WMFJ-FM 101.9
Daytona Beach
Original Call Letters: WMFJ
Originally
Licensed: November
1, 1967
Origin of Call Letters: The
call letters WMFJ-FM were chosen to compliment co-owned WMFJ-AM 1450
The originally desired call letters WMFB -
World’s Most Famous Beach were unavailable in 1967
Original City of License: Daytona
Beach
Original Power: 4,100
watts
Original Format: Beautiful
Music
Network Affiliation(s): RKO
Radio Network, United Stations Radio Network
Owner(s):
1967-Walter-Weeks Broadcasting Company (Jim
Walter and Robert M. Weeks)
1980-Patten Communications, Inc. (Co-owned
with WNJY-FM 94.3 Rivera Beach-West Palm Beach)
1982-Abell
Communications Corporation (The A. S. Abell Publishing Company)
1984-S & F Communications, Inc. (James
Seymour and Stuart Frankel)
1985-Duffy Broadcasting, Inc. (A
Division of Duffy Newspapers)
1987-Beasley-Reed Broadcasting, Inc. (George
G. Beasley and George Reed)
1996-Chancellor Broadcasting Corporation (Thomas
O. Hicks, Founder, Chairman)
1997-Chancellor Media Corporation1
1999-AMFM Broadcasting, Inc.2
2001-Clear Channel Communications Corporation3
2001-Infinity Broadcasting, Incorporated4
2005-CBS Radio, Inc.5
History Of Call Letters and Formats: WMFJ-1967-Automated
Beautiful Music (Drake-Chenault) “Stereo
102”
WQXQ-1973-Automated
AOR (Drake-Chenault) “Q 102”
WQXQ-1976-Automated Top 40 “Q
102”
WDOQ-1980-Top
40 “Q 102”
WCFI-1984 -Adult
Contemporary (Tran-Star Satellite)
“Central Florida’s I- 4 101.9 FM”
WCFI-1985-Adult Contemporary
(Tran-Star Satellite) “Sunny 102”
WORZ-1986-Classic
Rock “The Rock You Grew Up With“ “Z
102”
WJHM-1988-Urban
Contemporary/Hip Hop “Jamlando‘s
102 JAMZ”
WMFJ
History
Thanks to Marc Tyll for
this history of WMFJ.
The call letters WMFJ originally to be WMFB standing for “World‘s Most
Famous Beach”. The “J” in WMFJ didn’t really stand for
anything, but was chosen because they needed a forth letter in the call letter
combination. WMFJ appeared to be the better choice among the available
WMF -
call letter combinations at the time. Also, it made sense to use the same
combo that sister station WMFJ-AM 1450 had by just adding the suffix “FM”.
The station was constructed in 1967, going on the air November 1 of that same
year. WMFJ-FM was owned and operated by Walter-Weeks Broadcasting
Company, a
small Daytona Beach based broadcasting company that later acquired AM-FM combinations in Sarasota, West Palm Beach and Tallahassee.
Walter-Weeks was
owned and headed by former Ocala resident Robert M. Weeks and Jim
Walter, a
well known Florida home builder and founder of Jim Walter Homes, Inc. Walter-Weeks Broadcasting Company was formed in 1965 when the company bought
its first radio station, WMFJ-AM Daytona Beach, shortly after a very young
Weeks had met Jim Walter in the mid sixties. According to various sources,
apparently Walter made a deal with Weeks, telling Weeks he would financially
back him on a radio station purchase once Weeks found a station he liked.
Shortly after the two shook hands and sealed the deal, Weeks headed for
Daytona - on foot! After a few hours of hitch-hiking, Weeks was given a ride
the rest of the way. Soon after Weeks arrived in Daytona and got settled, he
decided WMFJ was the station he wanted. Weeks contacted Walter to inform him
of the find he had made. True to his word, Walter bought WMFJ and made Weeks
the President and General Manager of the new radio company. Plans soon went
into effect to build an FM station in Daytona to become a part of the newly
acquired WMFJ-AM. Daytona already had one FM station, WNDB-FM
94.5, which, at
the time, was co-owned with WNDB-AM 1150 and
The Daytona News Journal. Upon
receiving final approval from the FCC for the AM license transfer, Weeks
immediately filed an application with the Commission for the 101.9 FM
frequency, the only available FM channel at that time. Soon the application
was granted and a construction permit was issued to Walter-Weeks Broadcasting
Company for 101.9 MHz with 4,100 watts at an antenna height of 110 feet. The
call letters WMFJ were issued and the facility was constructed at the
former WMFJ-AM site at 750 Root Street in Daytona. The AM self supporting 110
foot tower was located in the center of the building with the AM studios and
offices built around the tower base. The original FM transmitter was a 5,000
watt Collins FM Series which was located in a specially constructed room
located near the front of the main building. The automation system was just
down the hallway from the transmitter, heading towards the AM studio which was
in the back of the building.
The original format on the new WMFJ-FM was beautiful music, using Drake-Chenault’s “The World’s Most Beautiful Music” series. The new
“Stereo 102”, as it was known, also provided the Muzak subscription music
service to area businesses through its Subsidiary Communications
Authorization, more commonly known as an SCA.
In 1972, a very young Ron Samuels, who was the general sales manager for both
stations, was promoted to general manager of WMFJ-FM. Samuels wanted to
increase the billing on the FM, so in an effort to attract higher ratings and
more ad revenues, Samuels dropped the beautiful music programming which had
been broadcast for over 5 years on Stereo 102, replacing it with automated
album rock, also programmed by Drake-Chenault. The concept was something new
known as FM Stereo Rock. The WMFJ-FM call letters were replaced with a
familiar set of calls which had recently been replaced on an area AM station.
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