KMAJ (1440
kHz) is an
AM radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...
in
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central U ...
. KMAJ is a
news/talk
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
station owned by
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 8 ...
.
History
KMAJ signed on the air in July 1947 as KJAY (The Jayhawker Station), featuring a blend of middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and news. In March 1962 Fred Reynolds, dba Midland Broadcasters, Inc., acquired KJAY. He immediately changed the call letters to KEWI and the format to Top-40, bringing in some of Gordon McLendon's "Raiders" (high-energy DJs) to make a big splash on "Big KeeWee". By the late 1960s these "KeeWee Good Guys" had made KEWI the city's top-rated station. The weekly Top 20+20 Tunedex survey evolved into a Fab 40 Tunedex to go with the British Invasion and then to a Top 14+40 Tunedex to match its dial position at 1440 kHz. By September 1980, the station had changed format to country music and was using the slogan "Kix Country" with the call letters KSKX. Then, to capitalize on the popularity of the "Retro" craze, the KEWI call letters came back in November 1986. By 1990 contemporary music had moved to the FM dial and AM was talk-oriented. So KEWI changed call letters to KMAJ (Magic) along with its sister FM. Cumulus bought the station from Midland Broadcasters in February 1999 and began simulcasting syndicated talk shows and programming with KMBZ radio in Kansas City.
Programming
Beginning with the 2014–15 season, KWIC, along with KMAJ (AM) (1440), will be home to the
Kansas Jayhawks football and basketball (
men
A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chro ...
/
women's) teams.
[KWIC and KMAJ AM pick up rights to the KU football and basketball games](_blank)
/ref> Previously, the games had been aired on WIBW (AM)
WIBW (580 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Topeka, Kansas. It is owned by Alpha Media and airs a talk and sports radio format. The studios and offices are on SW Executive Drive in Topeka. The transmitter is off NW Landon Road in Sil ...
(580).
In addition, KMAJ also carries local high school
A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
and football games.
See also
* KMAJ-FM
KMAJ-FM, branded as ''Majic 107.7'', is a radio station serving Topeka, Kansas and vicinity with an adult contemporary format. It operates on FM frequency 107.7 MHz and is under ownership of Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is an Ameri ...
References
External links
*
{{Cumulus Media
News and talk radio stations in the United States
MAJ (AM)
Radio stations established in 1947
1947 establishments in Kansas
Cumulus Media radio stations