WJLB (97.9 FM) is a

commercial radio Commercial broadcasting (also called private broadcasting) is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship, for example. It was the United States' first model ...

station in

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Owned by

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

, it broadcasts an

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...

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, ...

. Its studios are on Halsted Road in Farmington Hills. In morning

drive time Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...

, WJLB carries the syndicated '' Breakfast Club'' from co-owned

WWPR-FM WWPR-FM (105.1 FM) is an urban contemporary music radio station licensed to New York, New York. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios located at 125 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan, while its transmitter is loc ...

New York City. WJLB 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 50,000 watts, the maximum for most Detroit stations. The station's

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 in Highland Park near the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Midland Street. It uses a

tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...

at 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). WJLB broadcasts using

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...

technology.

History

W49D, WLOU, WMZK

The station was initially authorized as W49D, with 1,000 watts of power on 44.9

megahertz 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 ...

. It began test broadcasts on May 7, 1941. Then, it officially

signed on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...

the air on . It was Michigan's second FM radio station. The station was owned by John Lord Booth, who was born in Detroit on June 13, 1907, and died in Grosse Pointe Farms on November 11, 1994, at the age of 87. Booth already owned an AM station, 1400

WJLB WJLB (97.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts an urban contemporary radio format. Its studios are on Halsted Road in Farmington Hills. In morning drive time, WJLB carries ...

, and was a major stock holder in "Booth Newspapers of Michigan." That ownership caused a delay in the FM station's grant while the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC) reviewed its newspaper cross-ownership policy. Effective November 1, 1943, the FCC modified its policy for FM call signs. The station’s callsign became WLOU. On September 12, 1945, WLOU was assigned to 96.5 MHz. In June 1948, the station moved to 97.9 MHz, with the station's call sign changing WJLB-FM from 1947 to 1952 and from 1957 to 1958. From 1952 to 1957, it was WBRI. In 1958, the callsign was changed to WMZK, which was a play on the word ''music''. The station aired a format of

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 ...

beautiful music. In later years, WMZK alternated between beautiful music and foreign-language programming for various ethnic groups. In 1979, the station carried the pro softball games of the

Detroit Caesars The Detroit Caesars were a professional softball team played in the American Professional Slo-Pitch League (APSPL) from 1977 to 1979. History Prior to formalized professional play, Detroit was a hotbed for softball, with some of the top players ...

.''Detroit Free Press'', July 7, 1979, p. 2C

WJLB

In 1980, the WJLB call sign returned for the third time, along with an

Urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...

format. It took over the urban sound from its

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 ...

on the 1400 kHz AM frequency. WJLB (AM) went on the air as WMBC in 1926 and became WJLB in 1939. It had been providing programming geared toward Detroit's African-American community for nearly four decades. (WJLB (AM) is now

WDTK WDTK (1400 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Detroit, Michigan, and known as "The Answer." It broadcasts a conservative talk radio format and is owned by Salem Communications. The studios and offices are on Radio Plaza in Fe ...

, owned by

Salem Communications Salem Media Group, Inc. (formerly Salem Communications Corporation) is an American radio broadcaster, internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher based in Irving, Texas, targeting audiences interested in Christian values and wha ...

with a

conservative talk Conservative talk radio is a talk radio format in the United States and other countries devoted to expressing conservative viewpoints of issues, as opposed to progressive talk radio. The definition of conservative talk is generally broad enough ...

format.) Throughout the 1980s, WJLB, which was known as "Stereo 98," aired a

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 ...

and

Urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

hybrid, also called "CHUrban", a forerunner to the current

Rhythmic Contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...

format. The station used the slogan "WJLB FM 98, Detroit's Strongest Songs!" in 1986. The rollout featured a commercial of people working out to the song "Problèmes d'Amour" by Alexander Robotnick. The station later evolved to mainstream urban contemporary as "FM 98 WJLB" by 1988. WJLB performed well in the Detroit Arbitron ratings, despite picking up competition from several rivals, including WHYT 96.3 FM, which mixed dance music with

. In 1992, WHYT flipped to " 96.3 Jamz" and aired a

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...

format. Another competitor arrived in 1996 at the 105.9 frequency, the former

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

-formatted WJZZ. It became WCHB-FM "The Beat", and later WDTJ "105.9 Jamz" (now urban AC-formatted

WDMK WDMK (105.9 FM broadcasting, FM, "105.9 Kiss-FM") is a commercial radio, commercial FM radio, FM radio station in Detroit, Detroit, Michigan. Owned by Beasley Broadcast Group, it broadcasts an urban adult contemporary radio format, format. The ...

"105.9 Kiss-FM"). FM 98 WJLB was known for its specialty Friday mix shows, with songs dating back to the 1980s, hosted by the DJ known as the " Electrifying Mojo." WJLB also featured a Saturday Night

Hip-Hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

Show "The Rap Blast." On weekends, WJLB also had "Sunday Night Segue", hosted by Johnny "Smooth" Edwards which featured classic "

Quiet Storm Quiet storm is a radio format and genre of R&B, performed in a smooth, romantic, jazz-influenced style. It was named after the title song on Smokey Robinson's 1975 album '' A Quiet Storm''. The radio format was pioneered in 1976 by Melvin Li ...

" tracks. The station also had a truly successful popular morning show "Mason And Company" which ran on WJLB from 1986 to 2001.

Changes in ownership

In April 1994, Booth American Company merged with Broadcast Alchemy to become Secret Communications. In August, Chancellor Media acquired the station from Secret Communications. In 1997, Chancellor Media and Evergreen, which already owned

WKQI WKQI (95.5 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial Radio broadcasting, radio station licensed to Detroit, Detroit, Michigan, featuring a Contemporary hit radio, top 40 (CHR) format known as "Channel 955", pronounced "nine-five-five". Owned by iHear ...

"Q95.5" and

WQRS WQRS (98.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Salamanca, New York serving the Olean, New York broadcasting area. The station airs a classic rock format and is owned by Seven Mountains Media, the leading commercial broadcaster in Cattaraugus C ...

, later merged to form AMFM, Inc. Then in November 1999, AMFM, Inc. was purchased by Clear Channel Communications. In 2014, Clear Channel became iHeartMedia, Inc. With iHeart owning both WJLB and Urban AC

WMXD WMXD (92.3 FM ''Mix 92.3'') is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station operates with 45,000 watts of power from an antenna located on the Cadillac Tower building in downtown Detroit. The stud ...

92.3, WJLB is focusing on a younger audience. WJLB's

playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player, either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs that can be played once or in a loop. ...

includes more modern

Hip Hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

and newer titles. It has less

Old-school hip hop Old-school hip hop (also spelled old skool) (also known as disco-rap) is the earliest commercially recorded hip hop music and the original style of the genre. It typically refers to the music created around 1979 to 1983, as well as any hip hop t ...

, R&B, and

House music House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...

which is found on WMXD. In October 2017, after 31 years as "FM 98", the station

rebranded Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...

as "97.9 WJLB", featuring a logo template used by many of iHeart's "Real"-branded urban stations.

References

External links

* *
FCC History Cards for WJLB
(covering 1941-1981 as W49D / WLOU / WJLB-FM / WBRI / WMZK / WJLB) {{IHeartMedia IHeartMedia radio stations JLB Urban contemporary radio stations in the United States