WMGA

For the radio station in Moultrie, Georgia (1939–2003), see WMGA (AM).

WMGA

Kenova, West Virginia
Broadcast area	Huntington, West Virginia Ironton, Ohio Ashland, Kentucky
Frequency	97.9 MHz
Branding	97.9 The River
Programming
Format	Classic hits Oldies
Affiliations	Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Fifth Avenue Broadcasting Company, Inc. (dba Kindred Communications)
Sister stations	WXBW, WDGG, WRVC, WCMI, WCMI-FM
History
First air date	2006
Call sign meaning	"Magic" (previous format)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	164110
Class	A
ERP	3,500 watts
HAAT	133 meters
Transmitter coordinates	38°25′26.0″N 82°32′8.0″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	979theriver.com

WMGA (97.9 FM, "The River") is a classic hits and oldies formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Kenova, West Virginia, serving Huntington, West Virginia, Ironton, Ohio, and Ashland, Kentucky. WMGA is licensed to Fifth Avenue Broadcasting Company, Inc.

History

On July 26, 2012, WMGA changed its format from soft AC (as "Magic 97.9") to hot AC, branded as "Hits 97.9".^[2] In May 2017, WMGA changed its format to 1980s music, retaining the "Hits" branding.^[3] On February 26, 2018, WMGA changed its format from 1980s hits to adult contemporary, branded as "97.9 The River".^[4]

On October 19, 2023, 97.9 the River was the very first radio station in the United States to flip to all Christmas music for the 2023 holiday season. No media outlets had noticed WMGA's change until October 31, when WMXL in Lexington, Kentucky, was thought to have been the first for that year^[5] (which would have been, in reversal of the Christmas creep trend, the latest such first overall flip in over a decade); Radio Insight, which tracks such format flips, later added an addendum to that report that "we have been told" WMGA had been doing so since October 19.^[6] Inside Radio, which also identified WMXL as first, stated that WMGA had "slipp(ed) under the radar."^[7]

Following the Christmas music stint, on December 26, 2023, the station, still under the "River" branding, shifted to an oldies format focused primarily on 1960s and 1970s music. The format shift was deemed a "very personal" project for Kindred president/CEO Mike Kirtner, who had grown up in the Huntington area and claimed said music was deemed a "forgotten generation" by most radio outlets in the area.^[8]

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WMGA". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. Hits Hit Huntington Radioinsight - July 26, 2012
3. Venta, Lance (May 9, 2017). "Hits 97.9 Huntington Goes To The 80s". RadioInsight. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
4. WMGA Goes From 80s to AC Radioinsight - February 26, 2018
5. "Merry Halloween: The Christmas Flips Have Begun". Insideradio.com. October 31, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
6. Venta, Lance (October 31, 2023). "No trick: WMXL becomes first all-Christmas station of 2023". Retrieved October 31, 2023.
7. "November Blizzard: Christmas Flips Are Busting Out All Over The Dial". Insideradio.com. November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
8. 97.9 The River Shifts to Oldies

External links

• 97.9 The River Online
• Facility details for Facility ID 164110 (WMGA) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WMGA in Nielsen Audio's FM station database