Two Birmingham Anniversaries This Week

[Charles1]

12/25/82: At midnight, WQEZ (Your "Q" to "EZ" listening, Stereo 96) signed off for good. The next morning at 6:00 a.m. it was replaced with WMJJ. Thirty years later, it's still around, doing basically the same format, first as Magic 96 and now as Magic 96.5.

12/25/88: At 6:00 p.m. WLTB (Lite 99) changed to WZRR and became Rock 99. For the next 23 years it gave Birmingham listeners a solid dose of classic rock before changing formats at midnight last New Year's Day, becoming 99-5 the Vibe.

 

[passtheword]

I was always under the belief that WQEZ became WMJJ on Dec 27, 1982, not Dec 26...at least that's what I recall anyhow from the Birmingham News article from that year. But then again...I don't remember much about the format change and my memory isn't so good, anymore, lol. Maybe the Birmingham News had the date wrong for the format change; I will have to research it. I have heard many other people reference Dec 26 as the day WMJJ debuted. Other than listening in one night after Christmas around midnight and hearing the adult contemporary format, I don't recall much about the format change. WMJJ was having technical issues that night I tuned in, and the audio was barely audible. Ironically, WQEZ's demise is what sparked my interest in the easy listening and beautiful music format and eventually led to my online stream.

I was there for the WLTB format change that night as well. Being a WLTB listener, I was none too happy that classic rock was on its way, lol. My brother, whose interest in music is diametrically opposed to mine, was ecstatic about the change. The change paid off well for 99.5 for almost a quarter century! btw, I do have an aircheck of WLTB as it became WZRR. If anyone wants a link to it, just email me at my website below and I'll send it to you.

 

[tomservo]

I don't remember the date, but as a child I remember riding through our old neighborhood in Tuscaloosa with my dad and him talking about a new station getting put on in Birmingham, and trying to pick it up. It was Magic 96.

For a long time, I thought that was a brand new station. It wasn't until I started working on my ABMP website that I learned it went back a lot further, as WCRT and then WQEZ. I guess to my father, being a man of the hip and happening 1970s, a beautiful music station might as well have not existed to him, lol.

 

[billthomas]

WMJJ's first day in the AC format was December 27, 1982. As the station's first PD (and later GM for most of the 1990's) I remember the date well. The first air staff included Burt & Kurt, Charlie Walker, Jeff Tyson, and Mark Thompson (now known as Marc Chase). It is hard to believe it has been thirty years. Lots of changes in radio over the last three decades. PD's over the years included people like John Jenkins, Ken Barnett, Brad Ellis, Smokey Rivers, and Tom Hanrahan. Congrats to the current team on three decades!

 

[passtheword]

WMJJ's first day in the AC format was December 27, 1982. As the station's first PD (and later GM for most of the 1990's) I remember the date well. The first air staff included Burt & Kurt, Charlie Walker, Jeff Tyson, and Mark Thompson (now known as Marc Chase). It is hard to believe it has been thirty years. Lots of changes in radio over the last three decades. PD's over the years included people like John Jenkins, Ken Barnett, Brad Ellis, Smokey Rivers, and Tom Hanrahan. Congrats to the current team on three decades!

Thanks for the info. It's been a long time, but I was fairly sure WMJJ debuted on December 27 of that year. I guess my memory isn't as bad as I thought it was, lol. For Charles and those of you who might remember WQEZ better than I do ...what was the station's tagline? According to the WMJJ wikipedia page, their tagline was "Your Q to E-Z Listening", but I have never come across that particular tagline for the station in my research online...until Charles mentioned it when he started this thread. I did find the following Birmingham News ad for WCRT/WQEZ on Birmingham Rewound, but at the bottom of the ad, it states "Your Escape to Easy Listening". I'm wondering if these two taglines were used interchangeably, at different times during the station's existence, or whether the info on the wikipedia page is in error.

Speaking of anniversaries...The Vibe turns 1 year old in about.....31 hrs from now...

 

[Charles1]

WMJJ's first day in the AC format was December 27, 1982. As the station's first PD (and later GM for most of the 1990's) I remember the date well. The first air staff included Burt & Kurt, Charlie Walker, Jeff Tyson, and Mark Thompson (now known as Marc Chase). It is hard to believe it has been thirty years. Lots of changes in radio over the last three decades. PD's over the years included people like John Jenkins, Ken Barnett, Brad Ellis, Smokey Rivers, and Tom Hanrahan. Congrats to the current team on three decades!

Mea culpa on the date. I don't know why I thought it was the 26th.

It's remarkable for a station to stay in the same format for 30 years, fighting off two direct challengers (WLTB, WMXQ/WYSF) and more than a few indirect challengers as well.

 

[ekelley]

I go even farther back! December 6, 1976, WVOK-FM took to the air! AOR at it's best! K........99, K......99, "we never talk over the music", except when the "automation" system got stuck and said that phrase over and over, as songs were playing. Loved the mix of music back then!