WMMQ
 | |
| City | East Lansing, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Lansing, Michigan |
| Branding | Classic Rock 94.9 |
| Slogan | Lansing's Classic Rock |
| Frequency | 94.9 MHz |
| First air date | 1963 (as WVIC) |
| Format | Classic rock |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 150 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 24641 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 42°38′45″N 84°33′38″W / 42.64583°N 84.56056°W |
| Former callsigns |
WVIC-FM (9/11/83-6/1/97) WVIC (6/8/83-9/11/83) WVIC-FM (5/6/81-6/8/83) WVIC (1963-5/6/81) |
| Owner |
Townsquare Media (Townsquare Media Lansing License, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WFMK, WITL-FM, WJIM, WJIM-FM, WVFN |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wmmq.com |
WMMQ is an American classic rock radio station at 94.9 FM, licensed to East Lansing, Michigan. The station is owned by Townsquare Media.
The original WMMQ (92.7 FM) began life as WCER-FM in Charlotte, Michigan, in 1963. The station was co-owned with WCER-AM 1390 (now Christian-formatted WLCM). On July 1, 1979, WCER-FM changed its calls to WMMQ, and on September 1 of that year, WMMQ separated programming from its AM sister WVFN and aired an adult contemporary/sports format as Q92.
By the mid-1980s, WMMQ was struggling in the ratings and losing to its Lansing-based A/C competitors, and the station's owners quietly prepared a format change. On April 15, 1985, WMMQ changed to a then brand-new format called Classic rock, making it one of the first FM stations in the United States with such a format. The station was consulted by Fred Jacobs, revered as the "father" of the Classic Rock format, and quickly became one of the most popular stations in mid-Michigan, and Jacobs' first Classic Rock success story.
The current home of WMMQ at 94.9 FM bore the WVIC-FM calls for many years. The station initially simulcast WVIC-AM 730, with an MOR and then a Top 40 format. In the mid-1970s, WVIC-FM simulcast the AM's Top 40 programming during the day and then aired progressive rock at night. In the 1980s, the roles were reversed, as WVIC-FM became the dominant station with its CHR format and WVIC-AM became the simulcast.
WVIC-AM dropped out of the simulcast and became sports-talk WVFN in June 1992. WVIC-FM's period as Lansing's top CHR station came to an end on March 1, 1995, when the station became "Wild Country 94-9 The Cat" in an attempt to take on longtime country music station and market leader WITL-FM. "The Cat" lasted only a few months before the station was acquired by the owners of WITL-FM. Under new ownership was by Liggett CommunicationS , WVIC-FM decided to take on longtime album rocker WJXQ with an active rock format as "Buzz 95." The longtime WJXQ morning show team of Tim (Barron) and Deb (Hart) moved to 94.9 in 1997 and the station adjusted its format to a more mainstream rock approach.
On June 1, 1997, WVIC 94.9 FM and WMMQ 92.7 FM switched programming and call signs. WMMQ's Classic rock format moved to the higher powered signal at 94.9. Tim and Deb stayed on to host the morning show at WMMQ 94.9 after the switch.
The former morning show on WMMQ consisted of Rich Michaels, formerly of sister station WJIM-FM 97.5 (arriving to that station after its format change from Oldies to CHR on September 15, 2005). Joining Michaels is Deb Hart. Ironically, Rich Michaels was also the morning show host on 94.9 during the heyday of the original WVIC in the 1980s and early 1990s.
Michaels was suspended from on air activities on Wednesday August 14, 2008 for on air comments about a building project in Lansing. In 2010, Rich Michaels was let go.
Alice Cooper's syndicated classic rock show is heard weeknights from 7 to Midnight.
A long-standing fixture on WMMQ, dating back to its earliest days in 1985 on 92.7, is the "All-Request Saturday Night." Hosted for 25+ years by Larry Allen until his passing in December, 2013, The show, now hosted by Brent Alberts, runs from 7pm to midnight and usually has a featured artist or theme each week, and consists of a playlist entirely supplied by listener phone and e-mail requests.[1]
WMMQ continues to be consistently rated in Lansing's top 10 - and was ranked in the top three in local adult 25-54 market ratings in the fall of 2006.
The original 92.7 Charlotte-based WMMQ signal (now Classic Hits WLMI) moved to 92.9 in late October 2006 and is now licensed to the community of Grand Ledge. WLMI is owned by Wausau, Wisconsin-based Midwest Communications.
WMMQ currently streams its programming 24/7 using the Windows Media format through a link on its website listed below.
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus Media stations, including WMMQ, for $238 million. The deal is part of Cumulus' acquisition of Dial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled by Oaktree Capital Management.[2][3] The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.[4]
Notes
- ↑ Wardell, Chris (2002-04-10), "Listeners get something different with Allen's 'All Request Saturday Night'", Lansing City Pulse, archived from the original on September 28, 2004, retrieved 2015-06-08
- ↑ "Official: Cumulus Buys Dial Global, Spins Some Stations To Townsquare; Peak Stations Sold To Townsquare, Fresno Spun To Cumulus". All Access. August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- ↑ "Cumulus Makes Dial Global And Townsquare Deals Official". RadioInsight. August 30, 2013. Retrieved August 30, 2013.
- ↑ "Cumulus-Townsquare-Peak Deal Closes". All Access. November 15, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
References
External links
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WMMQ
- Radio-Locator information on WMMQ
- Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WMMQ
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