WMAX-FM

WMAX-FM

Holland, Michigan
Broadcast area	[1]
Frequency	96.1 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	Radio X 96.1
Programming
Format	Modern Rock
Ownership
Owner	Clear Channel Communications
Sister stations	WBCT, WBFX, WOOD, WOOD-FM, WSNX-FM, WTKG
History
Former call signs	WVTI (2/21/97-11/16/05) WAKX (11/21/94-2/21/97) WKEZ (5/8/92-11/21/94) WYXX (9/14/83-5/8/92) WHTC-FM (?-9/14/83)
Call sign meaning	Max FM (previous format)
Technical information
Facility ID	27471
Class	B
ERP	50,000 watts
HAAT	150 meters
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	www.radiox961.com

WMAX-FM are the call letters of a radio station owned by Clear Channel Communications located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, transmitting on a frequency of 96.1 MHz.

The station is identified as Radio X 96.1. The on-air music presentation leans towards an adult album alternative and modern rock hybrid.

History

The frequency originally belonged to WHTC-FM. During this time (from the station's inception until the early 80's), the station was generally being used as a simulcast to WHTC-AM.

In 1981, Michael Walton, of Milwaukee WI, purchased WHTC-AM and FM. By 1983, 96.1 became known as WYXX. After Walton assumed full control of the station, it became a fully automated pop formatted station that focused primarily on playing Billboard magazine's top 100 hits. The all-hit format was softened to adult contemporary by 1987, due to inability to compete with existing stations in the Grand Rapids market.

When WOOD-FM dropped its easy listening format in 1992, WYXX adopted the format along with the call letters WKEZ.

By 1994 the station was sold to Federated Media and once Federated had control of the station, a "Young Country" format was adopted. The call letters became WAKX. This format was also unsuccessful; it was not able to effectively compete with WCUZ-FM, the incumbent country juggernaut at the time. The format changed in 1997 to Hot Adult Contemporary and became known as "Mix 96."

The station was later purchased by Clear Channel Communications and the station became known as "I-96" (taking its name from the highway Interstate 96 passing through Grand Rapids; the station's logo also resembled an interstate highway sign). The call letters were also changed to WVTI. The format shifted from Hot AC to CHR as Continuous Hit Music, I-96. Clear Channel took control of rival station WSNX in the late summer of 1999; much of the "I-96" air lineup moved over to WSNX, which shifted from CHR/Rhythmic to CHR/Pop as a result, and "I-96" itself shifted back to Hot AC, which it would remain for the next six years. Initially, the station had moderate success as I-96, but as other local radio stations (including sister station WOOD-FM) began putting more Hot AC-oriented acts on their Mainstream AC stations, the ratings began to slide by 2005.

On October 18, 2005, the station flipped to a Jack FM clone called "MAX-FM". It gained the call sign of WMAX from another Clear Channel operation in Chattanooga, Tennessee on November 16, 2005. The station initially was programmed with over 1500 unique songs drawing from various pop music genres. As time went by, the list was honed down to less than 600 songs and the music was more focused on the 1980-early 2000s time period. After a rather respectible ratings showing, the ratings heavily slid by early 2007.

On March 19, 2007, the station retooled itself into a Modern AC-leaning Hot AC presentation, known as "The NEW MAX-FM", which lasted until January 31, 2008.

On January 31, 2008 at 3 PM, the station dropped the Hot AC format and began stunting with the sounds of a ticking clock interspersed with liners that were played every two or three minutes. Some of these liners were in Spanish and made reference to Regent Communications-owned WNWZ AM 1410 and cold, snow-covered cornfields in Hudsonville, MI, while others mentioned the time and date of 02/04/08 at 10:01 AM. Songs which served as clues to what the new format would be were played. The songs included Coldplay's "Clocks"; Elvis Presley's "Burning Love"; David Allan Coe's "You Never Even Called Me By My Name", and Hall & Oates' "Private Eyes", among dozens of others. During the stunt, the station's website showed a 12-second viral video clip influenced by the Cloverfield movie, with a message that pointed to the date of February 4, 2008 at 10:01 AM.

At exactly the promised time, the ticking clock stopped, and the new format, which is known as Radio X 96.1, began. The Radio X presentation heavily centers on modern rock music from the 1990s, as well as featuring selected songs from the mid 1970's through the end of the 1980's as well as current product. Overall, the station comes across as "lighter" than typical Modern Rock radio stations. This type of presentation is highly similar to those at several other Clear Channel operations in Philadelphia, Columbus, OH, and Hartford, CT. The first song played on Radio X 96.1 was Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.

On August 4, 2008, Clear Channel placed the station's assets into an entity called the Aloha Station Trust in order to sell off the station. This was due to Clear Channel being above the FCC-allowed ownership limits. These limits were imposed when Clear Channel was officially taken private by Bain Capital Partners on July 30, 2008.

Legally, 96.1 is WMAX-FM, as the WMAX calls are used at a Catholic Christian radio station (not co-owned) at 1440 AM in Bay City, Michigan. From circa 1956-1986, the WMAX calls were used by AM 1480 in Grand Rapids. WMAX was an adult contemporary music station "Good MAX Music" until flipping to a local all-news format in 1979. WMAX had a local news staff of 14 reporters before becoming a Christian talk station in 1986. AM 1480 became WGVU-AM in 1992, operated by Grand Valley State University. NOTE: From 1992-1998, the WMAX call letters were used by an alternative rock 106.7 FM station in Rochester, New York.

References

• [2] - RadioInsight - 96.1 WMAX-FM Grand Rapids Becomes Radio X.
• [3] - Grand Rapids Press - What's Going on at MAX-FM?

External links

• Michiguide.com - WMAX-FM History

• Facility details for Facility ID WMAX ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database