WMAD
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| City | Cross Plains, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Madison and South Central Wisconsin |
| Branding | 96.3 Star Country |
| Slogan | #1 For New Country |
| Frequency | 96.3 MHz FM (also on HD Radio) |
| Format | 96.3: Country music 96.3-HD2: Coffee shop radio (Acoustic rock) |
| ERP | 5,100 watts |
| HAAT | 213 meters |
| Class | B1 |
| Facility ID | 50055 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 43° 12' 44.00" N 89° 35' 59.00" W |
| Callsign meaning | MADison |
| Former callsigns | WVLR WSEY (9/1987-11/1987) WMLI (11/1987-6/1994 and 2/1996-3/2002) WMXF (6/1994-2/1996) WCJZ (3/2002-12/2003) |
| Owner |
iHeartMedia (Capstar TX LLC) |
| Sister stations | WIBA (AM), WIBA-FM, WTSO, WXXM, WZEE |
| Webcast |
Star Country live stream Coffee Shop Radio live stream |
| Website | 963StarCountry.com |
WMAD (96.3 Star Country) is a radio station serving the Madison, Wisconsin metropolitan area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and has been running a country music format since December 23, 2005.
The call letters WMAD originally were on AM 1550 and later simulcast with 106.3 WMAD-FM Middleton (now WWQM). That version of WMAD started as a country format and remained country until 1977 when the call letters on 1550 were dropped (WWQM "15Q" oldies replaced country). WMAD-FM continued as WMAD-Middleton/Madison until early 1978 when the calls were dropped from 106.3. The WMAD calls would resurface in 1979 on the station at 92.1 FM (licensed to Sun Prairie and current home to WXXM).
The 96.3 FM frequency in Madison has had a varied format history. In the 1970s the station was WVLR. In the mid 1990s the station played 1970s music as Mix96.3 WMXF. Following this format, the station returned to a soft rock format as WMLI, which eventually morphed into adult contemporary "Star 96.3." In March 2002, the station shifted to a smooth jazz format as "Smooth Jazz 96.3 WCJZ," filling a niche in the Madison market filled only by the "Magic Sunday Morning" smooth jazz program on WMGN (Magic 98).
WCJZ and its smooth jazz format never made any inroads among Madison radio listeners, which led management to make another change in format. At 12 Noon on December 31, 2003, WCJZ began a 6-hour stunt with a ticking clock and synthesized voice announcing station ID and jokes. This stunting ended promptly at 6:00 PM that night, with an announcement heralding the return of the alternative rock-formatted "MAD Radio". Fourteen months earlier, iHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications) replaced alternative rock on 92.1 WMAD in favor of a Hot AC station, "Mix 92.1." Fans of that "MAD Radio" incarnation were left disappointed by the change. Acknowledging the outcry, management resurrected "MAD Radio" at the 96.3 frequency. With this change, the WMAD call letters were moved to 96.3, while 92.1 changed their call letters to WXXM.
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