WMGX (93.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

"Coast 93.1") is a commercial FM

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 radio ...

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...

. The station's coverage area reaches across most of Southern

and into portions of Southeastern

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. WMGX airs an Adult Top 40

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

and is owned by Saga Communications.

Studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

s and offices are on Western Avenue in South Portland. WMGX has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...

(ERP) of 50,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

s. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

is off Presumpscot Street in Portland, near Interstate 295. It broadcasts in the

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

hybrid format. The HD2 subchannel carries the

talk radio 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 ...

programming of

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

AM 560 The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 560 kHz: The Federal Communications Commission categorizes 560 AM as a regional frequency; the maximum power for any station on this frequency (in the United States) is 5,000 watts. Arg ...

WGAN. And the HD3 subchannel carries the Bible Broadcasting Network's

Christian radio Christian radio is a Christian media radio format that focus on programming with a Christian message. Many such broadcasters play contemporary Christian music, though many programs include sermons, radio dramas, as well as news and talk progra ...

programming, which feeds FM translator W286CU at 105.1 MHz in Saco, Maine.

History

On June 10, 1977, WMGX first

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...

the air. It was owned by Sunshine Broadcasting and played a

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

format as "Magic 93." Artists included

James Taylor James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has been active since 1958, initially as one of the staff songwriters at 1650 Broadway and later as a solo artist. Regarded as one ...

Cat Stevens Yusuf Islam (born Steven Demetre Georgiou; ), commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, Yusuf, and Yusuf / Cat Stevens, is a British singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. His musical style consists of folk, pop, rock, and, later in ...

and

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...

. Announcers did not talk over the music. Several songs were played in a row, with no talking between the songs. From the mid-to-late-1980s and through the 1990s, WMGX was owned by the Portland Radio Group, LLC., which also operated

station 560 AM WGAN,

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

station 101.9

WPOR WPOR is an FM radio station in Portland, Maine that broadcasts a country music radio format. It is owned by Saga Communications. It broadcasts at 101.9 MHz. History WPOR has had the same format since it signed on as an FM simulcast of 1490 WPOR ...

and "

Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

" (1950s and 1960s hits) station 100.9

WYNZ WYNZ (100.9 Hertz, MHz, "Rewind 100.9"), is a commercial radio, commercial FM band, FM radio station city of license, licensed to South Portland, Maine, and serving the Portland metropolitan area, Maine, Portland metropolitan area. It is owned b ...

. WMGX had a unique format, blending classic, soft, and progressive rock with

adult contemporary music Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

. At this time, the station claimed that " tnever layedthe same song twice n one 24-hour period" a boast that it later backed up with a monetary prize to anyone who caught the station doing so. In 1992, WMGX and WGAN were acquired by Saga Communications. On March 9, 2006, 29 years after the station's launch, WMGX changed format. The station then became "Coast 93.1," with a

hot adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

format, playing music from the "80s, 90s and Now". WMGX eventually dropped the "80s, 90s and Now" slogan and changed it to "Today's Best Mix" in order to reflect the

playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs, but sometimes a loop. The term has sever ...

from the current and recent Top 40 charts, minus any songs deemed too hard-edged or rap-oriented. Songs from the last couple of decades also were heard but WMGX rarely played any song recorded before 1990. As of April 2016, to compete more with the long dominant

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

station 97.9

WJBQ WJBQ (97.9 FM; ''Q97 dot 9'') is a radio station in Portland, Maine, United States, which airs a CHR/Top 40 format. It transmits its signal from Gray, Maine, which can be heard throughout Southwestern Maine, and into portions of adjacent New Hamp ...

, WMGX shifted to an Adult Top 40 format under the branding of "Portland's Adult Hit Music Station." The station currently acts as a hybrid between a Hot AC and a Mainstream Top 40 station. On Sunday mornings, WMGX airs the nationally syndicated show "

American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...

" with

Ryan Seacrest Ryan John Seacrest (born December 24, 1974) is an American media personality and producer. He is the co-host of ''Live with Kelly and Ryan'', as well as the host of multiple media shows including ''American Idol'', ''American Top 40'', and '' ...

The Blake Show (Coast Morning Show)

Portland's most popular morning show, the Blake Show with Kelly and Todd starts the day with laughs, fun, topical content, and relatable topics. The show features cohost
Blake Hayes
an
Kelly Towle

WCSH WCSH (channel 6) is a television station in Portland, Maine, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Tegna Inc. The station's studios are located on Congress Square in Downtown Portland, and its transmitter is located on Winn Mountain in ...

meteorologist, Todd Gutner, is a contributing third co-host. Blake Hayes is open about being gay and sometimes discusses life as a gay man. After 15 years with the station, former morning co-hos
Eva Matteson
left the station in February 2020.

References

External links

Station website
* * * {{coord, 43.688, N, 70.257, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title MGX Adult top 40 radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1977 1977 establishments in Maine