WDEN-FM (99.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

, "#1 Country FM 99 WDEN") is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

Macon, Georgia Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...

. The station is owned by

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States ahead of Audacy and behind iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdi ...

and the

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which va ...

is held by Cumulus Licensing, LLC. WDEN airs a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

. The studios and offices are on Mulberry Street. WDEN-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...

(ERP) of 100,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s, the maximum permitted for non- grandfathered FM stations. It uses a tower that is 177 meters (581 feet) in

height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...

(HAAT). The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

is off Ocmulgee East Boulevard (Route 87), near

Interstate 16 Interstate 16 (I-16), also known as Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway, is an east–west Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Georgia. It carries the hidden designation of State Route 404 (SR 404) for it ...

in Macon.

Programming

WDEN-FM's parent company, Cumulus Media, has renamed most of the country music stations in its chain "

Nash FM Nash is a media brand owned by Cumulus Media. It covers country music-related properties owned by Cumulus, including radio stations, digital properties and publications ('' Nash Country Daily''), Nash TV (a video on-demand service operated in pa ...

." But over the years, WDEN-FM developed its own identity so it continues to be called "#1 Country FM 99 WDEN." Two nationally syndicated Cumulus and Westwood One shows are carried weekday evenings on WDEN-FM: "Nights With Elaina" and "Picklejar Up All Night With Patrick Thomas." Two local weekday shows are heard on WDEN-FM: "The Early Morning Crew" wake-up show, hosted by Laura Starling and James Bierley. The Early Morning Crew formerly featured program director Gerry Marshall, who retired in 2004. In afternoons, Big Bobby Reed is heard. Reed also serves as program director. WDEN-FM is an active participant in the community as well as supporting charitable causes. Each year, it holds a local

radiothon A telethon (a portmanteau of "television" and "marathon") is a televised fundraising event that lasts many hours or days, the purpose of which is to raise money for a charitable, political or other cause. Most telethons feature heavy solicitatio ...

for the

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research hospital headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded by entertainer Danny Thomas in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on chi ...

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

History

WMAZ-FM and WAYS

The WDEN-FM license traces its history back to 1947, when WMAZ-FM signed on at 99.1 as Macon's first FM station. It was owned by the Southeastern Broadcasting Company, which also owned

AM 940 The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 940 kHz: 940 AM is a Mexican and Canadian clear-channel frequency. XEQ Mexico City is the dominant Class A clear channel station on 940 kHz. See also List of broadcast station classe ...

WMAZ (now

WMAC WMAC (940 AM, "News Talk 940") is a commercial Class B radio station in Macon, Georgia. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a news/talk format. The studios and offices are on Mulberry Street in Macon. It is one of the oldest radio statio ...

). WMAZ-FM mostly

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...

its AM

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

for its first couple of decades; in 1953, the Southeastern Broadcasting Company added Macon's first VHF TV station, channel 13

WMAZ-TV WMAZ-TV (channel 13) is a television station in Macon, Georgia, United States, affiliated with CBS and The CW Plus. The station is owned by Tegna Inc., and maintains studios on Gray Highway on the northeast side of Macon; its transmitter is ...

. In the 1950s, as network programming moved from radio to TV, WMAZ-AM-FM switched to a full service middle of the road format of popular adult music, news and sports. In the late 1950s, WMAZ-AM-FM-TV produced middle Georgia's first radio-television

for the 24th Annual Bibb County Spelling Bee. Southeastern sold WMAZ-AM-FM-TV to Southern Broadcasting Corporation in 1963, which merged with the News-Piedmont Company to form Multimedia, Inc. in 1967. Also in the late 1960s, WMAZ-FM broke its simulcast with AM 940; it began running an

automated Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

format. In 1974, WMAZ-AM-FM-TV moved to a new studio facility on Gray Highway in Macon. To establish a separate identity, WMAZ-FM changed its call letters to WAYS in 1984, maintaining its Top 40 sound. By the middle of 1987, the station went CHR. Multimedia merged with

Gannett Gannett Co., Inc. ( ) is an American mass media holding company headquartered in New York City. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. It owns the national newspaper ''USA Today'', as well as several ...

in 1995. Gannett had by this time decided to pull out of radio, concentrating on its TV stations and newspapers. It sold off WMAZ and WAYS in 1996 to Ocmulgee Broadcasting Company for $1.5 million. The next year, U.S. Broadcasting Limited Partnership, the owner of WDEN-AM-FM, bought WMWR (the renamed WMAZ) and WAYS from Ocmulgee in a $4.7 million transaction; by this time, WAYS was an oldies station. In the early 1990s, WAYS flipped to oldies.

Moving WDEN-FM to 99.1

In 2000, as part of an agreement to create a new move-in radio station in Atlanta, U.S. Broadcasting applied to downgrade WDEN-FM 105.3 from 100,000 watts to 6,100 and relocate it to 105.5 MHz. In order to preserve the country format's regional coverage, it was decided to move WDEN-FM to the 99.1 facility. For the month of December 2000, WDEN-FM was simulcast on 105.3 and 99.1, with messages asking listeners to tune to 99.1 for WDEN-FM's country format. The day after Christmas, WDEN-FM moved exclusively to 99.1; WAYS and its oldies format changed positions to the newly moved 105.5 MHz.

acquired all four stations in 2002. WDEN-FM continues as Macon's top-rated country music station for more than half a century.StationRatings.com/Macon
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References

External links

#1 Country 99 WDEN - Official Website
* {{coord, 32.764, N, 83.559, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Country radio stations in the United States DEN-FM Radio stations established in 1973 1973 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Cumulus Media radio stations