WMMO

WMMO

Orlando, Florida
Broadcast area	Greater Orlando
Frequency	98.9 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	98–9 WMMO
Programming
Format	Classic Hits
Ownership
Owner	Cox Media Group (Cox Radio, Inc.)
Sister stations	WCFB, WDBO, WDBO-FM, WPYO, WWKA part of Cox cluster with TV station WFTV
History
First air date	1990 (as WEZO)
Former call signs	WURG (1988-1990, CP) WEZO (2/1990-9/1990)
Call sign meaning	May mean More Music for Orlando, though the station took similar call signs from WMMS in Cleveland
Technical information
Facility ID	23444
Class	C2
ERP	44,000 watts
HAAT	159 meters
Links
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	98.9 WMMO

WMMO is a Cox Media Group radio station in Orlando, Florida, broadcasting at 98.9 FM with a classic hits format. The station signed on as WEZO in 1990 before taking its current call letters. Previous owners of this station include Infinity Broadcasting, Granum Communications, and Radio Orlando L.P., a partnership controlled by Jim Martin. Its studios are located in Orlando and the transmitter tower is in Pine Hills.

History

Former logo of the radio station used from August 19, 1990 through 31 January 2001

WMMO signed on August 19, 1990 as one of only two radio stations in the world broadcasting from a fully enclosed transmit antenna. The station broadcast from the top of Orlando's SunBank Center (now the SunTrust Center), Orlando's tallest building. When Cox Communications purchased WMMO and WHTQ, the station moved to WHTQ's former tower in Pine Hills for better coverage. This was the original planned location for WMMO's transmitter, but a breakdown in negotiations with WHTQ's former owner, John Tenaglin, forced the change of location to SunBank Center. The station derives its call letters from WMMS in Cleveland, Ohio. The founding programmer and chief engineer, Cary Pall, was reported to have been a fan of WMMS, and secured the call letters to honor the longtime Cleveland rock station. WMMS and WMMO are owned by different companies, and have been owned by different companies throughout their histories despite several ownership changes for each station. The two stations also feature different radio formats.

Former logo of the radio station used from February 2001 through April 2002

WMMO is known for its pioneering format, "Rock Adult Contemporary", that blended elements of adult contemporary, adult alternative and album-oriented rock radio. Its creators sought to bring back a listening experience similar to early FM rock stations of the late 1960s and 1970s, focusing on music rather than contests and promotions. A popular slogan in its early days was, "if you want to win money, play the lottery." WMMO used a wide ranging playlist of songs from many genres, and its library stretched from the mid 1960s to the present day, unlike many stations of its time that focused on small slices of music from specific genres. WMMO also made a promise to always identify songs by title and artist frequently, and to never talk over the music as it played, as many Top 40 stations and DJs like to do. "We love the music as much as you do" was a slogan pioneered by WMMO that it still uses today.

Former logo of the radio station used from May 2002 through December 2011

90 days after signing on, WMMO was ranked number one in adult listeners in the Orlando market, and was among the ratings leaders in Orlando for its first four years. In the mid 1990s, management changed and the station shifted to a more aggressive playlist of new "progressive" music. Ratings fell dramatically until, in 1996, Cox Radio took over and, for the most part, returned the format to its original Rock AC roots. WMMO has regained its leading position in the market ever since.

Former logo through early 2015.

In 2008, longtime personalities Jerry Steffen and Jay Francisco were let go. Steffen was at WMMO for 18 years and Francisco for 14 years. Francisco was rehired in 2011.

In 2012, the station abandoned its previous practice of listing the names of several records in a row and instead started to identify one or two songs each time the announcer speaks.

In 2013, WMMO hired Lisa Miller (afternoon host at Minneapolis rock station KQRS) to be the station "voice" for television and other occasional recorded imaging. Lisa was an on-air host with WMMO in the early 1990s when the station began.

In July 2015, WMMO began referring to itself as a classic hits station in an effort to compete with CBS Radio classic hits station WOCL.

External links

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