WMDX (1580 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Columbus, Wisconsin, and serving the Madison metropolitan area. The station is owned by Sage Weil, through licensee Civic Media, Inc. Branded as "92.7 WMDX", the station airs a progressive talk radio format. WMDX carries live locally produced news and talk programming for most of the day, originating from studios located on State Street in downtown Madison, as well the Racine studios of sister station WAUK. The station also carries live syndicated programming from Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartmann. WMDX also serves as the flagship station of the Civic Media Network, a statewide news network with affiliates across Wisconsin.
WMDX transmits 5,000 watts daytime, using a directional antenna that provides city-grade coverage of the northern and eastern portions of the Madison area including Columbia and Dodge counties. As 1580 kHz is a Canadian clear channel frequency, WMDX must protect Class A CKDO Oshawa, from interference. During critical hours, WMDX drops to 800 watts, and after sunset, to only 4 watts, which roughly covers only the city of Columbus. The transmitter is off Parpart Road in Hampden, Wisconsin.Radio-Locator.com/WMDX All programming is simulcast on 250-watt FM translator 92.7 W224EG which affords WMDX 24/7 city grade signal to most of Dane County .Radio-Locator.com/W224EG
History WMDX began broadcasting on April 2, 1950, as WTTN, and was licensed to Watertown, Wisconsin. The station ran 250 watts, during daytime hours only, and was owned by Watertown Radio, Inc.History Cards for WMDX, fcc.gov. Retrieved April 14, 2019. In 1961, the station's power was increased to 1,000 watts, and it began to be simulcast on 104.7 WTTN-FM.1963 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1963. p. B-205. Retrieved April 15, 2019. WTTN aired a middle of the road (MOR) format in the 1970s and 1980s.Broadcasting Yearbook 1975, Broadcasting, 1975. p. C-214. Retrieved April 14, 2019.Broadcasting Yearbook 1979, Broadcasting, 1979. p. C-247. Retrieved April 14, 2019.Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1982, Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1982. p. C-268. Retrieved April 14, 2019.Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1989, Broadcasting & Cable, 1989. p. B-333. Retrieved April 15, 2019. Nighttime operations were added in the late 1980s, running 7.8 watts. The station adopted a country music format in 1991."Format Changes", The M Street Journal. Vol. 8, No. 33. August 19, 1991. p. 1. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
In 1999, WTTN was sold to Good Karma Broadcasting for $525,000."Transactions", Radio & Records. July 23, 1999. p. 8. Retrieved April 15, 2019. In 2001, the station adopted a news-talk format."Format Changes and Updates", The M Street Journal. Vol. 18, No. 30. October 31, 2001. p. 6. Retrieved April 15, 2019. In January 2003, WTTN adopted an oldies format."Broadcasting News–January 2003", Upper Midwest Broadcasting. Retrieved April 15, 2019.Devine, Cathy (2003). The M Street Radio Directory. 12th Edition. p. 650. Retrieved April 15, 2019. The station was branded "The Goose" during this period."WTLX Gets OK To Move Closer To Madison", All Access Music Group. September 7, 2006. Retrieved April 15, 2019."Moser Upped To Station Manager At Good Karma's Beaver Dam Cluster", All Access Music Group. September 26, 2006. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
In 2009, WTTN's city of license and transmitter site were moved to Columbus, Wisconsin, and its daytime power was increased to 5,000 watts using a directional array."Broadcasting News–September 2009", Upper Midwest Broadcasting. Retrieved April 15, 2019. This move allowed for co-owned 100.5 WTLX to be moved from Columbus to Monona. Later that year, the station adopted a Spanish language sports format as an affiliate of ESPN Deportes. In 2018, the station adopted a progressive talk format branded as "Resistance Radio", simulcasting Milwaukee based sister station WRRD."'Devils Advocate Radio' Adds Simulcast Partner", InsideRadio. March 6, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2019. This marked a return of the progressive talk format to the strongly liberal leaning Madison area since the format change of iHeart Media's WXXM to Adult Hits in 2016.
On February 6, 2023, WTTN rebranded as "Mad Radio 92.7" under new WMDX call letters.Devil Radio Gets Mad in Madison Radioinight - February 7, 2023 Effective February 21, 2023, WMDX and translator W224EG were sold by Good Karma Broadcasting to Civic Media, Inc. for $363,000.
Translator On May 14, 2019, WTTN began to simulcast on Madison translator W224EG (92.7 FM), and was rebranded as "Talk 92.7"."Progressive Talk Radio Returns To Madison FM Dial", InsideRadio. May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
References
External links
FM translator