KMGA (99.5

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 ...

) 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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

. 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 ...

and broadcasts an

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, quie ...

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, ...

. For much of November and December it switches to

Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...

. The

radio studio A recording studio is a specialized facility for sound recording, mixing, and audio production of instrumental or vocal musical performances, spoken words, and other sounds. They range in size from a small in-home project studio large enoug ...

s and offices are in

Downtown Albuquerque Downtown Albuquerque is the central business district of Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. It is where a significant number of the city's highrise buildings are located, and is the center of government and business for the Greater Albuq ...

. KMGA 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 22,500

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 ...

tower is atop

Sandia Crest Sandia Crest, also known locally as Sandia Peak or simply as the Crest, is a mountain ridge that, at , is the highpoint of the Sandia–Manzano Mountains, and is located in the Sandia Mountains of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, United States. ...

east of the city.

Programming

Personalities

Notable personalities on the station include nationally syndicated hosts Bob & Sheri (mornings) and

John Tesh John Frank Tesh (born July 9, 1952) is an American pianist and composer of pop music, as well as a radio host and television presenter. He hosts the ''Intelligence for Your Life'' radio show. In addition, since 2014, he has hosted ''Intelligen ...

"Intelligence for Your Life" (evenings) along with local hosts Steph Duran (middays) and Doug Duroucher (afternoons). On January 1, 2018, KMGA changed slogans to "Today's Best Mix", with no changes in staff or format. Past morning shows include Meredith Dunkel and Chris Fox of "The Meredith and Fox Show" which began in June 2015. Another change in mornings happened in November 2016 when Meredith was joined by a new co-host, Doug Durocher from

San Bernardino, California San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...

. In January 2017 Bryan Simmons joined KMGA as program director from

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. In June 2017 a new host Steph Duran from

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 ...

KRST KRST (92.3 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a country music radio format. The radio studios and offices are located in Downtown Albuquerque. KRST has an effective radiat ...

joined the morning show replacing Meredith Dunkel who left for a new job in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. The show was then billed as "The Magic Morning Show with Doug & Duran." Scott Simon and Rachel Michaels had hosted "Magic in the morning with Simon and Rachel" beginning in late May 2014. Simon and Rachel had moved over from country sister station

, which at that time had picked up the

Nash FM Nash or NASH may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Nash, Buckinghamshire * Nash, London, a hamlet near Keston in the London Borough of Bromley *Nash, Newport, Wales *Nash, south Shropshire, a small village and parish in southern Shropshire * Nash, ...

brand as well as its national morning show. However Simon and Rachel were out after 11 months. Phil Moore had previously hosted mornings for seventeen years before retiring. By May

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, KMGA became the market's only AC station.

Christmas music

For many years, KMGA plays

during part of November and most of December. Like most AC radio stations around the country, KMGA changes its format each year to playing all Christmas music beginning sometime in November until December 26. The slogan used during this period is "''Albuquerque's Home for the Holidays''". In November 2017, Christmas music began the second week of November starting earlier than in the past. In another unusual move, Christmas music was also featured throughout

Labor Day Labor Day is a federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday in September to honor and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United St ...

weekend in 2020 branded as "Quarantine Christmas" to "lift the spirits" of listeners in the midst of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

.https://www.facebook.com/Magic995ABQ/photos/a.10150631415047050/10157421613247050/?type=3&theater

History

On November 11, 1963, the station 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 ...

as KARA-FM, the original

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 ...

. From the mid 1960s to the early 80s, it also used the call letters KBNM-FM, KMYR and KZZX. The station was assigned the KMGA call sign 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 ...

on September 18, 1985.

Jingles and imaging

Currently KMGA uses the "Pure AC Bright"

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...

package. KMGA commissioned the Brighter version, and

WWLI WWLI (105.1 MHz), branded Lite 105, is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Providence, Rhode Island. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

, also owned by Cumulus, commissioned the Lighter version. In the past KMGA used various packages from Reelworld until 2014. KMGA uses the Benztown AC library for imaging, along with other AC stations owned by Cumulus.

References

External links

KMGA official website

FCC History Cards for KMGA
{{Cumulus Media Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States Cumulus Media radio stations

MGA MGA can refer to: Transport *MGA, IATA code for Augusto C. Sandino International Airport (Managua International Airport) in Managua, Nicaragua *Monongahela Railway, a former coal-hauling short line railroad in the United States *The MG MGA, a pop ...

Radio stations established in 1963 1963 establishments in New Mexico