On March 15, 1970, the station first signed on the air as WWL-FM.[6] It was owned by Loyola University of the South, now known as Loyola University New Orleans. Loyola also owned WWL-TV and AM powerhouse WWL.
In the mid-1970s, station management decided to go in a radically different direction, seeking a younger demographic for WWL-FM, as the FM flipped to a Top 40 format. However, the flip occurred during an era where most young people still were listening to inexpensive AM radios for their favorite hits. The station failed to make much headway against AM Top 40 leader WTIX.
By May 1976, WWL-FM returned to easy listening music. The format featured mostly instrumental songs with several soft vocals each hour. On December 26, 1980, to separate the FM station's image from its AM and TV counterparts, the call letters were changed to WAJY. The station, calling itself "Joy 102," moved closer to a 50/50 mix of instrumentals and vocals, some from soft rock artists such as Elton John, Olivia Newton-John, Stevie Wonder and Chicago.
Switch to WLMG
Through the 1980s, the easy format saw its audience continuing to age, while most advertisers seek young and middle-aged listeners. In 1987, the station completed its transition to a soft adult contemporary format, eliminating the instrumentals. The call sign was changed to WLMG, and rebranded as "Magic 102." With most radios in the 1990s going from analog dials to digital, the station began calling itself "Magic 101.9" in 1995.
Over the next decade, WWL and WLMG changed hands several times. In 1989, Loyola University sold the stations to Keymarket Communications.[7] The TV station was sold to a group of its employees, using the name Rampart Broadcasting. In July 1995, the radio stations were acquired by River City Broadcasting.[8] Later ownership switched to Sinclair Broadcast Group. In December 1999, WWL and WLMG were acquired by Entercom.[9]
In the early 2000s, WLMG moved to a mainstream adult contemporary format. In 2006, the WWL-FM call sign returned to New Orleans on 105.3 FM.
