WZMJ is a variety adult hits radio station licensed to Batesburg, South Carolina and is located within the Columbia, South Carolina DMA. Lake Murray Communications, LLC is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast at 93.1Â MHz with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 2.1Â kW.
History
The station signed on the air on August 5, 1965 as WBLR-FM, the sister station to WBLR 1430 AM, located in Batesburg-Leesville. At the time, WBLR-FM was located on 92.1 FM and had featured a middle of the road (MOR) format.
In 1979, in order to accommodate a class/power increase for WTWEâ€"Manning, WWBDâ€"Bamberg was moved from 92.7 to 92.1, which required WBLR-FM to move from 92.1 to 95.3. As a result, WBLR-FM became WKWQ when it moved.
In the beginning WKWQ had featured a country music format, but changed to album rock as "K-95 Rock" in 1986 and started to target nearby Columbia. In 1988, the station changed again to urban contemporary as "Hot 95" in an attempt to compete with urban powerhouse WWDM, but failed. During this period, the tower was moved closer to Columbia.
WKWQ moved from 95.3 to 93.1 in early 1991. The station was re-launched as K-93, but was handicapped by underfunded ownership. The station eventually went to satellite programming using Satellite Music Network's "The Touch" Adult Urban Contemporary format and was paired with sister station WKSO (now known as WHXT) located in Orangeburg.
This arrangement lasted until 1999 when WKWQ broke off from the simulcast with WKSO and flipped to Urban Oldies as "Majik 93.1", taking the new call letters of WZMJ. Unfortunately, Majic 93.1 never took off due to strong competition from Jammin' Oldies outlet WSCQ (now known as WXBT), which launched a few months later. In 2000, the format was changed to Beach Music.
The station, as well as sister urban contemporary outlet, WHXT was sold in 2003 to Inner City Broadcasting.
Shortly after the sale, the station changed format to Young Country as 93.1 The Hound. Although it was designed as a flanker to protect sister station WWDM from Clear Channel Communications's country outlet WCOS-FM from being #1 in the ratings, 93.1 The Hound managed to gain a small audience. However, in 2005, after the sign-on of Double O Radio's New Country outlet WWNU, sister AM's WOIC ESPN Radio format moved to WZMJ, while WOIC was re-launched as an Air America Radio outlet.
On July 27, 2012, Lake Murray Communications, LLC took ownership of the station from bankrupted ICBC Broadcast Holdings and changed it to its current variety adult hits format, branded as "Z93 The Lake".
The format features a wide variety of classic hits, classic rock & roll, oldies, Motown, and current adult contemporary hits.
The Z93 music format was created by Mike Willis, a 40-year radio veteran, station owner & President/CEO of Lake Murray Communications, LLC. According to Willis, "The format is a product of my early broadcasting and radio station influences, such as WBBQ Augusta, Georgia; WKZQ Myrtle Beach; WLS Chicago; WABC & WNBC NYC; WLAC Nashville; and WOWO Ft. Wayne, Indiana."
93.1 WZMJ is the Midlands home of Clemson University Athletics and airs local athletics of multiple high schools throughout Lexington County and Lake Murray (South Carolina)
References
External links
- Z93 The Lake Facebook
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WZMJ
- Radio-Locator information on WZMJ
- Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WZMJ