WMGG AM & FM - A History
WMGG-AM 820 Largo & WMGG-FM 96.1 Dade City – Mega Communications acquired Clear Channel’s 820 The Team WZTM in 2000, changed the calls to WMGG, and switched to a Spanish format, branded La Mega 820. The 50 kilowatt (1 kw at night) powerhouse, also known as Mega Clasica 820 and La Preciosa 820, programmed to Tampa Bay’s 25-54 Mexican and Central American demographic with a Mexican adult hits format.
On September 29, 2008, WMGG-AM was sold to Genesis Communications and moved to AM-1470 (5,000 watts day/500 watts night from a tower site on CR95 in Palm Harbor, just off US 19). Its Spanish format was replaced with ABC Radio’s Timeless Music programming (Mega Memories AM-1470).
In June 2009, WMGG-AM flipped to all-business news (Bay Biz Radio 1470). It was granted a community of license change from Dunedin to Egypt Lake, as well as approval to move its broadcast tower from Palm Harbor to Tampa and operate with 750 watts days and 800 watts at night.
After briefly returning to a Spanish format (Latina 1470) in 2010 and moving its offices and studios from 4300 West Cypress to 800 8th Avenue SE in Largo, WMGG-AM switched to a syndicated talk format in the summer of 2011, then to Spanish/Talk in 2013.
WMGG-FM (originally Dade City's 96.1 WBDN-FM, Tampa Bay's first FM Spanish station), launched in 1999. After its acquisition by Tama Broadcasting in 2001, the format and calls flipped to urban contemporary WTMP-FM, but the format later returned to Spanish programming.
In the spring of 2018, Genesis Communications sold WMGG-AM Egypt Lake/Tampa to Neal Ardman’s NIA Broadcasting where it became a sister station to classic hip-hop 1150 WTMP-AM Egypt Lake and Regional Mexican 96.1 La Mexicana WTMP-FM. As part of the deal, WMGG-AM retained its Spanish format, simulcasting WTMP-FM.
WMGG announced in late 2020 that the AM would be broadcasting in digital HD format by early 2021, a promise that they made happen.
Daniel de la Rosa's DRC Broadcasting agreed to purchase 1470 WMGG-AM in late August 2021 and flipped the station to a Spanish Tropical format as Ritmo 101.9.
Some names from WMGG history include Adam Lindemann (chairman, president, and CEO of Mega Communications), Michelle Kalanja (director of sales), and Ricardo Villalona (general manager).
(Please contact us if you have additional information about WMGG AM & FM.)
Station History
2000 - 2021 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (History)
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