WMGN (98.1

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 radi ...

Madison, Wisconsin Madison is the county seat of Dane County and the capital city of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 census the population was 269,840, making it the second-largest city in Wisconsin by population, after Milwaukee, and the 80th-lar ...

, known as "Magic 98." It is owned by

Mid-West Family Broadcasting Mid-West Family Broadcasting is an independently owned broadcasting company based in Madison, Wisconsin. The company owns and manages radio stations in Madison, Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Benton Harbor/ St. Joseph, Mic ...

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 was compelle ...

. Notable programming includes a "Five at Five" feature on weekday evenings with five songs in the same theme, and the syndicated call-in and request show ''

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label= Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved ...

''. Weekend programming includes "Saturday at the 70s", "Sunday At The 80s", and the "Magic Sunday Morning" program. WMGN 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 h ...

(ERP) of 36,000

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 ...

s. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...

is off County Highway MM, near U.S. Route 14 in Fitchburg. The studios and offices are on Rayovac Drive in Madison. WMGN is one of the few AC stations in the U.S. that does not switch to all- Christmas music for part of November and most of December. Instead, the all-holiday music format in Madison can be heard on iHeartMedia’s 92.1

WXXM WXXM (92.1 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, and serving the Madison metropolitan area. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, and broadcasts an adult hits radio format, switching to Chris ...

and on

Audacy Audacy, previously known as Radio.com, is a free broadcast and Internet radio platform owned by the namesake company Audacy, Inc. (formerly known as Entercom). The Audacy platform functions as a music recommender system and is the national um ...

’s 105.1 WMHX. WMGN switches to all-Christmas music a few days before December 25th, calling it "The 98 Hours of Christmas," tying in its dial position.

History

The station signed on the air in . 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 assign ...

was WISC-FM. It was mostly

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...

with sister station WISC 1480 AM (now WLMV). WISC-AM-FM were owned by Radio Wisconsin, Inc., with offices in the Commercial State Bank Building. WISC-FM was the second commercial FM station in Madison, going on the air a year after 101.5

WIBA-FM WIBA-FM (101.5 MHz) is a radio station licensed to Sauk City, Wisconsin and serving Madison and south central Wisconsin. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia (formerly Clear Channel Communications) and broadcasts a classic rock ...

. WISC-AM-FM slightly changed their call letters to WISM-AM-FM in 1959. They were

network affiliate In the broadcasting industry (particularly in North America, and even more in the United States), a network affiliate or affiliated station is a local broadcaster, owned by a company other than the owner of the network, which carries some or a ...

s of the

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...

. By the late 1960s, WISM-FM had a separate

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...

format, that was largely

automated Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...

. By the 1980s, the easy listening format was attracting mostly older listeners. To gain a younger audience, WISM-FM flipped to soft rock as "Movin' Easy 98 FM." On December 1, 1983, the station changed its call letters to WMGN with the moniker "Magic 98." The format switched to

soft 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 sto ...

music. Over time, the tempo picked up and WMGN became a Mainstream AC station.

References

External links

WMGN official website
* {{Coord, 42.963, N, 89.380, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title MGN Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States