WMGC-FM is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station in Detroit, Michigan, known on the air as Soft Rock 105.1 at 105.1 MHz. The station is part of Greater Media's three-station Detroit cluster which also includes WRIF and WCSX. The station broadcasts with 50,000 Watts of power and transmits from a tower located near Eight Mile Road and Wyoming Avenue in Royal Oak Township, Oakland County, Michigan. Its primary competitors include WNIC, WDVD, and CHYR. WMGC can be heard as far West as Perrinton, as far South as Perrysburg, as far North as Clio, and as far East as London.

History of 105.1[link]

WQRS[link]

For nearly four decades, 105.1 was home to Detroit's commercial classical music station, WQRS, which signed-on on March 6, 1960. During its early years, WQRS was commercial-free, listener supported radio, a precursor to NPR. Operated by volunteers headed by Richard Hughes, it had tiny studios at the top of the Maccabees Building near Wayne State University. It also featured folk and other adult-appeal forms of music. Classical music was one of the most common formats on the fledgling FM dial during the 1950s and 1960s, but WQRS continued with fine-arts programming long after many other stations had dropped it. Personalities such as Geri Brooks, Dave Wagner and Dick Wallace were well-known to fans of fine music in the Motor City. Dave Wagner was noted for an irreverent sense of humor that might have fit just as well on a pop music radio station - regarded by fans as something different in a format often derided as "staid" or "stuffy". Voted "The Classiest Lady in Detroit" by the Detroit Free Press, Geri Brooks had a devoted listenership who warmed to her charming on-air style and delightful English accent. She served additionally as a program host for the Michigan Operatic Theatre.

Never a ratings powerhouse, WQRS nevertheless attracted a loyal audience of affluent adults, as was often the case with classical radio stations. WQRS was also the flagship station for radio broadcasts of Detroit Symphony Orchestra concerts, and the program schedule included such popular features as the "Sousalarm" (a broadcast of a John Phillip Sousa march heard every weekday morning at 7:15) and the Wednesday-night "Film Classics" program hosted by Jack Goggin, which highlighted scores from classic motion pictures. Dave Wagner and Jack Goggin are currently on-air hosts on WRCJ 90.9 FM Detroit.

The Edge/The Groove[link]

A rapid-fire series of sales of the station in the mid-1990s was the first inkling to the listeners of WQRS that the station's classical format was on thin ice. Marlin Broadcasting sold the station to American Radio Systems in 1996; American Radio Systems sold the station to Secret Communications that same year, and then Secret Communications sold its Detroit holdings (including WQRS and urban contemporary stations WJLB-FM and WMXD) to Evergreen Media Corporation (which later was absorbed into AMFM, which was subsequently absorbed into Clear Channel). Evergreen was now over FCC ownership limits in Detroit and let go of WQRS, trading the station to Greater Media for $9.5 million and in exchange for a station in Washington, D.C.

On November 21, 1997, at 5 p.m., "Closer" by Nine Inch Nails signified the end of classical music on 105.1 after over 37 years and the beginning of Alternative rock station 105.1 The Edge. The station adopted the new calls WXDG the following month. Detroit already had two alternative rock stations in CIMX (88.7) and WPLT (96.3), and "The Edge," although it sounded more "progressive" and "free-form" than the competition and did attract a loyal audience, was an overall failure in both ratings and revenue. The WQRS calls reappeared on two stations in 2006—WQRS in Salamanca, New York and an AM in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Former WQRS personality Dick Wallace has surfaced at WIAA, the Interlochen Center for the Arts' classical music station in Interlochen, Michigan. Dave Wagner can still be heard in the Detroit market hosting mornings and evenings at the Detroit Public Schools' classical and jazz station, WRCJ. Another former WQRS personality, Jack Goggin, is a fill-in host at WRCJ and has revived his popular "Film Classics" show at 90.9 (now heard Sunday nights). Geri Brooks died in April 2008 at the age of 78. She was surrounded by her four children in Carlsbad, California.

On April 4, 1999, 105.1 abruptly pulled the plug on "The Edge" and switched to the fad format sweeping the nation at the time - Jammin' Oldies. For the first few months of the new format, the station was known as Classic Soul 105.1 but later adopted the name 105.1 The Groove and, in October, the new call letters WGRV. The station showed immediate ratings improvement, but after a few months, "The Groove" cut its playlist back to around 300 songs. Listeners began to view them as stale and repetitious, and fans of more uptempo "jammin' oldies" criticized the station for playing too many ballads and "slow jams." As a result, the ratings quickly dropped off.

Magic 105.1[link]

At 9 a.m. on June 30, 2001, Greater Media returned its trademark "Magic" adult contemporary format (first used in Detroit on 94.7 as Magic 95, from 1976 to 1987) to the Detroit airwaves on 105.1, with the new calls WMGC-FM. Boyz II Men's "End Of The Road" was the last song played on "The Groove"; the first song played on the new "Magic 105.1" was "Because You Loved Me" by Celine Dion. WMGC's original program director was Bill Fries and the station was consulted by noted AC consultant Gary Berkowitz. Greater Media also hired Jim Harper away from Clear Channel-owned competitor WNIC to host the station's morning show. WMGC stole listeners away from top-rated WNIC almost immediately, although the morning show was - and still is by far - the station's strongest daypart ratings-wise; WNIC has, with occasional exceptions, generally continued to beat WMGC in the overall ratings. For several years, WMGC aired On-Air With Ryan Seacrest, but it has moved to nearby CHYR-FM, a hot AC station from Leamington, Ontario.

Like rival WNIC, WMGC typically switches to a format of continuous Christmas music in November and December of each year. In 2009 the station billed itself as "The New Home for the Holidays".^[1]

In August 2011, WMGC modified its positioning statement from "Detroit's Best Variety of Yesterday & Today" to "Detroit's Only Variety..." under new Program Director Brian Figula, to reflect its status as Detroit's only remaining traditional AC station after competitor WNIC's switch to a more contemporary hot AC format as Fresh 100.3 (they rebranded as Fresh 100.3 in December 2010, but remained AC for eight months according to Nielsen BDS).

On October 28, 2011, WMGC shifted to Christmas music; unlike in years past, it dropped the "Magic" moniker and began referring to itself as "Christmas 105.1." On December 23, morning show host and longtime Detroit radio fixture Jim Harper retired. On December 26 at 12:00am, the station changed its name to "The New Soft Rock 105.1."^[2] In contrast to WNIC's "Fresh" presentation, "Soft Rock 105.1" is heavily gold-based and plays few current songs.

HD Radio[link]

WMGC operates a secondary HD2 channel focusing on 1980s hits, called "Soft Rock '80s." During the holiday season, the HD2 channel assumes the normal WMGC format while the main channel plays Christmas music, and briefly continues with Christmas music after the main station switches back to its normal AC format after the holidays. The '80s hits format debuted in early 2012 shortly after the main station rebranded as "Soft Rock 105.1"; prior to that (except during the holiday season), WMGC's HD2 feed was known as "More Magic Radio" and featured a format of Soft AC hits, ballads, and pop standards.

Airstaff[link]

The current lineup (as of December 26, 2011) is as follows:

• Morning Show (5:30am-10am): Chris Edmonds
• Mid-Days (10am-6pm): Mitzi Miles
• Weekend's/Fill-ins: Tom Baker, Brent Carey, Lisa Jesswein and Jim Paolucci
• Program Director: Brian "Fig" Figula

Sources[link]

• Michiguide.com - WMGC-FM History

1. ^ Kristen Jordan Shamus (2009-11-15). "We may be rushing things, but we need a little Christmas now". Detroit Free Press. http://www.freep.com/article/20091115/COL26/911150338/We-may-be-rushing-things--but-we-need-a-little-Christmas-now. 
2. ^ http://www.freep.com/article/20111223/ENT03/111223013/Jim-Harper-bids-farewell-Detroit-radio

External links[link]

• Query the FCC's FM station database for WMGC
• Radio-Locator information on WMGC
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WMGC