WMJX
Encyclopedia
WMJX is a radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts. It has an Adult Contemporary format. The station's transmitter is located atop the Prudential Tower
in Downtown Boston. The station is one of Boston's most successful radio stations.
, under the ownership of Westinghouse Broadcasting
. The station's earliest format was a classical music format, and later evolved into a combination simulcast
of the AM station during the morning, with the classical music at other times.
On December 31, 1971, WBZ-FM became a rock music
station as "Rockin' Stereo 106.7", programming mostly top 40 with some album cuts. Although automated, it featured voice-tracked announcing from Clark Smidt (who also programmed the station) and Ken Shelton. For a time in the mid-1970s, WBZ-FM was Boston's second most popular top 40 station, trailing only WRKO
. In 1975, both Smidt and Shelton left to join WCOZ
, which was changing formats from beautiful-music to album-oriented rock. By 1979, WBZ-FM had drifted into an automated album-oriented rock format itself, which remained in place through 1981.
During the years as a rock station, WBZ-FM also simulcast the hourly newscasts from WBZ, the commercial spots on which were the only commercials heard on the FM side.
In 1981, WBZ-FM was sold to Greater Media
, becoming that company's first Boston station. Under the new ownership, the station signed off for a couple of weeks at the very end of 1981. During this silent period, Greater Media installed a new transmitter and raised the height of the antenna on the WBZ-TV
tower. A few years later, the transmission equipment was relocated to the Prudential Tower, improving the station's signal in Downtown Boston.
The new 106.7 signed on at 6 p.m. on January 6, 1982 as WMJX with program director Jack Casey delivering the legal ID: "This is WMJX, Boston" followed by a short welcome message from General Manager Bill Campbell. The station debuted the adult contemporary format pioneered by Greater Media at WMGK
in Philadelphia, and also heard on WMGQ
in New Brunswick, New Jersey
and WMJC
in Detroit. The initial air staff consisted of (Bob) Cohen and (Lori) Kelman in the Morning; Ed Brand 9-noon; Doug Collins noon-3; David Allan Boucher 3-7 PM and Nancy Quill 7-midnight. The station's first song was "Do You Believe in Magic
" by The Lovin' Spoonful
. From the beginning of the Greater Media era, the station's name was "Magic 106.7". Due in part to the "get-acquainted-free offer" of commercial-free programming which Magic aired during its first two months of operation, the station quickly became the highest-rated adult contemporary station in Boston, reaching a 5.3 share of 12+ (according to Arbitron) listeners within its first year.
WMJX faced several competitors, including WROR (98.5 FM, now the current WBZ-FM
), WVBF (105.7 FM, now the current WROR-FM
), WSSH (99.5 FM, now WCRB
), and, to some extent, easy listening
station WJIB (96.9 FM, now WTKK
) upon debuting; however, during the 1990s, all four stations changed formats. (WROR-FM and WTKK are now also owned by Greater Media; the company at one time also operated the 99.5 frequency as WKLB-FM
.)
Two of the personalities on Magic, Nancy Quill and David Allan Boucher, have been on the station since its inception. Boucher hosts the very popular nighttime show Bedtime Magic, and is also heard on CJMJ in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (his show there is titled "Nite Majic").
WMJX has had only three program directors during its entire run. Jack Casey was the original program director from 1981 to 1986, followed by Phil Redo. Don Kelley has served as Vice President/Director of Programming since October 1989.
During the early 2000s, WMJX was one of the few AC stations not to broadcast wall-to-wall Christmas music
during the weeks leading up to Christmas. In 2005, WMJX joined the bandwagon and broadcast an all-Christmas format from the day after Thanksgiving through December 25. It has not done so in subsequent years, although sister station WROR-FM has broadcast an all-Christmas format during the holidays since 2007. Howcver, during a 24 hour period from 6 p.m. Christmas Eve to 6 p.m. Christmas Day, WMJX presents a commercial free program called "The Magic Of Christmas." While it is billed as "traditional" Christmas music, most of the songs are new age or smooth jazz arrangements of holiday favorites.
WMJX frequently edits the songs they play to make them fit the "soft rock" format. Some examples include REO Speedwagon
's "Keep On Loving You" (which has no guitar solo when played on WMJX), Rick Springfield
's "Jessie's Girl
" (the guitar solo has been removed), and Taio Cruz
's "Dynamite
" (entire lines of the song's verses have been cut, for reasons unspecified). The station's renditions of Christina Aguilera
's "Beautiful
" and Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling
" contain so many poorly-timed edits that the time signatures of the songs are lost, making them difficult to dance to.
sedan, a “hot” Audi TT
convertible or a “green” Toyota Prius
. A complaint was filed when it was learned that the prize was a two year lease on one of the three cars, and would only be awarded if the winner qualified for the lease. In response the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) issued a $4,000 fine to Greater Media
, the station's owners.
format on their HD2
subchannel, which is a spinoff of the popular Sunday Morning Jazz program.
magazine. Other nominees included KOST
in Los Angeles
, WALK-FM
in Patchogue, New York
, WLTW
in New York City
, WBEB
in Philadelphia, and KEZK-FM in St. Louis. In 2010 the station received the Marconi award from the National Association of Broadcasters
in the AC Station category.
Prudential Tower
The Prudential Tower, also known as the Prudential Building or, colloquially, The Pru, is a skyscraper in Boston, Massachusetts. The building, a part of the Prudential Center complex, currently stands as the 2nd-tallest building in Boston, behind the John Hancock Tower. The Prudential Tower was...
in Downtown Boston. The station is one of Boston's most successful radio stations.
History
The 106.7 frequency in Boston was first used on December 15, 1957 as WBZ-FM, the FM complement to WBZWBZ (AM)
WBZ is the call sign for an AM radio station in Boston, Massachusetts owned by CBS Radio, itself owned by the CBS Corporation. Originally based in and broadcast from Springfield, Massachusetts, WBZ was the first commercial radio station in the United States...
, under the ownership of Westinghouse Broadcasting
Westinghouse Broadcasting
The Westinghouse Broadcasting Company, also known as Group W, was the broadcasting division of Westinghouse Electric Corporation. It owned several radio and television stations across the United States and distributed television shows for syndication....
. The station's earliest format was a classical music format, and later evolved into a combination simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
of the AM station during the morning, with the classical music at other times.
On December 31, 1971, WBZ-FM became a rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
station as "Rockin' Stereo 106.7", programming mostly top 40 with some album cuts. Although automated, it featured voice-tracked announcing from Clark Smidt (who also programmed the station) and Ken Shelton. For a time in the mid-1970s, WBZ-FM was Boston's second most popular top 40 station, trailing only WRKO
WRKO
WRKO is a radio station based in Boston, Massachusetts, currently owned by Entercom. Its transmitter is located in Burlington, Massachusetts, next to the Burlington Mall.-1920-1940:...
. In 1975, both Smidt and Shelton left to join WCOZ
WJMN (FM)
WJMN is a successful Rhythmic Top 40 radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, USA, under the ownership of Clear Channel Communications. Its current slogan is "Hip Hop and Today's Hit Music!" and can be heard as far north as the White Mountains under good conditions, and in portions of...
, which was changing formats from beautiful-music to album-oriented rock. By 1979, WBZ-FM had drifted into an automated album-oriented rock format itself, which remained in place through 1981.
During the years as a rock station, WBZ-FM also simulcast the hourly newscasts from WBZ, the commercial spots on which were the only commercials heard on the FM side.
In 1981, WBZ-FM was sold to Greater Media
Greater Media
Greater Media, Inc., known as Greater Media, is an American media company that specializes in radio stations. The markets where they own radio stations include Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and the state of New Jersey...
, becoming that company's first Boston station. Under the new ownership, the station signed off for a couple of weeks at the very end of 1981. During this silent period, Greater Media installed a new transmitter and raised the height of the antenna on the WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV
WBZ-TV, virtual channel 4, is a CBS owned-and-operated television station, located in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. WBZ-TV's studios and office facilities, shared with sister station WSBK-TV , are located in the Allston-Brighton section of Boston, and its transmitter is located in Needham,...
tower. A few years later, the transmission equipment was relocated to the Prudential Tower, improving the station's signal in Downtown Boston.
The new 106.7 signed on at 6 p.m. on January 6, 1982 as WMJX with program director Jack Casey delivering the legal ID: "This is WMJX, Boston" followed by a short welcome message from General Manager Bill Campbell. The station debuted the adult contemporary format pioneered by Greater Media at WMGK
WMGK
WMGK, known as "Classic Rock 102.9 MGK" or "Philadelphia's Classic Rock: 102.9 MGK", is a Classic rock formatted radio station which is broadcast in the Philadelphia area. The station features popular Philadelphia radio personality John DeBella and former Howard Stern Show censor Andre Gardner. ...
in Philadelphia, and also heard on WMGQ
WMGQ
WMGQ, known on-air as Magic 98.3, is a radio station broadcasting from Somerset, New Jersey and licensed in New Brunswick . It is located at 98.3 FM. The station can be heard in Monmouth, Middlesex, Somerset, Mercer, Union, and Hunterdon counties...
in New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick, New Jersey
New Brunswick is a city in Middlesex County, New Jersey, USA. It is the county seat and the home of Rutgers University. The city is located on the Northeast Corridor rail line, southwest of Manhattan, on the southern bank of the Raritan River. At the 2010 United States Census, the population of...
and WMJC
WCSX
WCSX is a Detroit-based FM radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. WCSX's transmitter is located in suburban Oakland County in Royal Oak Township near the intersection of 8 Mile Rd. and Wyoming Avenue. WCSX transmits its signal from an antenna 951 feet in height with an effective radiated...
in Detroit. The initial air staff consisted of (Bob) Cohen and (Lori) Kelman in the Morning; Ed Brand 9-noon; Doug Collins noon-3; David Allan Boucher 3-7 PM and Nancy Quill 7-midnight. The station's first song was "Do You Believe in Magic
Do You Believe in Magic (song)
-Track listings:-Release history:-Chart performance:...
" by The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful
The Lovin' Spoonful is an American pop rock band of the 1960s, named to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. When asked about his band, leader John Sebastian said it sounded like a combination of "Mississippi John Hurt and Chuck Berry," prompting his friend, Fritz Richmond, to suggest the name...
. From the beginning of the Greater Media era, the station's name was "Magic 106.7". Due in part to the "get-acquainted-free offer" of commercial-free programming which Magic aired during its first two months of operation, the station quickly became the highest-rated adult contemporary station in Boston, reaching a 5.3 share of 12+ (according to Arbitron) listeners within its first year.
WMJX faced several competitors, including WROR (98.5 FM, now the current WBZ-FM
WBZ-FM
WBZ-FM is a sports radio station known as "98.5 The Sports Hub" and broadcasting on 98.5 MHz in Boston, Massachusetts. Owned by CBS Radio, the current WBZ-FM began on August 13, 2009 and competes with AM sports talk stations WEEI and competed with the ESPN Radio pair of WAMG and WLLH before their...
), WVBF (105.7 FM, now the current WROR-FM
WROR-FM
WROR-FM is a radio station licensed to Framingham, Massachusetts. It broadcasts on 105.7 MHz and serves the Boston market. The station offers a classic hits format, with a timespan of the '60s, '70s and '80s...
), WSSH (99.5 FM, now WCRB
WCRB
WCRB is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts and based in the Brighton area of Boston, which serves the Greater Boston area. It broadcasts a classical music format; it existed as a commercial station from the early 1950s until December 2009, and as a listener-supported...
), and, to some extent, 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...
station WJIB (96.9 FM, now WTKK
WTKK
WTKK is a New England commercial talk radio station, first broadcast out of Boston on 96.9 FM beginning in 1999. It can be heard in eastern Massachusetts, the northernmost area of Rhode Island, southern New Hampshire, and southern Maine...
) upon debuting; however, during the 1990s, all four stations changed formats. (WROR-FM and WTKK are now also owned by Greater Media; the company at one time also operated the 99.5 frequency as WKLB-FM
WKLB-FM
WKLB-FM is a radio station licensed to Waltham, Massachusetts. WKLB was formerly broadcast on 99.5 MHz. It currently has a country music radio format. Its transmitter is located in Newton, Massachusetts...
.)
Two of the personalities on Magic, Nancy Quill and David Allan Boucher, have been on the station since its inception. Boucher hosts the very popular nighttime show Bedtime Magic, and is also heard on CJMJ in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (his show there is titled "Nite Majic").
WMJX has had only three program directors during its entire run. Jack Casey was the original program director from 1981 to 1986, followed by Phil Redo. Don Kelley has served as Vice President/Director of Programming since October 1989.
During the early 2000s, WMJX was one of the few AC stations not to broadcast wall-to-wall Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
during the weeks leading up to Christmas. In 2005, WMJX joined the bandwagon and broadcast an all-Christmas format from the day after Thanksgiving through December 25. It has not done so in subsequent years, although sister station WROR-FM has broadcast an all-Christmas format during the holidays since 2007. Howcver, during a 24 hour period from 6 p.m. Christmas Eve to 6 p.m. Christmas Day, WMJX presents a commercial free program called "The Magic Of Christmas." While it is billed as "traditional" Christmas music, most of the songs are new age or smooth jazz arrangements of holiday favorites.
WMJX frequently edits the songs they play to make them fit the "soft rock" format. Some examples include REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon
REO Speedwagon is an American rock band. Formed in 1967, the band grew in popularity during the 1970s and peaked in the early 1980s. Hi Infidelity is the group's most commercially successful album, selling over ten million copies and charting four Top 40 hits in the US...
's "Keep On Loving You" (which has no guitar solo when played on WMJX), Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield
Rick Springfield is an Australian-born singer-songwriter, musician, and actor. He was a member of pop rock group Zoot from 1969 to 1971 and then started his solo career with his début single "Speak to the Sky" reaching the top 10 in Australia. In mid-1972, he relocated to the United States...
's "Jessie's Girl
Jessie's Girl
"Jessie's Girl" is a rock song written and performed by pop singer Rick Springfield. It was released on the album Working Class Dog. The song is about unrequited love, and centers on a young man in love with his best friend's girlfriend....
" (the guitar solo has been removed), and Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz
Taio Cruz is a British singer-songwriter, record producer, occasional rapper, and entrepreneur. In 2008, he released his debut album Departure, which Cruz wrote, arranged and produced himself. It achieved initial success in the UK and earned him a MOBO Award nomination...
's "Dynamite
Dynamite (Taio Cruz song)
"Dynamite" is the fourth single from English recording artist Taio Cruz's second album Rokstarr. It was written by Cruz, Max Martin, Bonnie McKee, and Dr. Luke, and produced by Dr. Luke and Benny Blanco for the international version of Rokstarr. In the UK, the song was released as the first single...
" (entire lines of the song's verses have been cut, for reasons unspecified). The station's renditions of Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
's "Beautiful
Beautiful (Christina Aguilera song)
"Beautiful" is a song written by Linda Perry and recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera for Aguilera's fourth studio album, Stripped...
" and Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling
I Gotta Feeling
"I Gotta Feeling" is the second single from The Black Eyed Peas' fifth studio album The E.N.D., produced by the French DJ David Guetta. The song was released on May 21, 2009 and debuted at number two on the Canadian and Billboard Hot 100 on the week of June 27, 2009, behind the group's "Boom Boom...
" contain so many poorly-timed edits that the time signatures of the songs are lost, making them difficult to dance to.
Cool, Hot or Green
In 2008 WMJX ran a contest titled Cool, Hot or Green. The prize was advertised as a new car, a choice of a “cool” Mercedes-Benz C-seriesMercedes-Benz C-Class
The Mercedes-Benz C-Class is a compact executive car produced by the Mercedes-Benz division of Daimler AG. First introduced in 1993 as a replacement for the 190 range , the C-Class was the smallest model in the marque's lineup until the 1997 arrival of the A-Class...
sedan, a “hot” Audi TT
Audi TT
The Audi TT is a two-door sports car manufactured by the German automaker and Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi since 1998.The Audi TT has been produced in two generations. Both generations have been available in two car body styles; as a 2+2 Coupé, or two-seater Roadster...
convertible or a “green” Toyota Prius
Toyota Prius
The Toyota Prius is a full hybrid electric mid-size hatchback, formerly a compact sedan developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation...
. A complaint was filed when it was learned that the prize was a two year lease on one of the three cars, and would only be awarded if the winner qualified for the lease. In response the Federal Communications Commission
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...
(FCC) issued a $4,000 fine to Greater Media
Greater Media
Greater Media, Inc., known as Greater Media, is an American media company that specializes in radio stations. The markets where they own radio stations include Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and the state of New Jersey...
, the station's owners.
HD radio
WMJX broadcasts a smooth jazzSmooth 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 on their HD2
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, which is a spinoff of the popular Sunday Morning Jazz program.
Awards
In 1998, WMJX received a "Radio Active" Grammy Award for programming excellence. In 2007 the station was nominated for the top 25 markets adult contemporary station of the year award by Radio & RecordsRadio & Records
Radio & Records was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It originally started out as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006, up until its final issue in 2009.-History:The company was founded in 1973 and...
magazine. Other nominees included KOST
KOST
KOST is a radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, with an adult contemporary musical format. It is one of three adult contemporary formatted radio station in the Los Angeles/Orange County area, the others being sister station KBIG and CBS-owned KTWV...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, WALK-FM
WALK-FM
WALK-FM, known on-air as "WALK 97.5," is a radio station on Long Island with an adult contemporary format. Located on 97.5 FM, the station is licensed to Patchogue, New York...
in Patchogue, New York
Patchogue, New York
-Notable citizens:* Franc D'Ambrosio, Broadway Actor, best known for being the longest running Phantom in Phantom of the Opera. Graduated Pat-Med HS 1981* Michael Fagan, professional bowler...
, WLTW
WLTW
WLTW is a radio station with an Adult Contemporary format in New York City.The station is often number one or close to it in Arbitron ratings for New York City. From 2002 to 2004, the station generated more revenue than any other radio station in the New York market...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, WBEB
WBEB
WBEB is a radio station broadcasting a Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, it serves the Greater Philadelphia metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1963 under the call sign WDVR. The station is currently owned by Jerry Lee...
in Philadelphia, and KEZK-FM in St. Louis. In 2010 the station received the Marconi award from the National Association of Broadcasters
National Association of Broadcasters
The National Association of Broadcasters is a trade association, workers union, and lobby group representing the interests of for-profit, over-the-air radio and television broadcasters in the United States...
in the AC Station category.