WTMZ-FM (98.9 FM), known as "ESPN 98.9 FM – Charleston Sports Radio", 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 syndicated

sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...

format. Licensed to

McClellanville, South Carolina McClellanville is a small fishing town in rural Charleston County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 605 at the 2020 census. It is situated on the Atlantic coast, on land surrounded by Francis Marion National Forest, and has trad ...

, and serving the Charleston and

Myrtle Beach Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the " Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. It ...

areas, the station is currently owned by Guilford Kirkman, Jr., through licensee Kirkman Broadcasting, Inc. The station's studios are located in the West Ashley portion of Charleston and the transmitter site is in Awendaw.

History

98.9 was originally WZJQ, and signed on June 14, 1991 and later as WWSS. In November 1994, the station changed to WWBZ and aired a syndicated

beach music Beach music, also known as Carolina beach music, and to a lesser extent, beach pop, is a regional genre of music in the United States which developed from rock/ R&B and pop music of the 1950s and 1960s. Beach music is most closely associate ...

format as "The Breeze" while part of an LMA with

WHBZ WHBZ (106.5 FM, "The Buzz") is a Sheboygan Falls, Wisconsin- licensed radio station based in Sheboygan that plays a mainstream rock format. The station is currently owned by Midwest Communications and features an all-local lineup, with Fox Ne ...

. On September 15, 2000, Jabar Communications switched WWBZ to Hot 98.9, "Charleston's home for

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 ...

and R&B." Vice-president of programming George Cook, known as George Hamilton, said the target audience would be 18–34 females, compared to 25–54 for his former station WWWZ "Z-93". At night, the Hot 98.9 leaned younger. Cook also did afternoons as Big G.O., and Doug Banks aired in the mornings. WWBZ later switched to the rhythmic CHR format. In December 2004, the station became WAZS-FM, and switched to a

Regional Mexican Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by ...

format. In August 2009, the station switched to WWIK ("98.9 Chick FM"), with an

adult contemporary 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 targeted at women. The station was anchored by its morning program, "Moms In The Morning." The Regional Mexican format is still heard on WZJY and WAZS. On April 18, 2011, WWIK changed its format to classic hits, branded as "Fun FM". In March 2013, WWIK changed its format and identity to ESPN 98.9 FM – Charleston Sports Radio. The format was simulcast on WTMZ until August 17, 2020. On February 27, 2020, the station changed its call sign to WTMZ-FM.

References

External links

* TMZ-FM Radio stations established in 1995 1995 establishments in South Carolina Sports radio stations in the United States ESPN Radio stations {{SouthCarolina-radio-station-stub