WXXC
Encyclopedia
WXXC is a 50,000 watt Class B radio station licensed to Marion, Indiana
and serving the Muncie-Marion Arbitron market broadcasting on 106.9 MHz. Studios and offices are located at 820 S. Pennsylvania St. in Marion, IN. The station features a classic hits
format mainly consisting of rock-leaning pop hits from the 70s and 80s, and is currently owned by Hoosier AM/FM LLC.
, WEZV (now WBPE
) in Lafayette
, and WYEZ (now WHPZ) in South Bend
. WYEZ was the first network station sold and went to LeSEA Broadcasting
. WEZV was sold in 1998 to Artistic Media Partners
, and WLEZ was sold to Crossroads Communications in the early 2000s. Bomar sold WMRI shortly thereafter to Mid-America Radio, owners of crosstown country outlet WCJC
and oldies WBAT
, (now Hoosier AM/FM LLC).
(easy listening) for much of its existence. However the format was aging and so were its faithful listeners. WMRI held on to the B/EZ format for much longer than a majority of stations nationwide as many dropped or gradually moved away from the format by the mid to late 1980s.
In the fall of 1998, WMRI ended its beautiful music run and flipped to adult contemporary as "Lite Rock 106.9". Their lone existing network station in Terre Haute also flipped to AC as "Lite Rock 102.7". The format consisted of Marion-based deejays by day and satellite programming from Westwood One's (now Dial Global
) Bright AC
format at night. Since Bright AC was a Hot AC format and WMRI itself featured a much softer blend of music by day, the station switched affiliations to Jones Radio Networks
'AC' format (now part of Dial Global) to create format uniformity all day.
In the early 2000s, WLEZ was sold to a Terre Haute-based company and ended Bomar's radio network stint. The programming structure on WMRI, however, continued. The only exception was for on-air personalities who now had the freedom to talk about station promotions and other Marion-based mentions. The mix of local and satellite content through Jones continued until 2006 when the format was dropped in favor of classic hits. The WMRI
calls were moved to their AM sister station (formerly WGOM), which took on an adult standards
format, as 106.9 became WXXC.
Marion, Indiana
Marion is a city in Grant County, Indiana, United States. The population was 29,948 as of the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Grant County...
and serving the Muncie-Marion Arbitron market broadcasting on 106.9 MHz. Studios and offices are located at 820 S. Pennsylvania St. in Marion, IN. The station features a classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
format mainly consisting of rock-leaning pop hits from the 70s and 80s, and is currently owned by Hoosier AM/FM LLC.
History
The station signed on in 1948 as WMRI and featured a beautiful music format. In the 1990s, WMRI was owned by Bomar Broadcasting, which made WMRI the flagship station of their mini-network of easy listening stations throughout Indiana. Stations in this network included WLEZ (now WBOW-FM) Terre HauteTerre Haute, Indiana
Terre Haute is a city and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, near the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a population of 170,943. The city is the county seat of Vigo County and...
, WEZV (now WBPE
WBPE
WBPE is a radio station owned by Artistic Media Partners in Lafayette, Indiana. The station's studios are located at 3824 South 18th Street in Lafayette, Indiana. WBPE's programming is simulcasted on sister station WSHY ....
) in Lafayette
Lafayette, Indiana
Lafayette is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, northwest of Indianapolis. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 67,140. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, which has a large impact on...
, and WYEZ (now WHPZ) in South Bend
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
. WYEZ was the first network station sold and went to LeSEA Broadcasting
LeSEA
LeSEA Broadcasting , also known as World Harvest Television, is an American Christian television network with over 40 affiliate stations in a number of U.S...
. WEZV was sold in 1998 to Artistic Media Partners
Artistic Media Partners
Artistic Media Partners owns 14 radio stations in 4 markets in Indiana. It was formed on June 23, 1987.-History:...
, and WLEZ was sold to Crossroads Communications in the early 2000s. Bomar sold WMRI shortly thereafter to Mid-America Radio, owners of crosstown country outlet WCJC
WCJC
WCJC is a radio station broadcasting a Country music format. Licensed to Van Buren, Indiana, USA, the station serves the Ft. Wayne area. The station is currently owned by Hoosier AM/FM LLC, formerly Mid-America Radio Group, Inc. and features programing from ABC Radio....
and oldies WBAT
WBAT
WBAT is a radio station broadcasting a Oldies format. Licensed to Marion, Indiana, USA, the station serves the Muncie-Marion area. The station is currently owned by Hoosier AM/FM LLC, formerly Mid-America Radio Group, Inc. and features programing from CBS Radio, ESPN Radio and Westwood One. The...
, (now Hoosier AM/FM LLC).
Programming
WMRI's programming mainly consisted of beautiful musicBeautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
(easy listening) for much of its existence. However the format was aging and so were its faithful listeners. WMRI held on to the B/EZ format for much longer than a majority of stations nationwide as many dropped or gradually moved away from the format by the mid to late 1980s.
In the fall of 1998, WMRI ended its beautiful music run and flipped to adult contemporary as "Lite Rock 106.9". Their lone existing network station in Terre Haute also flipped to AC as "Lite Rock 102.7". The format consisted of Marion-based deejays by day and satellite programming from Westwood One's (now Dial Global
Dial Global
Dial Global is a radio syndication company. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Triton Media Group and is a sister company to Townsquare Media, both of which are owned by Oaktree Capital Management....
) Bright AC
Bright AC
Bright AC was a 24-hour music format produced by Dial Global. Its playlist was mostly hot adult contemporary music spanning from the 1980s to this day from artists such as 3 Doors Down, U2, Nickelback Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kelly Clarkson, etc...
format at night. Since Bright AC was a Hot AC format and WMRI itself featured a much softer blend of music by day, the station switched affiliations to Jones Radio Networks
Jones Radio Networks
Jones Radio Networks & Jones Media Group were branches of Jones International before being sold to Triton Media Group. JRN and JMN provide local radio stations with satellite-delivered formats. They also offer other services to local radio such as news and talk programs, syndicated radio shows,...
'AC' format (now part of Dial Global) to create format uniformity all day.
In the early 2000s, WLEZ was sold to a Terre Haute-based company and ended Bomar's radio network stint. The programming structure on WMRI, however, continued. The only exception was for on-air personalities who now had the freedom to talk about station promotions and other Marion-based mentions. The mix of local and satellite content through Jones continued until 2006 when the format was dropped in favor of classic hits. The WMRI
WMRI
WMRI is a radio station broadcasting a Sports format. Licensed to Marion, Indiana, USA, the station serves the Muncie-Marion area. The station is currently owned by Hoosier AM/FM LLC and features programing from ESPN Radio.-History:...
calls were moved to their AM sister station (formerly WGOM), which took on an adult standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
format, as 106.9 became WXXC.