WMJJ

The station signed on the air on {{Start date and age|June 1, 1961}}. Its original call sign was WCRT-FM, broadcasting with 49,000 watts, half of its current output.{{cite book |title=1963 Broadcasting Yearbook |year=1963 |page=B-4 |chapter=Directory of AM and FM Radio stations in the U.S. |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc. |location=Washington, D.C.}} Under the joint ownership of Chapman Radio & Television Company, WCRT-FM was the sister station of WCRT 1260 AM, now known as WYDE. For most of its first decade, the two stations simulcast the same programming.

In 1973, WCRT-FM was sold to Magic City Broadcasting. It moved to a taller antenna, increased power to an even 50,000 watts, and changed call letters to WQEZ. The EZ in the call sign reflected the station's switch to beautiful music.{{cite book |title=1974 Broadcasting Yearbook |year=1974 |page=C-4 |chapter=Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the United States and Canada |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc. |location=Washington, D.C.}} WQEZ played quarter hour sweeps of music with limited commercials and chatter.

In the late 1970s, the station increased its broadcast power to the present 100,000 watts.{{cite book |title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1979 |year=1979 |page=C-6 |chapter=Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada |publisher=Broadcasting Publications, Inc. |location=Washington, D.C.}} Throughout the 1970s, there wasn't much choice in FM programming in Birmingham. Most stations were either beautiful music or album oriented rock (AOR). 96.5 FM was the home of WQEZ "your 'Q' to E-Z listening". The format consisted of instrumental music and soft vocals.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

The station was sold in 1982 to Capitol Broadcasting, a company owned primarily by radio group owner Ken Johnson. Ray Quinn, who had been Johnson's General Manager at his property in Louisville, Kentucky, moved to Birmingham built a new management team. They changed WQEZ's format to adult contemporary on December 27 of that year.{{cite news | first = Bob | last = Carlton | title = Ray Quinn returning to Birmingham to manage Clear Channel radio stations | url = http://www.al.com/birminghamnews/stories/index.ssf?/base/business/119684708665810.xml&coll=2 | work = The Birmingham News | location = Birmingham, Alabama | date = 2007-12-05 | access-date = 2008-01-03 | quote = Ray Quinn came to Birmingham in 1982 to help launch radio station Magic 96.5 (WMJJ-FM). Now, Quinn is back in town to run Clear Channel Radio's cluster of five stations, including his old station. He started here Tuesday.}} Until this time there were no FM stations in the market with this format. The stations that came closest to filling this niche were WSGN and WAPI. But they were full service radio stations with frequent breaks for news, commercials and chatter. The new name of the station was WMJJ "Magic 96," and it has retained that call sign, moniker and format since then.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

Quinn's original team included program director Bill Thomas and sales manager Chris Gallu. Later, the sales team leadership included Steve Streiker who was General Sales Manager from 1983 until 1985. "Burt and Kurt" hosted the morning show during the station's early years, Charlie Walker did middays, and Jeff Tyson handled evenings, both crossing the street from top-ranked (at the time) WKXX to join the station. When Bill Thomas left the programming chair to become VP/Programming for Capitol Broadcasting in the mid-1980's, John Jenkins was promoted to Program Director. He remained in that position until he left the station to program WMAG-FM (also a Magic station) in Greensboro, North Carolina. He was succeeded by Smokey Rivers, who broadened WMJJ's playlist at night, with a few softer classic rock titles and a few oldies.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

John Jenkins returned as Vice President of programming at Ameron Broadcasting in the early 1990s and returned the station's focus to mainstream adult contemporary music. Under Ameron's ownership, the station remained consistently number one in women. It was sold to Capstar Broadcasting, which later merged with Clear Channel Communications, the original name of today's iHeartMedia. Magic 96 began a promotion in the early 1980s that remained a fixture on the station for nearly a decade, the "Magic Alabama Lottery". The promotion involved the mailing of numbered tickets to hundreds of thousands of Birmingham residents each Spring and Fall. One listener won $96,000, one of the largest cash prizes ever given away by a Birmingham radio station. The station also gave away a $175,000 home in that promotion in the mid 1990s.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|https://magic96.iheart.com/}}
• {{FM station data|2111|WMJJ}}
• {{FCC-LMS-Facility|156276|W241AI}}
• {{FXL|W241AI}}

{{Birmingham Radio}}

{{Adult Contemporary Radio Stations in Alabama}}

{{IHeartMedia}}

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MJJ

Category:Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States

Category:Radio stations established in 1961

Category:IHeartMedia radio stations

Category:1961 establishments in Alabama