View source for WAMJ

{{short description|Radio station in Roswell, Georgia}}
{{about|the FM station broadcasting on 107.5 FM in Roswell, Georgia|FM station formerly known as WAMJ|WPZE}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox radio station
| name             = WAMJ
| logo             = Majic Atlanta Logo.png
| city             = [[Roswell, Georgia]]
| area             = [[Atlanta metropolitan area|Metro Atlanta]]
| branding         = ''Majic 107.5/97.5''
| frequency        = 107.5 [[MHz]] {{HD Radio}}
| translator       = {{Radio Relay|102.9|[[W275BK]]|[[Decatur, Georgia|Decatur]]|HD2}}
| repeater         = {{ubl||{{Radio Relay|97.5|[[WUMJ]]|[[Fayetteville, Georgia|Fayetteville]]}}||{{Radio Relay|97.5|[[WUMJ|WUMJ-HD2]]|Fayetteville|[[W275BK|HD2]]}}}}
| airdate          = February 6, [[1998 in radio|1998]]
| format           = [[Urban adult contemporary]]
| subchannels      = HD2: [[W275BK|Classix 102.9]] ([[Urban oldies]])
| language         = [[English language|English]]
| erp              = 18,000 [[watt]]s [[Polarization (waves)|horizontal]]<br />33,000 watts vertical
| haat             = {{Convert|185|m|ft|sp=us}}
| class            = C2
| facility_id      = 31872
| coordinates      = {{coord|33|55|54.00|N|84|20|43.00|W}}
| callsign_meaning = W Atlanta's Majic
| former_callsigns = WTHA (1996–1998)<BR>WAMJ (1998–2001)<BR>WJZZ-FM (2001–2009)
| affiliations     = [[Compass Media Networks]]<br>[[Premiere Networks]]
| owner            = [[Urban One]]
| licensee         = Radio One Licenses, LLC
| sister_stations  = [[WHTA]], [[WPZE]], [[WUMJ]]
| webcast          = [http://majicatl.com/listen-live/ Listen Live]
| website          = [http://www.majicatl.com/ majicatl.com]
| licensing_authority= [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
}}

'''WAMJ''' (107.5 [[FM broadcasting|FM]], "Majic 107.5/97.5") is a [[commercial radio|commercial]] [[radio station]] [[city of license|licensed]] to [[Roswell, Georgia]], and serving [[Atlanta metropolitan area|Metro Atlanta]].  It airs an [[urban adult contemporary]] [[radio format]], [[simulcast]]ing with [[sister station]] 97.5 [[WUMJ]] in [[Fayetteville, Georgia|Fayetteville]].  The station is currently owned by [[Radio One (company)|Radio One]], via licensee Radio One Licenses, LLC.   The studios and offices are located inside the [[Centennial Tower (Atlanta)|Centennial Tower]] building in [[downtown Atlanta]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=WHTA |title=FM Query Results - Audio Division (FCC) USA |publisher=Fcc.gov |date=2018-03-01 |access-date=2019-03-27}}</ref>

WAMJ's [[transmitter]] is on Goshen Springs Road in the Gwinnett Village section of [[Norcross, Georgia|Norcross]], near [[Interstate 85 in Georgia|Interstate 85]].<ref>[https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?sr=Y&s=C&call=wamj&nav= Radio-Locator.com/WAMJ]</ref>  It has an [[effective radiated power]] (ERP) of 18,000 [[watt]]s [[Polarization (waves)|horizontal]] and 33,000 watts vertical, broadcasting from a tower at 185 meters (607 feet) in [[height above average terrain]] (HAAT).  This gives WAMJ a good signal in Atlanta and its northern suburbs, but may not be received well south of Atlanta. To expand their coverage area, WAMJ simulcasts on WUMJ, with its tower located in [[Tyrone, Georgia|Tyrone]].

WAMJ broadcasts in [[HD Radio]] hybrid format.  Its HD2 subchannel carries [[urban oldies]] music, known as "Classix 102.9", and is rebroadcast on 125 watt [[FM translator]] [[W275BK]] at 102.9&nbsp;MHz in [[Decatur, Georgia|Decatur]].<ref>[https://radio-locator.com/info/W275BK-FX Radio-Locator.com/W275BK]</ref>

==Programming==
Weekdays begin with the [[radio syndication|nationally syndicated]] "[[Steve Harvey Morning Show]]."  Maria Moore is heard middays, Ryan Cameron afternoons, Jerard J nights and Big Ray overnight.

==History==
===WTHA/first incarnation of WAMJ===
The station is the result of [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) Docket 80-90, which reduced the required spacing between FM stations.  That rule permitted a new FM station in the Atlanta area on 107.5&nbsp;MHz. The original [[call sign]] was '''WTHA''' when the [[construction permit]] was issued at the beginning of October 1996.  The original plan was to create a [[simulcast]] partner for 97.5 WHTA, with the new 107.5 using similar call letters.

By the time it [[sign-on|signed on]] the air on February 6, 1998, it became "Majic 107.5," broadcasting an [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] format with the '''WAMJ''' call sign.<ref>[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1999/D-Radio-All-BC-YB-1999..pdf Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 page D-173]</ref>  This was the original incarnation of WAMJ and the "Majic" brand which, at first, lasted only three years.

===Smooth Jazz WJZZ-FM===
On June 27, 2001, that format and the WAMJ call sign were sent to also-new [[WPZE|102.5 FM]] as "Grown Folks Radio."  At the same time, 107.5 became '''WJZZ-FM''' "Smooth Jazz 107.5".  The WHTA call letters were moved to "Hot 107.9" a couple of months later, with all three stations owned by Radio One.

The on-air [[jingle]]s heard on WJZZ-FM were similar to those heard on [[Clear Channel Communications|Clear Channel]]-owned smooth jazz stations, such as [[WZFT|WSMJ]] [[Baltimore]], [[WCHI-FM|WNUA]] [[Chicago]], [[KOSF|KKSF]] [[San Francisco]], and [[WUMR (FM)|WJJZ]] [[Philadelphia]].  However, the WJZZ-FM jingles used an opposite order of frequency and call letters.  For WJZZ-FM, the frequency preceded the call sign.

The smooth jazz format enjoyed a surprisingly long era of success in the Atlanta [[media market|radio market]].  Before smooth jazz came to 107.5 in 2001 for nine years, it had a six-year run on WJZF (now [[WALR-FM]]) from 1994 to 2000.

===Return of "Majic 107.5"===
On January 28, 2009, WJZZ dropped smooth jazz, and returned to an Urban AC format, resurrecting the original branding "Majic 107.5."  On February 16, 2009, the "Praise 97.5" format and WPZE call sign was moved to 102.5 FM.  97.5 FM then began simulcasting WJZZ-FM as "Majic 107.5 | 97.5" (and would adopt the [[WUMJ]] call letters).

After seven and a half years at 102.5, the WAMJ call sign returned to 107.5 on February 27, 2009.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://atlairwaves.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html|title = Atlanta Airwave Action}}</ref><ref>http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWebSite/NewsStoryPage.aspx?ContentID=BB8ePCrdWrY%3D& {{Dead link|date=March 2022}}</ref> In light of the move, the old WAMJ moniker from its 102.5 days, "Grown Folks Radio," was dropped.

===Atlanta's Best Mix of R&B===
The call letter switch to WAMJ also led to a change in slogans to "Atlanta's Best Mix of R&B."  This became the third incarnation of the urban AC format for WAMJ.

With the format shuffle, WAMJ incorporated more 1980s and 1990s R&B into its [[playlist]].  This led competitor WALR-FM to adjust its [[Urban Oldies]] format to more recent adult music to maintain a competitive edge.  WAMJ became the Atlanta home for the [[radio syndication|nationally syndicated]] ''[[Steve Harvey Morning Show]]''; this was in contrast to most of Radio One's Urban AC stations, which instead ran the ''[[Tom Joyner]] Morning Show.''

WUMJ received a signal upgrade in 2013, going from 21,300 watts to 50,000 watts.  The simulcast with 97.5 ended on January 10, 2016, as WUMJ's signal now overlapped with WUMJ's coverage area.  However, WUMJ resumed its simulcast with WAMJ on July 29, 2016, when some listeners told management that they were not able to receive 107.5&nbsp;MHz clearly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/107497/wumj-atlanta-returns-to-majic-simulcast/|title=WUMJ Atlanta Returns to Majic Simulcast}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{FM station data|31872|WAMJ}}
*{{FCC-LMS-Facility|143866|W275BK}}
*{{FXL|W275BK}}
*[http://www.recnet.com/cdbs/fmq.php?call=wjzz&ccode=1&country=US&party_type=LICEN RecNet query]

{{Atlanta Radio}}
{{Radio One}}

[[Category:Urban One stations]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1997]]
[[Category:Urban adult contemporary radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Classic hip-hop radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Roswell, Georgia]]
[[Category:Radio stations in Georgia (U.S. state)|AMJ]]