WMXX-FM
Frequency103.1 MHz
BrandingKool Mixx 103.1 FM
Programming
FormatClassic hits / AC
Ownership
OwnerGerald W. Hunt
WDXI
History
First air date
May 9, 1979 (1979-05-09)
Former call signs
  • WJHR (1979–1986)
  • WRJX (1986–1987)
Call sign meaning
Station branded as Jackson's "Magic Mix" in the late 1980s[1]
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID24099
ClassC2
ERP42,000 watts
HAAT164 meters (538 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
35°32′39.00″N 88°47′18.00″W / 35.5441667°N 88.7883333°W / 35.5441667; -88.7883333
Links
Public license information
Websitekoolmixx1031.com

WMXX-FM (103.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Jackson, Tennessee, broadcasting a classic hits music format known as "Kool Mixx 103.1 FM".[3] The station is currently owned by Gerald W. Hunt.[4]

History

In 1976, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) designated for comparative hearing three different applications for the 103.1 MHz frequency, from Charles C. Allen; Community Service Broadcasting, owner of WDXI (1310 AM); and Madison County Broadcasting, a consortium of J. A. Baxter, Gordon L. Bostic, and Gerald Wayne Hunt.[5] Allen dropped out, and in 1978, an FCC hearing examiner selected the Baxter-Bostic-Hunt bid on grounds that Community Service already owned WDXI and radio stations elsewhere, whereas the Madison County Broadcasting principals owned no stations.[6] Final approval, granted in December 1978,[7] allowed for construction to begin; the call sign WJHR was selected, and studios were built on Old Pinson Road.[8]

WJHR began broadcasting with an adult contemporary "easy rock" format on May 9, 1979.[7] It was the first new station in Jackson since WJAK signed on in 1954.[9] The station proved successful, filling a hole in the market and turning a profit within two months of signing on;[10] by the time Community Service moved to purchase it at the end of 1982 for excess of $1 million, it was the number-one FM station, and the combination of WDXI and WJHR put the number one AM and FM outlets in town under one roof.[11] On January 1, 1986, WJHR changed its call sign to WRJX and adopted an album-oriented rock format as "Good Rock 103".[12][1]

Community Service Broadcasting sold its broadcast properties to CR Broadcasting in 1987 for $4 million;[13][14] CR set up corporate headquarters in Jackson, and it decided that younger listeners were already well-served by the market's other stations. It flipped WRJX to adult contemporary as WMXX-FM, Jackson's "Magic Mix", on May 8, 1987.[1]

The Glassman brothers, who owned Community Service Broadcasting, repurchased CR Broadcasting in 1992, citing the improving Jackson economy.[15] However, later that year, the Jackson stations were sold later that year to Gerald Wayne Hunt for $350,000.[16] Ten years to the day after closing on selling WJHR, Hunt closed on his purchase of WMXX-FM.[17] The format was immediately changed to oldies, targeting the baby boomer population and with a large female listenership.[9]

Even though WMXX's studios had moved to WDXI's Radio Park facility in Jackson, the tower remained at the Old Pinson Road site. It was struck by lightning in July 2003, with the blaze spreading to and destroying the transmitter building, described as a double-wide trailer surrounded by other construction. The incident took WMXX and WTNV (104.1 FM) off the air for several days, with WTNV having just moved to the WMXX tower after it lost its own in a tornado on May 4.[18] The station has continued in its oldies format, organizing regular "Caravan of Stars" concerts with oldies artists; Hunt's son, J. Nelson, is an air personality on WMXX-FM.[17]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Tanton, Tim (May 7, 1987). "Rock radio station changes to adult contemporary music". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 7A. Retrieved June 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WMXX-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Summer 2009. Archived from the original on September 23, 2009. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  4. ↑ "WMXX-FM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
  5. ↑ "Newspaper Notice". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. October 28, 1976. p. 5-C. Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "FCC OKs New City Radio Station". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. January 31, 1978. p. 4. Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 Frye, Lisa (May 17, 1979). "Response pleases new station head". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 5B. Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Ballard, Delores (February 8, 1979). "After 6-year delay, new FM station aims to start service by May 1". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 1A. Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. 1 2 Meyer, W. Matt (November 4, 1996). "Music to their ears". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 6C. Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (Note: This article misstates WJAK's sign-on as 1953, though it was in actuality December 13, 1954.)
  10. ↑ Frye, Lisa (January 2, 1983). "Radio promoter earns jackpot". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 10B. Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Frye, Lisa (December 29, 1982). "Competitors to buy No. 1 rock station". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 1B. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Segues" (PDF). Radio & Records. January 17, 1986. p. 50 – via World Radio History.
  13. ↑ "Jackson being confirmed for firm's headquarters". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. December 16, 1986. p. 8B. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Transactions: CR Broadcasting Pays $4 Million For Three Combos" (PDF). Radio & Records. December 19, 1986. p. 14. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  15. ↑ Diel, Stan (April 21, 1992). "Brothers buying back radio stations". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 1B. Archived from the original on June 19, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. November 20, 1992. p. 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 5, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  17. 1 2 Thomas, David (April 21, 2013). "Business of broadcasting: Format remains the same at AM and FM stations". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 6B, 5B. Archived from the original on June 20, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ Anderson, Scott H. (July 23, 2003). "2 radio stations lose feed after fire". The Jackson Sun. Jackson, Tennessee. p. 3A. Retrieved June 27, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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