WMUS (107.9
FM, "107 MUS") is a
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 ...
broadcasting 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 ...
format in
Muskegon, Michigan
Muskegon ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Muskegon County, Michigan, United States. Situated around a harbor of Lake Michigan, Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, and boating. It is the most populous city along Lake Michigan' ...
. The station is owned by
iHeartMedia, Inc.
History
107.9 FM signed on originally around 1988 as WKBZ-FM.
Magic 108
Acknowledging the need for an urban oriented radio station in west Michigan, in 1993, the station evolved into WMHG ("Magic 108"), playing
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 ...
music. The station at this time was owned by Goodrich Radio. WMHG upgraded its signal to 15,000 watts and would reach as far as Grand Rapids and south towards Kalamazoo County. Some D.J.s at "Magic 108" i.e.
.J. Mwho would later work at sister
WSNX had local mix shows in attempts to bring strong ratings to 'Magic 108". WMHG would become West Michigan's first and only FM R&B radio station which could be heard from North of Muskegon to Near Kalamazoo. In recent years,
WVIB and
WUVS-LP, both FM stations, have filled the hole for urban radio in the Muskegon market.
Z108
In 1996, Goodrich would move
WMHG
WMHG (1600 AM, "Unforgettable Magic") was a radio station in Muskegon, Michigan. It broadcast a MOR/oldies format. WMHG used ABC Radio Networks' satellite-delivered "Timeless Favorites" (formerly known as "Stardust") format.
The station wa ...
's calls and format to 1600 AM as "Magic 1600" (which later moved to Grand Rapids as
WJNZ 1680AM Jamz, also the WKBZ calls would resurface on 95.3 as "Power 95.3" who would pick up the
R&B format while 1600 AM continued for several years afterward with an
adult standards
Adult standards (also sometimes known as the nostalgia or Big Band format) is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.
Adult standards started in the 1950s and is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly tho ...
format), and 107.9 FM would become WSHZ ("Z108"), with a satellite-fed
hot AC
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...
format.
In October 1999, "Z108," was sold from Goodrich Radio to Connoisseur Communications who began dropping hints that a change was coming to the station. Some interpreted the hints to mean that WSHZ would change to a
CHR format to challenge former sister station WSNX, particularly when it was learned that Britta Cleveland would be part of the new local air staff. Instead, WSHZ transitioned from hot AC to mainstream AC as "Star 108," with a mostly local (except for Delilah) air staff.
Star 108 was Muskegon's affiliate station for
Delilah
Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ; ) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved by Samson, a Nazirite who possesses great strength and serves as t ...
's nighttime love-songs program, syndicated by Clear Channel's
Premiere Radio Networks
Premiere Networks, Inc. (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American Mass media, media company, a subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original Radio broadcasting, radio content distribut ...
, which also distributed
Whoopi Goldberg
Caryn Elaine Johnson (born November 13, 1955), known professionally as Whoopi Goldberg (), is an American actor, comedian, author, and television personality.Kuchwara, Michael (AP Drama Writer)"Whoopi Goldberg: A One-Woman Character Parade". ...
's morning show (also heard on Star 108).
Like many other AC stations, WSHZ played continuous Christmas music during most of the months of November and December.
On December 10, 2010, WSHZ changed their format to country, simulcasting
WMUS 106.9 FM. On January 5, 2011, the simulcast ended and 107.9 became the new home for WMUS, while 106.9 FM became a full-time simulcast of
Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...
'
WOOD
Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...
.
HD Radio
WMUS broadcasts in HD Radio and as of October 2015 aired a rebroadcast of the
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast, radio streaming and Music Streaming platform owned by iHeartMedia. Founded in August 2008, iHeartRadio serves as the national umbrella brand for iHeart ...
feed featuring pop-R&B singer
Jason Derulo
Jason Joel Desrouleaux (born September 21, 1989), known professionally as Jason Derulo (; formerly stylized as DerĂ¼lo), is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Since the start of his solo recording career in 2009, he has sold over 250 m ...
as guest DJ. In June 2016, WMUS-HD2 went from
classic country to
iHeart80s. After origination for the iHeart80s feed was transferred to the HD2 of New York sister station
WLTW
WLTW (106.7 MHz) is an adult contemporary radio station licensed to New York, New York and serving the New York metropolitan area. WLTW is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios located at 125 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan, ...
, WMUS-HD2 began carrying Halloween Radio.
Former 107.9 personalities
Magic 108 Jamz
* D.J M Weekend Magic Mix (Magic 108)
References
Michiguide.com - WSHZ History
External links
*
{{coord, 43.277, N, 86.335, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
MUS
IHeartMedia radio stations
Country radio stations in the United States
Muskegon, Michigan
Radio stations established in 1993
1993 establishments in Michigan