WMFR-FM The station
signed on the air in 1946 as WMFR-FM. It broadcast at 97.7 MHz as a
sister station of
WMFR 1230 AM. In 1947, WMFR-FM moved to 99.5 MHz; by the 1960s, it had increased its power to 8,000 watts. The two stations
simulcast their programming until the late 1960s. By that time, the
Federal Communications Commission was encouraging FM stations in larger communities to offer separate programming from their co-owned AM counterparts. WMFR-FM switched to
beautiful music. It played
automated quarter-hour sweeps of instrumental music. The
playlist was mostly soft
cover versions of popular adult songs, along with
Broadway and
Hollywood show tunes.
WMAG In 1982, WMFR-FM was purchased by Voyager Communications. The facilities were upgraded and the station became WMAG "Magic 99.5" with an adult contemporary format. During the 1980s and early 90s the station's competitors in the adult contemporary format were
WWWB and
WMQX. In later years, "Magic 99.5" began describing its music as "
soft rock" and dropped the "Magic" handle in favor of just the
call sign. Voyager Broadcasting sold WMAG in the early 1990s to what would become AMFM Broadcasting. In 1999,
San Antonio-based
Clear Channel Communications acquired AMFM Broadcasting, including WMAG. Its original transmitter site, still used by 1230 WMFR, is visible atop The Radio Building on Main St. in downtown High Point.
Changes in staff At the end of 2009, Bill Flynn ended a 26-year career as WMAG morning host when he moved to 94.5
WPTI. After the local
classic hits station
WTHZ "Majic 94.1" switched to a
contemporary Christian format, WMAG added more 1970s and 1980s music in effort to gain some of the former WTHZ listeners. Another local radio personality, Rod Davis, lost his job as the co-host on WMAG's morning show, on Wednesday October 26, 2011. As a cost-cutting move, Clear Channel Communications announced that it had dismissed some on-air and off-air staff, within that same week, throughout the United States. On December 18, 2020, WMAG rebranded as "Mix 99.5". In November and December, Mix 99.5 calls itself "The Triad's Christmas Station" playing all Christmas music through Christmas Day. ==References==