WMMR (93.3 FM, "93-3 WMMR") is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by the Beasley Broadcast Group through licensee Beasley Media Group, LLC and broadcasts a broad rock radio format. The station's studios and offices are located in Bala Cynwyd and the state tower is atop One Liberty Place at () in Center City Philadelphia.
WMMR broadcasts using HD Radio. Its HD2 subchannel plays live rock performances and sessions in WMMR's studios.
WMMR carries Philadelphia Flyers hockey games when its all-sports sister station 97.5 WPEN is airing another sporting event and cannot broadcast the Flyers game. WMMR is the home of Preston and Steve, heard weekday mornings, and midday personality Pierre Robert, heard on WMMR since 1981.
History
1940s
On February 11, 1941, the Federal Communications Commission granted Pennsylvania Broadcasting Company a construction permit for a new FM station on 44.7 MHz on the original 42-50 MHz FM broadcast band with the W47PH call sign. The construction permit was modified on November 4, 1941, when the FCC reallocated the station to 44.9 MHz with a corresponding call sign change to W49PH. The FCC also on this date granted the station authority for the first time to begin broadcasting. The station signed on for the first time on April 20, 1942, and was granted its first license on March 2, 1943. Programming was initially a simulcast of sister station AM 610 WIP.
On November 1, 1943, the station was assigned the WIP-FM call sign. After the FCC created the current FM broadcast band on June 27, 1945, Pennsylvania Broadcasting applied to the FCC for a construction permit on October 24, 1946, to install a new transmitter and antenna for operation on 97.5 MHz. On July 10, 1947, the FCC reallocated the station to 93.3 MHz, modifying the construction permit. The commission granted Pennsylvania Broadcasting a new license for the station for operation on 93.3 MHz on December 22, 1948.
1950s and 1960s
In the 1950s and 1960s, WIP-FM carried a full service format of middle of the road (MOR) music, news, sports and talk. The station's license was voluntarily reassigned by the FCC to WIP Broadcasting, Inc. on September 17, 1958, followed by another voluntary reassignment to Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation on December 29, 1959. The FCC granted a licensee name change from Metropolitan Broadcasting Corporation to Metromedia, Inc. on May 11, 1961. On August 6, 1962, Metromedia applied for a construction permit to relocate the station's transmitter and antenna from 35 South 9th Street, Philadelphia to 12 South 12th Street, Philadelphia (the address of the PSFS Building). This resulted in raising the station's height above average terrain (HAAT) from 430 feet to 668 feet, while decreasing the station's effective radiated power (ERP) from 20,000 watts to 7,500 watts. The FCC granted Metromedia a new license for the station with the new facilities on September 30, 1963.
On July 1, 1966, the station's call sign was changed to WMMR. The call sign reflected the name of the station's owner, "Metromedia" (and "Radio"). (From 1948 to 1993, WMMR was used unofficially as a slogan by a local student-run carrier current radio station at the University of Minnesota.) The MOR format was still being used, but with different programming from the AM side, although the AM disc jockeys' announcements were used for both stations. Studios of WIP and WMMR were on 19th Street near Rittenhouse Square.
Beginning in 1968, WMMR began adopting a progressive rock format, similar to that of several Metromedia-owned stations including WNEW-FM in New York City. WNEW-FM and WMMR had a close relationship, ran similar promotions, and sometimes featured each other's disc jockeys on the air. WMMS in Cleveland, KMET in Los Angeles, and KSAN in San Francisco were also part of the Metromedia chain and also helped pioneer the progressive rock format in the 1960s.
Dave Herman was WMMR's first rock DJ. His show, dubbed The Marconi Experiment, debuted on April 29, 1968. Before Herman's arrival, WMMR ran an "MOR" format featuring programs such as "Sinatra and Company." The Marconi Experiment was very much an experiment for the station, with progressive rock still new to the FM band. The first song played on the show was "Flying" by The Beatles. Over the instrumental song, Herman recited these words: "Arise my heart, and fill your voice with music. For he who shares not dawn with his song, is one of the sons of ever darkness." This was known as "The Incantation" and continued as the regular show opening.