WMKK
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- For the airport with this ICAO Code, see: Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
| WMKK | |
 |
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| City of license | Lawrence |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Boston |
| Branding | 93-7 Mike FM |
| Slogan | "We Play Everything" |
| Frequency | 93.7 (MHz) (Also on HD Radio) 93.7 HD-2 for Rhythmic AC |
| First air date | 1960s |
| Format | Adult Hits |
| ERP | 34,000 watts |
| HAAT | 179 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 1919 |
| Callsign meaning | MiKe |
| Owner | Entercom (Entercom Boston License, LLC) |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 937mikefm.com |
WMKK (93.7 FM, "93.7 Mike FM") is a radio station licensed to serve Lawrence, Massachusetts. The station plays a wide variety of popular music, serving as the Boston market's answer to the Jack FM craze. The lean is adult rock hits though some non-rock is played as well. The music spans from 1964 to a few current hits with heavy emphasis on '70s-'80s-'90s rock hits. The station currently has no airstaff. The types of music range from hard rock to alternative to pop rock to disco to some Rhythm and blues product. Its transmitter is located in Peabody, Massachusetts.
WMKK is an HD Radio licensee and in addition to its regular programming also broadcasts Funkytown HD2, a recreation of its old dance music format as WQSX, as its secondary digital program.
[edit] History
In the station's early days as WLAW-FM, WGHJ, and WCCM-FM, 93.7 aired locally based programming that targeted Lawrence and the Merrimack Valley. Before long, the station evolved into WCGY, a top 40 station that targeted the Greater Boston, Massachusetts area, due to the signal's strength. The call letters were chosen with the owner in mind. Curt Gowdy and his children owned and operated the station until the sale to American Radio Systems in 1994.
In 1983 WCGY flipped to an oldies format playing hits of the '50s and '60s. The station, however, did not perform well in the Boston ratings. Some early to mid '70s oldies were mixed in by 1984 and by 1985 the '50s music was gone. The station by then was called "Superhits WCGY". By 1986 the station leaned slightly toward classic rock still playing mostly music from 1964 to 1974. By 1987 WCGY evolved to more of a classic rock format and held on to this format until 1994. They were called "The Rock Garden".
In 1994, immediately after the station was sold to American Radio Systems, WCGY became '70s-formatted WEGQ "Eagle 93.7", which received many changes over its five year existence. Initially they played music from 1970-79 ranging from classic rock to disco to pop to pop/rock to novelty to easy listening. As time went on they added late '60s and early '80s music. By 1995 they also leaned classic rock. The station's most notable air talent was likely its morning show, Karlson and McKenzie.
After American Radio Systems was acquired by CBS/Westinghouse, the combined company was required to sell two of their FM stations, along with three AM stations. WEGQ, along with WEEI, WRKO, and WAAF, was sold to Entercom Communications.
After the sale, Entercom changed WEGQ's format, as from April 1, 1999 until April 14, 2005, the station was WQSX "Star 93.7", which was a format that could be described as a combination of '70s and '80s-soul music, dance music, rhythmic hit music, and rhythmic adult contemporary tracks. This format, however, didn't catch any fire in the Arbitron ratings. However, on January 19, 2006 they would bring the format back as a HD2 subcarrier. The format is also available online as an internet-only station. During 2001, controversial "Survivor" winner Richard Hatch was a morning host briefly.
On April 14, 2005, WQSX became the current WMKK. Inside Radio, a radio industry publication, released information that had this change not taken place, Infinity Broadcasting (interestingly, the group that was prohibited from owning 93.7 itself back in the late 1990s, and is now known as CBS Radio) reportedly would have transformed either WBMX or WZLX to Jack FM on April 15.
Following the Boston Red Sox victory in the 2007 World Series, the station re-branded itself as 93.7 Mike Lowell FM after the third baseman for one day.
[edit] Funkytown HD2
The dance-oriented format of the original has been carried over to the Internet and WMKK's HD2 Radio digital broadcast. Funkytown HD2 (slogan: "The Rhythm of Boston") is a largely automated stream of popular dance music from the mid-70s to current times, and is broadcast as WMKK's HD2 (secondary digital channel). It features local radio personality Anthony "Pic" Picarello as the primary voice-tracked presenter. Entercom launched Funkytown HD2 as an over-the-air digital stream on 19 January 2006.
[edit] External links
- WMKK official website
- Website for Funkytown HD2
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WMKK
- Radio Locator information on WMKK
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for WMKK
