Broadcast area Milwaukee, Wisconsin HAAT 137 meters Facility ID 27029 City of license Milwaukee Owner Entercom Branding 99.1 The Mix | ERP 50,000 watts Class B Frequency 99.1 MHz Format Adult contemporary music Area Milwaukee Sister stations WXSS, WSSP | |
First air date November 1, 1962 (1962-11-01) (as WEMP-FM) | ||
WMYX-FM ("99.1 The Mix FM - Milwaukee") is a Hot AC formatted radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Identifying themselves on the air as "The Mix", WMYX-FM was the first station in the U.S. to use the "Mix" moniker. WMYX-FM has been airing roughly the same format since late 1981. The station is owned by Entercom, along with sister stations WXSS-FM and WSSP. Its studios and transmitter are co-located in Hales Corners. The playlist consists of current hits and previous hits from the 2000s and 2010s.
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History
WMYX-FM began on November 1, 1962 as WEMP-FM. At first, the station simply re-broadcast WEMP-AM, but by the late 1960s, WEMP-FM was airing its own programming for about half of its broadcast day. In 1970, the station flipped to its own full-time format: WNUW Stereo FM. Over the years, it broadcast an automated oldies format, soft Top 40, an album-oriented rock format known as "X-Rock 99", then easy listening. On October 31, 1978, the station flipped to "Disco 99" and played nonstop disco music (they would be the first disco station in Milwaukee, pre-dating WLUM's launch into the format four months later in February 1979). WNUW's run as a disco outlet would last for less than 10 months. Afterward, it became known merely as "Music FM 99" again, this time with a disco-leaning Top 40 hits format, before finally changing to adult contemporary-formatted "The Mix" with the WMYX call letters in 1981.
During the 1990s, WMYX's playlist featured a mixture of Hot AC, Soft AC and dance/pop. During the 1996 and 1997 NFL seasons when the Green Bay Packers went to the Super Bowl, the station gained notoriety when Dan & Jane (the morning show hosts at the time) recorded parody songs with Packer and football themes. The most famous was the "Packarena" (parody of Los Del Rio's "Macarena"). The song was played heavily on the station during the 1996 season. For the 1997 season, Dan & Jane recorded a parody of "Wannabe" by the Spice Girls under the name "Packer Wannabe." Cassette tapes were sold of the songs at various southeast Wisconsin locations with proceeds going to the Child Abuse Prevention Fund.
When sister station WAMG switched to Top-40 and became WXSS in June of 1998, WMYX slowly evolved into a more full blown Hot AC format with a more focused playlist.
In September 2004, longtime morning co-host Dan Weber was replaced with WXSS morning hosts Michael Knight and Rahny Taylor in an airstaff shakeup. Jane Matenaer remained on board with Knight and Taylor. At the same time, longtime afternoon host Mark Richards was replaced by crosstown WKTI-FM evening host Kidd O'Shea. Taylor returned to WXSS soon after. Knight was let go due to differences with management, and Kidd O'Shea was promoted from Afternoon Drive to Mornings.
The "Jane & Kidd In The Morning Show" won the 2006 AIR Award for favorite Milwaukee morning radio show. Brian Kelly serves as the station's Operations Manager and Program Director, along with overseeing sister station WXSS.
Jane Matenaer was released from WMYX on May 15, 2009. Soon after, Elizabeth Kay, who had sometimes filled in for Matenaer when she was gone, joined Kidd O'Shea for the morning show. It is now known as "Kidd and Elizabeth in the Morning".
Christmas music
From 2003-2011, "The Mix" aired Christmas music from November through Christmas Day every year. WRIT-FM began competing with WMYX on a yearly basis starting in 2005, when it switched to a Christmas format during the holiday season. In 2007, WMYX began Christmas music programming on November 1, a move that made it the highest rated music station in Milwaukee during that two-month time period.[1] In 2008, WMYX went "all Christmas" on October 31 (Halloween) at 3:21 p.m. after crosstown Christmas rival WRIT started playing Christmas music at 3:13 p.m. In 2009, WMYX began Christmas programming at roughly 7:00 p.m. on November 13. WRIT made the switch about 20 minutes later. In 2010, WMYX lost its title as the leading Milwaukee-area Christmas station when rival WRIT switched at approximately 5:15 p.m. on November 18. WMYX waited to air the all-Christmas music format until 12:00 a.m. on November 22. In 2011, WMYX switched around 5:00 p.m. on November 10. WRIT followed shortly after at 5:55 p.m. WMYX decided not to air the Christmas music format in 2012 for the first time in a decade. This resulted in a backlash on the station's Facebook page from angry listeners who considered WMYX's "Christmas Mix" a holiday tradition. Instead, WMYX provided a streaming channel of Christmas music on its web site and integrated a few Christmas songs into the station's normal over-the-air playlist. Meanwhile, WRIT proudly touted itself as "Milwaukee's Only Christmas Music Station." WMYX later did play a set of entirely Christmas music, however, from Noon on Christmas Eve through Christmas Day.
In past years, 99.1 would "stunt" for an hour after ending their Christmas music; in 2003, WMYX ran several liners alluding to a format change, including playing a few non-AC songs; in 2004, Magic 99 was on for an hour, playing a mix of smooth jazz and light instrumentals (before the announcer gave up mid-liner and gave away the joke), and in 2006, WMYX briefly flipped to contemporary Christian music (similar to K-Love and WFZH) as Spirit 99, complete with a DJ.
HD2 subchannel
WMYX's HD2 subchannel used to carry a blues music format called "The Delta.". But now it carries Radio Disney.