WSMW (98.7
FM) is an
adult hits station
licensed
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte and Raleigh, the 69th-most populous city in the Un ...
and serving the
Piedmont Triad
The Piedmont Triad (or simply the Triad) is a metropolitan region in the north-central part of the U.S. state of North Carolina anchored by three cities: Greensboro, North Carolina, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Winston-Salem, and H ...
region, including
High Point and
Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem is a city and the county seat of Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States. In the 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the second-largest municipality in the Piedmont Triad region, the 5th most populous city in N ...
. The
Audacy, Inc.
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
outlet uses the slogan "We Play Everything!"
WSMW broadcasts with an
ERP of 100,000
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 at a
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 ...
of 375 meters (1230 feet). The signal provides secondary coverage as far as
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...
to the south and
Raleigh
Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...
to the east. The station's studios are located near the
Piedmont Triad International Airport
Piedmont Triad International Airport (commonly referred to locally as "PTI") is an airport located in unincorporated Guilford County, North Carolina, west of Greensboro, serving the Piedmont Triad region of Greensboro, High Point and Winston- ...
and 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 ...
site is in unincorporated south
Guilford County
Guilford County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population is 541,299, making it the third-most populous county in North Carolina. The county seat, and largest municipality, is Greensboro. Si ...
.
History
Early years
On January 9, 1958, WMDE 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 ...
at 98.5 MHz. Owner Hall Electronics originally used the experimental
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 ...
W4MDE. In the early 1960s, WMDE moved to 98.7, a frequency used from 1948 to 1950 by WCTP. Early
format
Format may refer to:
Printing and visual media
* Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements
* Paper formats, or paper size standards
* Newspaper format, the size of the paper page
Computing
* File format, particular way that informatio ...
s on WMDE included
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
,
middle of the road music
Middle of the road (also known by its acronym MOR) is a commercial radio format and popular music genre. Music associated with this term is strongly melodic and uses techniques of vocal harmony and light orchestral arrangements. The format was even ...
and
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
. In 1966, WMDE played
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, ...
and aired
Tobacco Radio Network Tobacco Radio Network was a radio network owned and operated by Capitol Broadcasting Company of Raleigh, North Carolina. Begun in 1942, the network was dedicated to educating and keeping farmers informed of the latest agricultural news, stories, an ...
news. Suburban Broadcasting sold WMDE to Mido Broadcasting in 1973 and the station became WPET-FM, airing
Southern gospel
Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as ...
music as a
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 ...
to
AM 950
The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 950 kHz: The Federal Communications Commission categorizes 950 AM as a regional frequency.
Argentina
* CNN Radio Argentina in Buenos Aires
* LT16 RSP in Presidente Roque Saenz Peña
B ...
WPET.
The WRQK era
Starting in November 1973, the station increased power to 100,000 watts and went with a
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 ...
/
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 ...
format referred to as "Rock N' Gold" with the call letters WRQK. Artists included
Bachman-Turner Overdrive,
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
,
General Johnson and the
Chairmen of the Board
Chairmen of the Board is an American-Canadian, Detroit, Michigan-based soul music musical ensemble, group, who saw their greatest commercial success in the 1970s.
Recording career
General Johnson (musician), General Johnson (1941–2010) had a ...
. Studios for WRQK and
WPET were on Meadowview Road near the Greensboro Depot. Drivers passing by could see the
DJs
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile D ...
through the three glass walls, and some even yelled their requests to the DJs. Battleground Avenue had billboards showing the DJs.
[ At one time the station's name was K-99. WRQK leaned 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 ...
in 1980, when it was also called "Heart of Gold". Later the name became "99-RQK."
In 1982, the station switched to Top 40. The following year in 1983, rival station 99.5 WMAG
WMAG (99.5 FM) is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station licensed to High Point, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad region, including Greensboro and Winston-Salem. The iHeartMedia, Inc. outlet broadcasts with an ERP of 100& ...
made its debut, giving away a Rolls-Royce
Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to:
* Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct
Automobiles
* Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
. WRQK co-owner Tom Armshaw countered by giving away a blue Corvette
A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...
. Beginning in the middle of 1984, the station became an affiliate of Dan Ingram
Daniel Trombley Ingram (September 7, 1934 – June 24, 2018) was an American Top 40 radio disc jockey with a 50-year career on radio stations such as WABC and WCBS-FM in New York City.
Career
"Big Dan" started broadcasting at WHCH Hofstra Col ...
's ''Top 40 Satellite Survey''.
Switch to Kiss-FM
In 1985, WRQK changed to WKSI "98-7 Kiss FM," under consultant Randy Kabrich. The station was still playing Contemporary Hits and enjoying the "hey day" of 1980's top 40 popularity. The station was programmed during the mid/late 80's by Big Steve Kelly and then Dale O'Brian. O'Brian was hired as the Music Director and night jock following the departure of Dave Denver. O'Brian later hosted mornings following the departure of Jim Quinn. Big Steve left the station for Cleveland in the late 80's and O'Brian was named PD/Operations Manager. The station enjoyed the reputation of being one of the leading Top 40 stations in the Carolinas. In 1989, O'Brian left to sign on WMXF/MIX 96 in Fayetteville, NC. Other alumni include Dave Stone, Kelly Masters, Beth Ann McBride, Sammy Simpson, Scott Robbins, Sean Michaels, Ken Morrison, Robin Lambert, Skip Presson and Nancy Lee. The station would evolve to a modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
-leaning Adult Top 40
The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...
by 1995 (after a brief stint as a country station "98-7 Kiss Country"). The station would also change its slogan to "The Point" in 1997 and by 2002 changed it again to "The Zone" along with the new call letters WOZN.
Move to adult hits
In 2005, the station added songs from the variety hits genre and held an online vote to see in the station should keep its Hot AC
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 s ...
format or change to Adult Hits (even though at the time, the owners were planning to change it anyway.) Perhaps not surprisingly, Adult Hits won, with the station changing its call sign to WSMW and joining the list of stations embracing the format by introducing "Simon" to the market, not unlike the Jack FM
Jack FM is a radio network brand, licensed by Sparknet Communications, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an adult hits radio format, format, in most cases not using disc jockey, DJs.
Format c ...
format that was popular in many cities. The name "Simon" is a reference to the children's game "Simon Says," where Simon gets to say whatever songs he'd like to hear from the music library.
The station later added a morning show hosted by Jeff Wicker, voted "best Triad radio personality" for 2007 on GoTriad.com. Wicker's co-hosts were "Skip the Prize Guy" & Carmen Brown. Currently, weekdays begin with the "Get Up! Show," hosted by Sean Sellers, a native of Henderson, NC
Henderson is a city and the county seat of Vance County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 15,060 at the 2020 census.
History
The city was named in honor of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson, ...
, who had been a DJ at WDCG
WDCG (105.1 FM) is a commercial Top 40 (CHR) station licensed to Durham, North Carolina and serving the Raleigh-Durham radio market. Its studios are located on Smoketree Court in Raleigh's Highwoods Office Park and owned by iHeartMedia, along ...
, a top 40 station in the Raleigh market, as well as stops in the Virginia Beach and Washington DC markets
Market is a term used to describe concepts such as:
* Market (economics), system in which parties engage in transactions according to supply and demand
* Market economy
*Marketplace, a physical marketplace or public market
Geography
*Märket, a ...
, Charley, a native of Washington, IN
Washington is a city in Daviess County, Indiana. The population was 11,509 at the time of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Daviess County. It is also the principal city of the Washington, Indiana Micropolitan Statistical Are ...
who started her career at WEND
WEND (106.5 FM broadcasting, FM) – branded 106.5 The End – is a commercial Modern rock, alternative rock Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Salisbury, North Carolina, serving primarily the Charlotte metropolitan area, as w ...
in Charlotte NC, and Matty, a native of NH, whose resume includes WHFS in Washington DC. On several occasions, the "Get Up! Show" has started to share the famous and elusive "Secret recipe for million dollar fudge" live on the air, only to have the signal mysteriously overtaken by heavy static or the transmitter shut off.
The station originally focused on playing music of multiple genres, eras, and styles, from as far back as the 1960s to present. In recent times, the station has removed the majority of the newer music and focused mainly on 1970s and 1980s 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 ...
alongside some 1990s music. The station still includes a few songs from the early 2000s. They have been the first station locally to play brand new music from The Rolling Stones, Weezer, Sting, Kacey Musgraves and many more, adding to their reputation for unpredictability. Several slogans, such as "Random Rules" and "We Play Everything" demonstrate this dedication to a wide variety of music.
On February 23, 2022, WSMW added The Bet to its HD3 subchannel.
References
External links
*
*
{{Entercom
SMW SMW may refer to:
* Semantic MediaWiki, an extension to MediaWiki that allows for annotating semantic data within wiki pages
* Smara Airport, Western Sahara, IATA Airport Code
* Smoky Mountain Wrestling, a professional wrestling promotion that held ...
Adult hits radio stations in the United States
Audacy, Inc. radio stations