WNMX-FM 106.1

[JimA]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WNMX

this little station creates all this drama?  WHY

[Mike Sheridan]

Why on earth would CC flip 96.1 to a fringe format like Smooth Jazz? That would make no sense. CC needs to have an urban format on 96.1 to fill out it's cluster and offer a good group package to advertisers.

Because the Urban format is doing so well? 

Seriously Smooth Jazz is a fringe format but look at it this way, they'd have that segment all to themselves.  I think if it was done properly it could pull both black and white listeners.  The problem is they would likely be older black and white listeners which stations can't seem to sell anymore.  Still it might pull CBS's V-101.9 down a bit and right now they are doing very well.

[eacalhoun1]

I was really disappointed when 106.1 dropped the heritage WIST calls a number of years ago and went with the "Mix" slogan which I don't think is fitting -- more appropriate for an AC or Hot AC. "WIST" still exists at one of GHB's stations in Thomasville, but the calls are heritage to Charlotte and not the Triad. I've often wondered if Chuck Boozer had anything to do with renaming 106.1 "Mix 106", since he was at "EZ 104" 104.7 WEZC when it changed to Mix 104. 

[mp3RadioGuy]

I was really disappointed when 106.1 dropped the heritage WIST calls a number of years ago and went with the "Mix" slogan which I don't think is fitting -- more appropriate for an AC or Hot AC. "WIST" still exists at one of GHB's stations in Thomasville, but the calls are heritage to Charlotte and not the Triad. I've often wondered if Chuck Boozer had anything to do with renaming 106.1 "Mix 106", since he was at "EZ 104" 104.7 WEZC when it changed to Mix 104. 

Actually it was Jake Gurley who was sales manager at the time, whose idea was to change the name to MIX 106.
He was also the GM at EZ's EZ104.7 and MIX 104.7 before the MIX 106 gig.

[Mike Sheridan]

Anybody remember when Keymarket's WRLX 102.9 picked up the WEZC calls after 104.7 dropped them and became WMXC? Boy I'll bet the people at 104.7 were ticked off!

[Matt Smith]

Oh they were...ESPECIALLY Jake Gurley.  He was quoted in a few "choice" words by the Charlotte Observer.

Later....
Matt Smith
WGSR-TV

[eacalhoun1]

Anybody remember when Keymarket's WRLX 102.9 picked up the WEZC calls after 104.7 dropped them and became WMXC? Boy I'll bet the people at 104.7 were ticked off!

Seems I remember some significant ads in the Observer stating something like, "WEZC has moved and can now be heard at 102.9". A little misleading, but then I also hated how the new Mix104 was also a bit misleading. They made it sound as though the callsign (legal ID) had been changed to WMIX. I remember their Legal being crammed into a millisecond blurb in the middle of a stop set: "WMXC Charlotte 104 FM". This was the beginning of a new trend, which moved away from stations doing their ID within 2 mins of the top-of-the-hour. In other words, the beginning of the end of radio that most of us grew up with. The 96.5 in Fayetteville -- licensed to Laurinburg -- also did the same quick ID with the same voice guy. Were they co-owned at the time?

Eric

[CrazeeCarroll1]

I remember when they started testing back in the 90's... From what I remember they tested with all kinds of Motown music... About the same time GHB put WIST on the air ole' George was getting ready to fire up WAME in Camden SC which was off the air... I remember the local paper looking for sales reps who could sale in Camden SC as well as Chesterfield, Lancaster, and union counties... I have not checked out the WIKI page, but I remember when 106.1 first coming on the air it was supposed to be religious, but the owners did not have enough money to really get things off the ground... CC1

[RobynWattsV2.0]

Seems I remember some significant ads in the Observer stating something like, "WEZC has moved and can now be heard at 102.9". A little misleading, but then I also hated how the new Mix104 was also a bit misleading. They made it sound as though the callsign (legal ID) had been changed to WMIX. I remember their Legal being crammed into a millisecond blurb in the middle of a stop set: "WMXC Charlotte 104 FM". This was the beginning of a new trend, which moved away from stations doing their ID within 2 mins of the top-of-the-hour. In other words, the beginning of the end of radio that most of us grew up with. The 96.5 in Fayetteville -- licensed to Laurinburg -- also did the same quick ID with the same voice guy. Were they co-owned at the time?

Eric

Hi Eric,

The real WMIX in Mount Vernon, Illinois was more than likely responsible in WMXC's dropping of the phony-baloney "WMIX" call-sign. From what I've learned, they were aggressive in issuing C&D letters to other "Mix" stations that were using their FCC-licensed call-sign on the air (Baltimore's WWMX and Louisville's WLRS were two other stations that were IDing themselves as "WMIX" during this time and were forced to stop using it as well and I'm sure there were others).

As for ownership of Mix 104.7 and Mix 96.5 (WMXF/Fayetteville), IIRC, WMXC was owned by EZ Communications while WMXF/Fayetteville was owned by Beasley Broadcasting. Both station did use the same VO talent (Mark Driscoll) during that time.

And I agree on your opinion about how radio stations would use quick legal IDs during stopsets. Like you, I've grown up when radio stations used to use their call-letters with pride in IDing themselves. Nowdays companies don't care, they want to be another "Kiss" or "Power" or "Hot" etc.

Hope everthing is going well with you these days.

Best,
Robyn

[JimA]

http://www.markdriscoll.com/promo.htm

great production