WMMO (98.9 MHz) is a
commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television)
** Radio advertisement
** Television advertisement
* (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
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 ...
in
Orlando, Florida
Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...
. It is owned by the
Cox Media Group
CMG Media Corporation (doing business as Cox Media Group) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company pri ...
, and airs a
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 ...
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, ...
that leans toward
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 ...
. Most songs heard on WMMO were hits from the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, on both the
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 ...
charts and on the
Album Rock
Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock.
Album-orient ...
charts. WMMO's studios and offices are located in Orlando on North John Young Parkway (Route 423).
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 ...
tower is off Park Hamilton Boulevard in
Pine Hills. The site is shared with
WTLN, owned by the
Salem Media Group
Salem Media Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: SALM; formerly Salem Communications Corporation) is an American radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher formerly based in Camarillo, California (moved most operations to Ir ...
.
History
Early years
![WMMO former logo (August 1990-January 2001)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/WMMO_former_logo_%28August_1990-January_2001%29.png)
In the late 1980s, the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
(FCC) awarded a
construction permit
Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...
to build a new FM radio station in Orlando to the Urban Broadcasting Corporation. The
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...
WURG was granted as the station was being built.
The station
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 on August 19, 1990. It was owned by Radio Orlando and it aired a unique format with a large library, a mix of
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 ...
,
adult album alternative
Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...
and
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 ...
, and was considered to be the first ever example of the "Rock Adult Contemporary" format. Its creators sought to bring back a listening experience similar to early FM rock stations of the late 1960s and 1970s, focusing on music rather than contests and promotions. A popular slogan in its early days was, "if you want to win money, play the lottery."
WMMO used a wide ranging
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 ...
of songs from many genres. Its library stretched from the mid-1960s to current releases, unlike many stations that focus on small slices of music from specific genres. WMMO also made a promise to always identify songs by title and artist, and to never talk over the music. "We love the music as much as you do" was a slogan the station used during this era.
Unusual call sign and transmitter location
The call letters used at first were WEZO. After a month on the air, the call sign switched to WMMO. The station derives its call letters from
WMMS
WMMS (100.7 FM) – branded ''100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard'' – is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Widely regarded as one of the most influential rock st ...
in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
; the founding programmer and chief engineer, Cary Pall, was a fan of WMMS, and secured the call sign to honor the legendary rock station, even though WMMO's format was not as rock-oriented.
WMMO was one of only two radio stations in the world broadcasting from a fully enclosed transmitter. WMMO was located at the top of the SunBank Center (now the
SunTrust Center
200 South Orange, formerly known as the SunTrust Center and Sun Bank Center, is a skyscraper located in the Central Business District of Orlando, Florida. Rising to , it is the tallest multi-story building in Orlando and Central Florida outside ...
), Orlando's tallest building. Its
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) was 38,000
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 and its antenna was only 439 feet in
height above average terrain
Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site is above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...
(HAAT), while most of the top FM stations in Orlando broadcast at 100,000 watts on towers 1,500 feet or taller. The station's coverage area was limited due to
WKGR
WKGR (98.7 FM) is a classic rock station licensed to Wellington, Florida and serving the West Palm Beach market. Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., it transmits at 100,000 watts effective radiated power with an antenna height above average terrain of ...
in
Fort Pierce
Fort Pierce is a city in and the county seat of St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Treasure Coast region of Atlantic Coast Florida. It is also known as the Sunrise City, sister to San Francisco, California, the Suns ...
, which broadcasts on 98.7 FM. Around 2015, WKGR's transmitter was moved about 20 miles south to
Wellington
Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
, near
West Palm Beach
West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sunset, Sun sets on the Earth.
Etymology
The word "west" is a Germanic languages, German ...
; because of this, WMMO was able to increase its power and antenna height slightly.
Ownership changes
In 1991, WMMO was bought by Granam Communications for $8.15 million.
Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1997 page B-97
/ref> The station continued its unique playlist of Soft Rock, Adult Album Rock and Classic Rock. In 1997, Granam Communications was acquired by Infinity Broadcasting
Infinity Broadcasting Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1972 until 2005. It was founded by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus. It became associated with popular radio personalities like Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, Don Imus an ...
, later part of CBS Radio
CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...
. Infinity quickly spun off WHOO (now WTLN), WHTQ (now WOEX
WOEX (96.5 MHz "Éxitos 96.5") is a commercial radio station in Orlando, Florida. It is owned by Cox Radio and airs a Spanish-language Contemporary Hits radio format. WOEX's studios and offices are located in Orlando on North John Young Parkway ...
) and WMMO to Cox Radio
CMG Media Corporation (doing business as Cox Media Group) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company pri ...
, so the company could acquire WCKG
WCKG (1530 AM) is a radio station licensed to Elmhurst, Illinois, United States. The station serves the Chicago area and is owned by DuPage Radio, LLC. The station operates during daytime hours only. Hours of operation are determined by the Feder ...
in Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
.
Cox had plans move WMMO's transmitter to WHTQ's former tower in Pine Hills for better coverage, but a breakdown in negotiations with WHTQ's former owner forced WMMO's transmitter to remain at the SunBank Center/SunTrust Center for several more years.
In 2008, longtime personalities Jerry Steffen and Jay Francisco were let go. Steffen was at WMMO for 18 years and Francisco for 14 years. Francisco was rehired in 2011 for several more years. Also in 2011, longtime morning host Shawn Burke was released after 12 years at WMMO. In 2012, the station abandoned its previous practice of listing the names of all the songs and artists played. The music also became more rock-oriented during these years. In July 2015, WMMO began referring to itself as a 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 ...
station in an effort to compete with classic hits outlet WOCL
WOCL (105.9 FM broadcasting, FM "Sunny FM") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station, city of license, licensed to DeLand, Florida, and serving Greater Orlando and Central Florida. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs a classic hits radio ...
.
Recently, WMMO has moved its music in a direction to become the de facto 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 ...
station for Orlando.
DJ Line Up
*Mornings—Denise Ryan
*Middays—Joe Rock
*Afternoons—Hildi
*Evenings—A.J. Maguire
References
External links
98.9 WMMO
*
{{coord, 28.574, N, 81.463, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
MMO
Cox Media Group
1990 establishments in Florida
Radio stations established in 1990