| City of license | Greensboro, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Piedmont Triad |
| Branding | 98.7 Simon |
| Slogan | We Play Everything |
| Frequency | 98.7 MHZ |
| Format | Adult Hits |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 375 meters |
| Class | C0 |
| Facility ID | 71272 |
| Callsign meaning | W SiMon W |
| Former callsigns | WMDE (1958-1973) WPET-FM (1973) WRQK (1973-1985) WKSI (1985-2002) WOZN (2002-2005) |
| Former frequencies | 98.5 MHz (1958-1960s) |
| Owner | Entercom |
| Sister stations | WJMH, WPAW, WQMG-FM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 987simon.com |
WSMW ("98.7 Simon FM") is a Variety Hits station licensed to Greensboro, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad region, including High Point and Winston Salem. The Entercom outlet broadcasts at 98.7 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW (a signal so large it reaches as far as Charlotte, Raleigh, and Roanoke, Virginia).
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On January 9, 1958, WMDE signed on at 98.5. Owner Hall Electronics had used the ham radio call sign W4MDE. In the early 60s WMDE moved to 98.7, a frequency used from 1948 to 1950 by WCTP. Early formats on WMDE included classical music, middle of the road and jazz. In 1966 WMDE played country music and aired Tobacco Radio Network news. Suburban Broadcasting sold WMDE to Mido Broadcasting in 1973 and the station became WPET-FM, airing Southern gospel music.
Starting November 1, 1973, the station went Top 40 as WRQK, known as "K-99". The station leaned toward classic rock in 1980, when it was also called "Heart of Gold".[1] Later the name became "99-RQK."
In 1985 the station changed to WKSI "98-7 Kiss FM," under consultant Randy Kabrich—still playing Top 40 and enjoying the "hey day" of 80's top 40. The station was programmed during the mid/late 80's by Big Steve Kelly and then Dale O'Brian. Big Steve left the station for Cleveland in the late 80's and O'Brian was named PD/Operations Manager. The station enjoyed the reputation of being one of the best sounding Top 40's in the Carolina's. The station would evolve to a Modern-leaning Adult Top 40 by 1995 (after a brief stint as a country station "98-7 Kiss Country"). The station would also change its slogan to "The Point" in 1997 and by 2002 changed it again to "The Zone" and its calls to WOZN. In 2005 the station would change their call letters to WSMW and join the list of stations embracing the Variety Hits concept by introducing "Simon" to the market. The slogan is a reference to the children's game "Simon Says," but it also refers to whatever the jockless station plays in its music library.
The station later added a morning show hosted by Jeff Wicker. Jeff was voted "best triad radio personality" for 2007 (GoTriad.com) Currently the morning show is hosted by Sean Sellers, a Henderson North Carolina native who cut his teeth in Triangle radio including a long stint at G-105.
The station is partially dedicated to playing music of every genre, era, and style. Music ranging from today's hits to 80's music and older classics are played. Several slogans, such as "Random Rules" or "We play everything" demonstrate this dedication to a wide variety of music.
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