Broadcast area Nashville, Tennessee Slogan Playing What We Want First air date 1963 (as WMTS-FM) | Branding 96.3 Jack FM Frequency 96.3 MHz | |
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City Murfreesboro, Tennessee | ||
WCJK is an FM radio station broadcasting to the Nashville, Tennessee market on a frequency of 96.3 MHz. WCJK-FM is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast with a power of 39,000 watts to serve the community of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The station's studios are located in south central Nashville near the Tennessee State Fairgrounds arena and the transmitter site is in north Nashville.
History
The 96.3 FM signal came on-air in Murfreesboro in the 1960s. It was built by a trio of partners named Montlow, Trimm, and Smith along with a sister station at 810 AM, as WMTS & WMTS-FM after the initials of the owners' surnames. It was by sheer coincidence that the call letters matched the initials of the local college, Middle Tennessee State. The station was sold to Tom Perryman in 1976, and then purchased by local sportscaster and station employee Monte Hale in 1977. Hale changed the call letters to WKOS and branded the station 96 KOS after changing the format to Top 40. Battling cancer, in 1981 Hale sold the AM and FM stations shortly before his death to John McCreery.
McCreery would later change the callsign to WZKS (96 Kiss). WZKS switched to an adult contemporary format, first as WTMG "Magic 96" in 1985, and then as WRMX "WMIX" in 1988. It played the "best mix of the 60s, 70s, and 80s."
In 1990, the station converted to an oldies format consisting of music almost entirely recorded between the late 1950s and early 1970s. Eventually, the station would then be purchased by South Central Communications, separating it from the 810 AM combo. Later, the calls were changed to WMAK-FM (reviving the callsign of a popular Rock AM station of the late 1960s and early 1970s).
On May 12, 2005, the format was abruptly switched to the "Jack FM" format, featuring an expanded, less-structured playlist, including some newer music. Shortly thereafter, the call letters were changed to the current WCJK.
It was announced on May 28, 2014, that Midwest Communications will purchase 9 of the 10 Stations owned by South Central Communications. (This includes WCJK & Sister Station WJXA) With this purchase, Midwest Communications will expand its portfolio of stations to Evansville, Knoxville and Nashville. The sale was finalized on September 2, 2014, at a price of $72 million.