WMJK is a commercial FM radio station serving the
Sandusky,
Port Clinton, and
Lake Erie Islands
The Lake Erie Islands are a chain of archipelagic islands in Lake Erie. They include Kelleys Island, Erie Island, Pelee Island, the Bass Islands, and several others. The majority of these islands are under the sovereignty of the State of Ohio in t ...
area (collectively known as "
Vacationland Vacationland may refer to:
*An official slogan for the state of Maine
* ''Vacationland'' (comedy show), a 2015 stand-up comedy show by John Hodgman
* ''Vacationland'' (film), a 2006 film by Todd Verow
* MV ''Vacationland'', a ferry that crossed the ...
"). The station broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 3,000 watts at 100.9 FM and is licensed to
Clyde, Ohio
Clyde is a city in Sandusky County, Ohio, located eight miles southeast of Fremont. The population was 6,325 at the time of the 2010 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Clyde as a Tree City USA.
The town is known for hav ...
; about 15 miles west-southwest of Sandusky. The station is branded as "Coast Country 100.9". In January 2009, the station dropped its longtime
classic rock
Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...
format in favor of
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, ...
. It also serves as the "Vacationland" region affiliate of the
Cleveland Browns Radio Network
The University Hospitals Cleveland Browns Radio Network is an American radio network composed of 24 radio stations which carry English-language coverage of the Cleveland Browns, a professional football team in the National Football League (NFL ...
.
WMJK is currently owned by BAS Broadcasting.
BAS Ohio
/ref> Clear Channel Communications
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
was its former owner, but as of November 16, 2006, it has been announced for sale as part of Clear Channel's divestiture of almost 450 small and middle-market radio properties in the U.S. The cluster was sold on January 15, 2008, to Fremont-based BAS Broadcasting, and BAS took over all three stations on February 1. BAS switched 100.9 The Coast from mostly locally originating programming (outside of the Bob and Tom
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
Places
*Mount Bob, New York, United States
*Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica
People, fictional characters, and named animals
* Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
*Bob (surname ...
morning show) to Waitt Radio Networks
Dial Global Local (formerly Waitt Radio Networks) was a radio network, national radio network based in Omaha, Nebraska, formerly owned by NRG Media and purchased in April 2008 by Triton Radio Networks. As a subsidiary of Dial Global, they special ...
Genuine Classic Rock
Classic Rock (Local Version) (formerly known as Genuine Classic Rock) is a 24-hour music format produced by Dial Global, formerly by Waitt Radio Networks and then by the now-defunct Dial Global Local. Its playlist comprises classic rock music rele ...
satellite format. As a country station, WMJK now uses Waitt's Country Today format.
History
As WMEX and WLCO
This station first signed on the air targeting the local community with a blend of middle-of-the-road music and Spanish-language programming as WMEX on July 16, 1981. The station was founded by Family Broadcasting and Communications Corporation, a company headed by Erasmo Cruz, Sr. Cruz also served as the station's general manager. At that time, the station maintained studios and offices at 806 Everett Road in Fremont, Ohio. The company later changed the station's call letters to WLCO on February 21, 1985, and reduced its Spanish-language programming to 18 hours a week in favor of 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 ...
. Studios and offices were also moved to 1859 W. McPherson Avenue in Clyde. By 1992, the station had switched its format from adult contemporary to country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
.
As WNCG
On February 7, 1992, Family Broadcasting and Communications entered into an agreement to sell WLCO to S & S Communications Group, Inc, a partnership headed by Toledo radio sales executive Dave Searfoss and Michigan radio programmer Kent Smith, for $280,000.
Upon acquisition of the station almost a month later, S & S Communications changed the station's format from country to 1960s and 1970s classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...
using the Satellite Music Network
Satellite Music Network was the first satellite delivered network to provide complete live 24-hour-a-day music programming to local stations, under several different formats.
History
Affiliate stations, mostly in small and medium markets, co ...
's "Pure Gold" format. With this change came a call letter switch to WNCG and the move of the station's studios and offices to 109 North Main Street in Clyde. In this incarnation, the station adopted the moniker "Northcoast Gold".
Both men operated WNCG under a less-is-more principle, with a small staff and with them doing much of the on-air and sales work hands-on, allowing them to dedicate revenue to the highly aggressive promotion of their station.
By this efficient means of operation, the lower-powered WNCG grew into a formidable competitor among its higher-powered competitors, largely due to its constant presence at live remote broadcasts for both paid clients and community events. WNCG also installed remote studios in various malls in its listening area, with appropriate signage, to inform listeners that they were on the air just about everywhere.
It was a venture that demonstrated long-term profitability for both Smith and Searfoss. Wishing to relocate his family to northern Michigan to purchase a station for sale there, Smith, along with Searfoss, agreed to sell WNCG on November 7, 1997, for $2.2 million to Jacor Communications
Jacor Communications was a media corporation, existing between 1987 and 1999, which owned many radio stations in the United States. In 1998, Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, now iHeartMedia, for $2.8 billion.
Jacor Communicat ...
. Concurrently, Smith purchased WMJZ
WMJZ-FM (101.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to the city of Gaylord, Michigan. It broadcasts with a power output of 50,000 watts. The station airs an adult hits format as ''Eagle 101.5'', and is owned by 45 North Media Inc, a co ...
in Gaylord, Michigan
Gaylord is a city in and the county seat of Otsego County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Gaylord had a population of 4,286 at the 2020 census, an increase from 3,645 at the 2010 census.
Gaylord styles itself as an "alpine village" and contain ...
early the following year.
As WCPZ and WMJK
Under Jacor's ownership, the station maintained its classic hits format, but in April 1998 adopted the call letters WCPZ, which had been long held by a Sandusky-based Top 40 station. The calls were switched in September 1999 to WMJK, which are retained today. Also that same year, Jacor became absorbed into Clear Channel Communications
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
, prompting a name change for the licensee at around the same time.
The station in 2001 moved its studios and offices to 1640 Cleveland Road in Sandusky, where it remains today with sister stations WLEC
WLEC (1450 AM) – branded as 1450 AM WLEC – is a commercial oldies/full service radio station licensed to Sandusky, Ohio. Owned by Fremont-based BAS Broadcasting, the station serves the Sandusky/ Norwalk/ Port Clinton market (collectively re ...
and WCPZ. On June 30, 2008, Clear Channel sold WMJK and several other stations along the Lake Erie corridor to Fremont-based BAS Broadcasting. Following the change in ownership, the station dropped its "Majic" moniker (though retaining the same call letters) and adopted its current country music format.
References
External links
*
{{Country Radio Stations in Ohio
MJK
Country radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1981
1981 establishments in Ohio