City Lexington, Kentucky | First air date 1940 (as WLAP-FM) | |
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Broadcast area Lexington Metro Area and the whole Central Kentucky region Branding Mix 94.5
MixMas On Mix 94.5 (Nov.-Dec.) Slogan Lexington's Better Mix
Lexington's 24/7 Christmas Music (Nov.-Dec.) Frequency 94.5 MHz (also on HD Radio)
94.5 HD2 "TOP 20" Top 20 | ||
WMXL (94.5 FM, "Mix 94.5") broadcasts with an ERP of 85,000 watts, with nearly a 100-mile broadcasting radius. The station is heard as far south as London, as far east as Grayson, as far north as Cincinnati and as far west as Louisville. iHeartMedia, Inc. currently owns the station.
WMXL-FM is the fifth station broadcasting HD Radio in Lexington after WUKY, WKQQ, WBUL, and WLKT.
History
From 1974 to 1992, this station programmed a Top 40/CHR format under the call letters WLAP-FM. The station used TM's Stereo Rock format (as "The New WLAP 94 And A 1/2, The Music FM") for many years and, after transitioning to live programming in 1987, saw its peak of popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. At that time, the station was known as "The New Power 94 And A y/2, WLAP-FM". And it was programmed by Lexington native Greg Peddicord (aka Barry Fox). In 1991, Dale O'Brian was named Program Director.
April 1, 1992 brought a switch to the "Hot AC" format and the name Mix 94.5.
Dale O'Brian served as morning show host and program director for much of the early 1990s and was named Billboard Magazine's Personality of the Year in 1996. O'Brian left for the programming position at Z104 in Washington, DC in July 1996. At that point, Rick O'Shea arrived to guide the morning show, and Doug Hamand was given control of the programming. The O'Shea version of the station's Breakfast Club also featured local radio legend Matt Jaeger and former Miss Kentucky Christie Hicks.
Other popular Mix 94.5 air talent during this period included Barry Fox and longtime Lexington air talent Mike Graves. Fox served as music director before assuming programming duties, and the station prospered during the late 1990s.
O'Shea left the station in 1998 and Matt Jaeger took over the lead role on the morning show, continuing to dominate the Lexington adult audience. It was during this time period that the station's owner, Jacor Broadcasting, began to replace live air talent with out-of-town recorded shows from within the company. As a result, audience share began to slowly erode, and WMXL has never since been a market leader. Station programming today comes from Clear Channel's "Premium Choice" "Soft Rock" program feed.
Barry Fox left Lexington to program WDJX in Louisville, and was replaced by T. R. Fox, who arrived from Rochester, NY. This Fox - no relation to his predecessor - programmed the station for several years, before giving way to the return of Dale O'Brian. It has since switched formats from Hot AC to mainstream adult contemporary as it's listed by station parent Clear Channel Communications as an AC.
Typically from early November until December 26th of each year, WMXL would flip to a Christmas music format for the holiday season, branding itself as MixMas on Mix 94.5.