WMKX

Infobox Radio Station
name = WMKX


area = Brookville, Pennsylvania / DuBois
branding = "Megarock"
slogan =
airdate = April 27, 1981
frequency = 105.5 (MHz)
format = Modern and classic rock
erp = 16,000 watts
haat = 126 meters
class = B1
facility_id = 83524
owner = Strattan Broadcasting
website = none
callsign_meaning =
Infobox Radio Station
name = WJNG


area = Johnsonburg, Pennsylvania / DuBois
branding = "Megarock"
slogan =
airdate = March 3, 1997
frequency = 100.5 (MHz)
format = Modern and classic rock (simulcast of WMKX)
erp = 1,300 watts
haat = 203 meters
class = A
facility_id = 15173
owner = Strattan Broadcasting
website = none
callsign_meaning =

WMKX is a classic/modern rock music formatted radio station for northwestern Pennsylvania, broadcasting at 105.5 FM. The station, owned and operated by Strattan Broadcasting, is licensed to Brookville, Pennsylvania, the seat of government for Jefferson County.

WJNG, licensed to Johnsonburg, is a full co-owned simulcast outlet of WMKX.

History

A "Magic" Beginning

First issued a construction permit on June 6, 1980; WMKX first went on the air at the frequency of 95.9 in 1981, and became the second FM station in Jefferson County, as WPXZ, 15 miles southeast in Punxsutawney had been the first eight years before. WMKX adopted the moniker "Magic 96", and went on the air with a mostly automated format of adult contemporary music, which it would maintain until the late 1990s.

1990s

In the mid-90's, another frequency of 103.3 was assigned to Brookville through the efforts of WPXZ licensee Renda Broadcasting, which had been looking to gain a foothold in the county seat. In order for the new station to go on the air, a series of channel shuffling would have to take place to accommodate the new frequency. The shuffling would enable WMKX to take WPXZ's frequency of 105.5 as its own, and with the move of that frequency northwest, it also enabled WMKX to petition the FCC for an effective radiated power increase from 3,000 to 25,000 watts, thus taking the station from a local to more regional listenership base, allowing it to also serve the communities of Clarion and DuBois.

At around this same time, Strattan Broadcasting also applied for an FCC 'drop-in' frequency at 100.5 north of Brookville in Johnsonburg, Elk County. The 3,000 watt license was granted to Strattan Broadcasting, and after its construction, the station underwent a format change from adult contemporary to its current format.

WMKX Today

In 1997, the new station, known as "Megarock" was born. The Johnsonburg station, WJNG, allowed WMKX's signal to expand into the northcentral portion of Pennsylvania, serving listeners in St. Marys, Ridgeway, Smethport, and Kane. Though WJNG is a simulcast station, it maintains separate offices at 517 1/2 Market Street in Johnsonburg.

What Happened to 95.9?

As for what happened to WMKX's original frequency of 95.9, it was recovered by a local church and converted to an LPFM license, and had operated with a local Christian format staffed primarily by volunteers, for about five years. The church later closed the station, known as WWJL, with a dark license in 2007.

WMKX also opened another sales office in DuBois, at 108 North Brady Street. Administrative and programming functions continue to originate out of WMKX's longtime location at 51 Pickering Street in downtown Brookville.

The station continues to operate under its original ownership by the Farley family, the principal owners of Strattan Broadcasting.

External links

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*FMARB|WJNG