe Elliott , Rick Savage , Rick Allen , Phil Collen , and Vivian Campbell...
, and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
to the playlist.
On January 22, 2008, WRKZ changed their call letters back to WYRX. Joe Sanchez was the Morning Show host and Program Director until February 2009.
On March 4, 2009, WYRX switched its call sign back to WMDM. On March 21, 2009, WMDM dropped its Active Rock format for adult contemporary and picked up the branding "Magic 97.7".
On April 21, 2009, WMDM brought back "The Rocket" branding and switched its format to Contemporary Hit Radio.
On November 30, 2009, WMDM switched formats to Easy Listening, branded as "Easy 97-7". The new format consists mainly of vocals (as opposed to the original instrumental-oriented Beautiful Music format).
On March 11, 2011, WMDM again changed formats to classic rock and again re-branded themselves as "The Rocket."