WMGE

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WMGE
Mega Logo
City of license Miami Beach, Florida
Broadcast area Miami-Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Branding Mega 94.9
Slogan Latino & Proud
First air date 1962
Frequency 94.9 MHz image:HD_Symbol.png
Format Hispanic Urban
ERP 100,000 watts
Class Class C0 FM Station
Callsign meaning The E in MEGA is transposed
Owner Clear Channel Communications
Website www.mega949.com

WMGE is Mega 94.9 in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale radio market. The station plays the recent Hispanic Urban format, which is a growing trend in the United States. Despite the market target, the station's signal is able to reach as far north as Jupiter and as far south as Key Largo.

The station signed on in 1962, with 81,000 watts under the WAEZ calls. It was the first station in Miami to broadcast in stereo. It played easy listening music "from the beautiful Deauville Hotel in Miami Beach." The station was owned by Arthur E. Zucker, hence the "AEZ" in the station's calls. A few years later, it changed its calls to WOCN-FM to reflect its sister station WOCN-AM, which it was now partially simulcasting. It continued to play its format, and even began an attempt at Spanish language romance music. For a brief moment during the mid 70's, they were known as " Stereo 94".

In 1975, it became WINZ-FM under Guy Gannett Broadcasting, and went to a progressive rock format, with the moniker "Zeta4" until 1981, where it flipped to CHR/Pop station I-95, retaining the WINZ-FM calls. Still retaining its calls, the station flipped to classic rocker Zeta in 1987, and changing its call letters to WZTA shortly thereafter. This is where the station would begin a long term commitment as a rocker. In the early-90s, the station was purchased by Paxson Communications and then swallowed up by Clear Channel Communications in the mid-90's. Under Paxson, the station evolved to an active rock format, still retaining the WZTA calls. In the early new millennium, Zeta attempted an Alternative rock format, but quickly switched back to active. With ratings continuing to slump, and Lex and Terry underperforming, Zeta finally came to an end in February 2005 after 19 years as a rock station.

Mega 94.9 was born, with the new calls WMGE, which previously existed in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale on what is now WMIB, also under the Clear Channel umbrella. The station was part of Clear Channel's effort to expand its Hispanic radio efforts, as they were flipping several more stations to Spanish formats the same year. Coincidentally, with no more active rock stations in the market, Cox Radio flipped their CHR/Rhythmic station Party 93 to actuve rocker 93Rock, with new calls WHDR.

Like other Hispanic Urban formatted stations, Mega is a hybrid of both English and Spanish language.

FM radio stations in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood, Florida market (Arbitron #12)
By frequency
Miami-Dade County
(Arbitron #12)
87.7¹ | 88.1 | 88.3 | 88.5 | 88.9 | 89.7 | 90.3 | 90.5 | 91.3 | 92.3 | 93.1 | 93.9 | 94.9 | 95.7 | 96.5 | 97.3 | 98.3 | 99.1 | 99.9 | 100.7 | 101.5 | 102.7 | 103.5 | 105.1 | 105.9 | 106.7 | 107.5

¹ Audio for TV channel 6 (WTVJ/NBC)

By callsign
Operating stations
WAFG | WAMR | WBGG-FM | WCMQ-FM | WDNA | WEAT | WEDR | WFLC | WHDR | WHYI | WIRP | WKIS | WKPX | WLRN-FM | WLVE | WLYF | WMCU | WMGE | WMIB-FM | WMXJ | WPOW | WRGP | WRMA | WRMF | WRTO | WTVJ | WVUM | WXDJ

Satellite Radio Local Traffic/Weather: XM Channel 230 | Sirius Channel 153

Defunct stations
none
Other
Florida Radio Markets

Daytona Beach · Fort Myers · Ft. Walton Beach · Gainesville/Ocala · Jacksonville AM/FM · Key West/The Florida Keys · Lakeland/Winter Haven · Melbourne/Titusville · Miami AM/FM · Orlando AM/FM · Panama City · Pensacola AM/FM · Sebring · Tallahassee AM/FM · Sarasota · Tampa/St. Petersburg AM/FM · Vero Beach · West Palm Beach/Boca Raton AM/FM

Shortwave: WYFR at SW 5.950
See also: List of radio stations in Florida and List of United States radio markets