WSSX-FM (95.1 FM, "95SX") is a Top 40 (CHR)

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 ...

located in

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

. The station is licensed by 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) to broadcast with 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 100 kW. The station is 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 87 ...

. Its studios are located in

North Charleston North Charleston is the third-largest city in the state of South Carolina.City Planning Department (2008-07)City of North Charleston boundary map. City of North Charleston. Retrieved January 21, 2011. On June 12, 1972, the city of North Charlest ...

and the transmitter tower is located in Mount Pleasant.

History

95.1 originally signed on June 2, 1947 as WTMA-FM, the sister to

WTMA WTMA (1250 kHz), “News Talk 1250 WTMA”, is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Charleston, South Carolina. It has a talk radio format and is owned by Cumulus Media. WTMA's studios and offices are on Faber Place Drive in North Char ...

AM 1250. By the late 1950s, WTMA-FM was simulcasting much of the AM's programming full-time, which was

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 ...

by that point. When the FCC started to limit simulcasts of AM and FM stations in the late 1960s, WTMA-FM became WPXI in 1972 with an automated "

beautiful music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator musi ...

" format. In 1975, WPXI changed to

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

as "Super 95 Soul". Although it was still automated, it was noted as being one of the few commercial urban FMs in South Carolina at the time. In 1981, WPXI dropped the urban format as the station became WSSX, with a Top 40/ AOR hybrid known as

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

. Their slogan was ''"We Are The Rock 'N' Roll Station. The All New 95 FM WSSX"'', the station went to #1 in the ratings within a year. By 1983, the station had transitioned to a fully-fledged mainstream CHR radio station under their nickname ''"Hitradio The All New 95SX FM"'', again going #1 on several occasions throughout the remainder of the 1980s. By 1993, WSSX's ratings had begun to decline as the station shifted away from CHR to

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 ...

as ''"The New 95 Mix"'', then later changed to Mix 95.1. This lasted until September 1995 when the station returned to their CHR roots and their iconic nickname ''"95SX"''. Iconic DJ Danger Dan (Elm) was an integral part of 95SX in the mid 1990s. In October 2007, following sister

WSUY WIWF (96.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Charleston, South Carolina, broadcasting to the Lowcountry area South Carolina. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a classic hits radio format branded as "96.9 The Wolf." The syndicated J ...

's flip from mainstream AC 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 ...

, the station invited listeners from the station to tune to 95.1FM saying "Welcome 96.9 Listeners." As of January 2010, WSSX, whose direction favored adults and at times took a conservative approach by playing Hot AC or Pop/Rock artists, has begun to shift towards a Rhythmic-leaning direction, as it now favors Rhythmic Pop acts. This move might be due to a changing taste in its listeners' musical choices and its decision to attract a younger demo. The station's main competitor, Apex Broadcasting's WIHB, switched to a hip hop format in March 2010. This leaves WSSX as the only CHR station in the market. Their official station mascot is the 95SX's Party Parrot.

References

External links

Official station website
* {{coord, 32.796, N, 79.841, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title SSX-FM Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Cumulus Media radio stations Radio stations established in 1945 1945 establishments in South Carolina