Mix 94.9

[radioaircheck]

I beleive that they are making their way towards Contemporary Christian music. Look at the music on their website. Interesting. May work though.

 

[LRRadioDADDY]

> I beleive that they are making their way towards
> Contemporary Christian music. Look at the music on their
> website. Interesting. May work though.
>

That ain't Contemporary Christian...that's straight up Urban Gospel. Going right after Praise it looks like.

 

[radioaircheck]

> > I beleive that they are making their way towards
> > Contemporary Christian music. Look at the music on their
> > website. Interesting. May work though.
> >
>
> That ain't Contemporary Christian...that's straight up Urban
> Gospel. Going right after Praise it looks like.
>
yeah, I just saw TD Jakes on their play list. I am here in Northwest Arkansas, but travel to Conway quite a bit. They must have changed after Midnight. How do they sound?

 

[noisebox]

94.9 no longer KMSX Mix 94.9...

> > > I beleive that they are making their way towards
> > > Contemporary Christian music. Look at the music on
> their
> > > website. Interesting. May work though.
> > >
> >
> > That ain't Contemporary Christian...that's straight up
> Urban
> > Gospel. Going right after Praise it looks like.
> >
> yeah, I just saw TD Jakes on their play list. I am here in
> Northwest Arkansas, but travel to Conway quite a bit. They
> must have changed after Midnight. How do they sound?
>


they sound like: KHLR "Hallelujah 94.9 FM"
i think it started about 7:20 this morning....
but don't quote me on that.


but look here: http://www.949hallelujah.com/main.html

<P ID="signature">______________
*curmudgeon in training*</P>

 

[Kent]

> yeah, I just saw TD Jakes on their play list. I am here in
> Northwest Arkansas, but travel to Conway quite a bit. They
> must have changed after Midnight. How do they sound?

You can listen to them online. I know at midnight they were still running Christmas music and promoting Mix 94.9. So, it happened between about 12:15 and 8 this morning as I fired up the internet stream at about that time and heard Hallelujah.

As a side note, I remember when I lived in Northwest Arkansas, and 94.9 was KDAB "The Higher Power." As much as I disliked that station, it was good for something. It signed off at either 10 or 11 PM (I think 10:00), and KOLL would normally come booming in, though I'd occasionally get KCMO-FM on 94.9. I seem to remember KOLL bragging it could be heard from Tennessee to Texas, and it caused enough confusion for 98.1 in Memphis that it quickly abandoned the "Kool" nickname to go back to Oldies 98. That and KISR are, or were, easily the strongest FM signals in Arkansas. KDAB also never seemed to cause much interference to KTTS 94.7 from Springfield either, though I couldn't pick up KMXL 95.1 from Joplin when it was on-air. Getting KTTS in Fayetteville is now pretty tough if not impossible. Also, I can hear 94.9 starting about Claremore up to Miami when making the I-44 run from my parents' house in Tulsa to my home near St Louis, and that's something I couldn't do when it was the Higher Power either. I'm guessing Cumulus either replaced the transmitter and/or has better engineers as I don't believe there have been any upgrades filed with the FCC.

 

[foreverchanges]

KTTS, 94.9, etc.

> As a side note, I remember when I lived in Northwest
> Arkansas, and 94.9 was KDAB "The Higher Power." As much as
> I disliked that station, it was good for something. It
> signed off at either 10 or 11 PM (I think 10:00), and KOLL
> would normally come booming in, though I'd occasionally get
> KCMO-FM on 94.9. I seem to remember KOLL bragging it could
> be heard from Tennessee to Texas, and it caused enough
> confusion for 98.1 in Memphis that it quickly abandoned the
> "Kool" nickname to go back to Oldies 98. That and KISR are,
> or were, easily the strongest FM signals in Arkansas. KDAB
> also never seemed to cause much interference to KTTS 94.7
> from Springfield either, though I couldn't pick up KMXL 95.1
> from Joplin when it was on-air. Getting KTTS in
> Fayetteville is now pretty tough if not impossible. Also, I
> can hear 94.9 starting about Claremore up to Miami when
> making the I-44 run from my parents' house in Tulsa to my
> home near St Louis, and that's something I couldn't do when
> it was the Higher Power either. I'm guessing Cumulus either
> replaced the transmitter and/or has better engineers as I
> don't believe there have been any upgrades filed with the
> FCC.
>

I remember in the 80's you could get KTTS in Fayetteville...and Rock 99 from Springfield (in the mid 80's I loved that station!). And a lot of Tulsa stations, I listened to KMYZ (Z 104.5) religiously (pardon the pun to what the discussion's about) during high school in the early 90's. And KSYN from Joplin. I never remember getting KCMO in Fayetteville, but I did used to get the 106.5 (that's now WDAF-FM) in Fayetteville during tropo openings. I still remember the one and only e-skip I ever picked up, sitting in my backyard with a walkman one Saturday morning in the mid 80's listening to North Carolina and Virginia FMs!

Now I'm in Memphis, and you can't get 94.9 from Little Rock here now, there's a K-Love translator on 94.9 (and on 94.7). And I never knew 98.1 was ever oldies. In the late 80's it was Z98, CHR. I have an aircheck of David the Worm hosting a modern rock show on a Sunday night on Z98. Sometime it became classic rock Star 98, then 98.1 the Cat, and now it's 98.1 the Max. I regularly pick up Magic 105 and Edge 100 here in Memphis (in mono, usually), and sometimes Power 92 is there (if Rock 92.3 in Jackson, TN isn't coming in). If the tropo gets crazy, I can get B 98.5, Oldies 106.3, and on very rare occasions KABF, 94.9 and 103.7 (there's a local 103.5, so that one's hard to get).

 

[Kent]

Re: KTTS, 94.9, etc.

> I remember in the 80's you could get KTTS in
> Fayetteville...and Rock 99 from Springfield (in the mid 80's
> I loved that station!).

Yep. When I was visiting Fayetteville after leaving and KDAB was off-air due to bankruptcy, the seek in my car stopped on KTTS. I also used to listen to Rock 99 and US-97 in the mid-90's when I was going to school at the U of A. I could get most of the commercial class C's/C1's from Springpatch, and I still can when I visit (though it is a few less, like KTTS doesn't start coming in until about the Benton County line going north on 540). Of course, Springpatch commercial class C's are KTTS 94.7, KXUS 97.3, KWTO-FM 98.7, and KTXR 101.3. I could get one class C2 from there, which was KLTQ 96.5 (now KSPW).

> And a lot of Tulsa stations, I
> listened to KMYZ (Z 104.5) religiously (pardon the pun to
> what the discussion's about) during high school in the early
> 90's. And KSYN from Joplin.

I could get a few Tulsa stations consistently in Fayetteville. KBEZ 92.9 (prior to the sign on of 92.9 Ozark, MO), KVOO-FM 98.5 (prior to 98.3's power increase), KTFX/KJSR 103.3 and KMYZ 104.5 came in pretty much all-the-time. I could usually, but not always, catch KWEN 95.5 and KHTT 106.9. My home stereo could get most every station from Joplin except KMXL 95.1 during KDAB's hours of operation, KXDG 97.9 (KZBB obliterated them) and KMOQ 107.1. Of course, there are more stations in Joplin now, and many of them you can't get in Fayetteville.

> I never remember getting KCMO in
> Fayetteville, but I did used to get the 106.5 (that's now
> WDAF-FM) in Fayetteville during tropo openings.

There were two Kansas City stations I got pretty regularly on my home stereo in Fayetteville. KQRC 98.9 was there almost daily, and KLTH 99.7 was there about as often until KBTN-FM signed on at 99.7 in the summer or fall of '95. However, both were pretty faint, and I had to turn up the booster on my antenna to get any enjoyment out of listening. After KBSY 107.3 became KOMS and started signing off at 10 PM (during the few years when Leroy Billy had it), I could usually get KISF 107.3 from KC, too. It was just as weak as the other two, but it, too, was listenable if I turned up the booster on my antenna. Another one that was a frequent but not consistent catch from that area was KLRQ 96.1 out of Clinton, though it often fought with KITO from Vinita, especially if I turned up the booster on the antenna. I remember 106.5 out of Kansas City used to have an excellent signal. However, by the time I got to Fayetteville, KBVA had signed on.

> Now I'm in Memphis, and you can't get 94.9 from Little Rock
> here now, there's a K-Love translator on 94.9 (and on 94.7).
> And I never knew 98.1 was ever oldies. In the late 80's it
> was Z98, CHR. I have an aircheck of David the Worm hosting a
> modern rock show on a Sunday night on Z98. Sometime it
> became classic rock Star 98, then 98.1 the Cat, and now it's
> 98.1 the Max. I regularly pick up Magic 105 and Edge 100
> here in Memphis (in mono, usually), and sometimes Power 92
> is there (if Rock 92.3 in Jackson, TN isn't coming in). If
> the tropo gets crazy, I can get B 98.5, Oldies 106.3, and on
> very rare occasions KABF, 94.9 and 103.7 (there's a local
> 103.5, so that one's hard to get).

I went to school at Memphis my first semester of college in 1993. My car radio could get 94.9 from Little Rock. The Ripley station was new at the time and operated with about half the power it has now while the Holly Springs 94.9 was still someone's dream, and 94.7 didn't exist, at least not as close to Memphis as it is now. However, WYKL 98.1 was the station that I usually listened to when I wanted oldies. I remember the old KMPZ "Z-98" as well. It became KPYR "Oldies 98, The Pyramid" after Diamond Broadcasting bought it from the Dittman Group. It moved its transmitter from Frenchman's Bayou to its present location after being re-licensed to Millington from Osceola. At the time, it also changed its calls to WPYR. Barnstable Broadcasting got it from Diamond with the deal being announced in December 1992 and closing in '93. It switched to WYKL "Kool 98" after Barnstable got it. However, because of confusion with Cool 95, it went back to "Oldies 98" pretty quickly. Then, it became "Target 98" in the summer of '94 but quickly changed its name to "Star 98" because Dayton-Hudson Corporation wasn't happy with the name change or logo, which looked a lot like its Target stores. And, of course, you know the rest of the history. I think 98.1 will change formats again pretty shortly given the bad ratings! And, yes, I used to get Magic 105.1, K-Duck 100, and KKYK 103.7 in Memphis. At the time, 103.5 was still WWKZ out of New Albany/Tupelo, and, yes, I could catch it in Memphis as well.

 

[foreverchanges]

Re: KTTS, 94.9, etc.

>
> I went to school at Memphis my first semester of college in
> 1993. My car radio could get 94.9 from Little Rock. The
> Ripley station was new at the time and operated with about
> half the power it has now while the Holly Springs 94.9 was
> still someone's dream, and 94.7 didn't exist, at least not
> as close to Memphis as it is now.

The 94.7 K-love comes in better where I'm at then the 94.9 one. Wierd. I've never heard the Holly Springs 94.9...last summer I caught Mix 94.9 once.

However, WYKL 98.1 was
> the station that I usually listened to when I wanted oldies.
> I remember the old KMPZ "Z-98" as well. It became KPYR
> "Oldies 98, The Pyramid" after Diamond Broadcasting bought
> it from the Dittman Group. It moved its transmitter from
> Frenchman's Bayou to its present location after being
> re-licensed to Millington from Osceola. At the time, it
> also changed its calls to WPYR. Barnstable Broadcasting got
> it from Diamond with the deal being announced in December
> 1992 and closing in '93. It switched to WYKL "Kool 98"
> after Barnstable got it. However, because of confusion with
> Cool 95, it went back to "Oldies 98" pretty quickly. Then,
> it became "Target 98" in the summer of '94 but quickly
> changed its name to "Star 98" because Dayton-Hudson
> Corporation wasn't happy with the name change or logo, which
> looked a lot like its Target stores. And, of course, you
> know the rest of the history. I think 98.1 will change
> formats again pretty shortly given the bad ratings! And,
> yes, I used to get Magic 105.1, K-Duck 100, and KKYK 103.7
> in Memphis. At the time, 103.5 was still WWKZ out of New
> Albany/Tupelo, and, yes, I could catch it in Memphis as
> well.
>

Thanks for that history lesson on 98.1. I had no clue they were once an oldies station! (The only Memphis oldies station I remember was WOTO 95.7, unless you could AM 680, the Juice!) I didn't move here until '99, and things have pretty much been on the same frequencies since then. (Though a lot of stations have changed formats several times.) 98.1 right now is a pretty schizo station (even though I like that!), and Citadel seems to be running everything they own into the ground out here (except Kix 106). If they should flip anything they've got, I'd expect it to be Power 99. They were doing better in the ratings as smooth jazz.

I'm sure it was eaiser to DX stuff in Memphis then...it's a pain most of the time now. I wonder what you USED to be able to get! In the mid 90's when I still lived in Fayetteville (and moved out of my parents house) I only had boomboxes, so I really couldn't catch much DX.

 

[Kent]

Re: KTTS, 94.9, etc.

> The 94.7 K-love comes in better where I'm at then the 94.9
> one. Wierd. I've never heard the Holly Springs 94.9...last
> summer I caught Mix 94.9 once.

Unless you live north of Memphis, you're probably getting the former 94.9 from Holly Springs, which got moved to Byhalia and moved its transmitter closer to Memphis. K-Love bought it right before it bought the former KSUD-FM 94.7. Clear Channel was originally trying to get 94.9 Holly Springs but backed out of the deal.

> Thanks for that history lesson on 98.1. I had no clue they
> were once an oldies station! (The only Memphis oldies
> station I remember was WOTO 95.7, unless you could AM 680,
> the Juice!)

Actually, 680 also ran regular oldies before becoming The Juice. I believe it simulcasted WOGY for about six months between oldies as WEZI/WODZ and WJCE. 94.3/94.1 was WODZ-FM "Oldies 94" before becoming Froggy 94 in 1993.

> I'm sure it was eaiser to DX stuff in Memphis then...it's a
> pain most of the time now. I wonder what you USED to be able
> to get! In the mid 90's when I still lived in Fayetteville
> (and moved out of my parents house) I only had boomboxes, so
> I really couldn't catch much DX.

When I was there, the Memphis dial started at 94.1 and ended at 107.1. 95.7 signed on about the week I left. I also had the benefit of living near the top of Richardson Towers. However, there were very few amazing catches. There were still so many well-served areas around Memphis that there wasn't as much room for DX as you would think. About the farthest reliable catch I got was WZEZ 92.9 from Nashville. WKBQ-FM 106.5 from St Louis was another one I got, albeit weakly, fairly often. KWYN-FM 92.5 from Wynne, which was a hot AC/CHR station, signed off at midnight, and that brought a few interesting catches. I got KZPS 92.5 from Dallas a few times in the overnights, though WESE from Tupelo and bleedover from 92.3 Jackson were far more common. Other frequent visitors included WKDF 103.3 and WYHY 107.5 from Nashville, though KWOZ and WMJW were more common on those frequencies, especially on the car radio. As 95.7 wasn't on-air until my last week there, KSSN was pretty much always there. I also got the occasional visits from WSM-FM 95.5 and WKQB 95.5 from Jackson. However, neither was particularly common.

 

[foreverchanges]

Re: KTTS, 94.9, etc.

> When I was there, the Memphis dial started at 94.1 and ended
> at 107.1. 95.7 signed on about the week I left. I also had
> the benefit of living near the top of Richardson Towers.
> However, there were very few amazing catches. There were
> still so many well-served areas around Memphis that there
> wasn't as much room for DX as you would think. About the
> farthest reliable catch I got was WZEZ 92.9 from Nashville.
> WKBQ-FM 106.5 from St Louis was another one I got, albeit
> weakly, fairly often. KWYN-FM 92.5 from Wynne, which was a
> hot AC/CHR station, signed off at midnight, and that brought
> a few interesting catches. I got KZPS 92.5 from Dallas a
> few times in the overnights, though WESE from Tupelo and
> bleedover from 92.3 Jackson were far more common. Other
> frequent visitors included WKDF 103.3 and WYHY 107.5 from
> Nashville, though KWOZ and WMJW were more common on those
> frequencies, especially on the car radio. As 95.7 wasn't
> on-air until my last week there, KSSN was pretty much always
> there. I also got the occasional visits from WSM-FM 95.5
> and WKQB 95.5 from Jackson. However, neither was
> particularly common.
>

I've picked up WKDF once. Nothing else from Nashville. Sometimes I can get the 105.1 from somehwere near Jackson, MS, an oldies station. When did 92.9 come on? Or 95.7 for that matter (I know they were there in '94)?

 

[Kent]

Re: KTTS, 94.9, etc.

> I've picked up WKDF once. Nothing else from Nashville.
> Sometimes I can get the 105.1 from somehwere near Jackson,
> MS, an oldies station. When did 92.9 come on? Or 95.7 for
> that matter (I know they were there in '94)?

Nashville generally doesn't put a signal into Memphis, though, like I said, being near the top of Richardson Towers helped. A dipole antenna attached to a home stereo at 100+ feet does pretty well! WZEZ 92.9 also had some help in that it was about the only 92.9 within about 400 miles of Memphis at the time! KVRE in Hot Springs hadn't signed on, and all the other nearby 92.9's were on 92.7! WKDF also does very well to the west, though, as I said, KWOZ was the usual catch on that frequency, especially in the car. I had far better luck with 'KDF in the dorm (I don't think I ever picked it up in the car, even once). I think I got the 105.1 out of the Jackson area a few times, but it was usually just briefly as it would be fighting with KMJX, which I listened to pretty often. I got WSTZ 106.7 from Jackson a time or two as well, but 106.7 was usually filled with the more mundane sounds of WWZD from Tupelo. Of course, given that it was country, it could just as easily have been KWEZ from Jonesboro many times as I didn't hang around to hear an ID! KKYK 103.7 had also just flipped to rock from CHR, and I liked it better than the Memphis rock station. WEGR, especially in morning drive, never did much for me, and it was really the only local choice for rock.

As for when WMFS signed on, it was in the summer of '94. It signed on as WRRW and ran the "Arrow" format that was popular at the time. 95.7 signed on about 10 days before Christmas in 1993. It ran nothing but NOAA weather radio for close to a month. WEGR got it and launched modern rock as WRXQ 96X in January '94. As I heard it, it actually signed on for the first time in the Winter or Spring of '93 but went off the air around Fourth of July due to financial issues. I heard the original owners were desperately trying to sell it and had several buyers in about a six month time span, but the deals ultimately cratered with Steve Robertson, former owner of WEGR, finally getting it.

 

[foreverchanges]

Thanks, Kent.

Thanks for answering all these questions for me...it seems the only way to find semi-recent radio history for the area is to actually pick someone's brain about it!