Wednesday, May 20, 2009

WMJI Dumps Majic - For A Reason

Not yet having listened to, or visited the website of, Clear Channel classic hits WMJI/105.7 in Cleveland, our first word came from a press release from the station, with the E-mail subject:

"WMJI Is No Longer Majic"

Hmm?

The station had long since dumped "oldies" from "Majic Oldies", as the "o word" became less relevant due to younger music positioning. What would the station call itself? "WMJi 105.7"? Something else? Would it lead to on-air changes?

Nope, just a temporary name change.

Try "Cavs 105.7".

OK, you got us to think for a while, WMJI.

You see, the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers are playing Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Orlando team nickname is "the Magic", and a Cleveland station certainly doesn't want to align with that during this heated playoff series. We get it! We get it!

Oh, anyway, a quote from the release:

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“WMJI will NOT lend any credibility to the nickname of our hated rival in this round of the playoffs,” said Keith Abrams, Program Director for WMJI. He continued, “Until the Cavs do away with Orlando, as they most certainly will, our radio station will remain a ‘Majic free zone’.We will now be known as CAVS 105.7 in support of our Cleveland Cavaliers!”

Not only does the boycott include changing the name of the station, it also includes removing references to the 'm' word in songs that play on the station.

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"Magic" (whatever the spelling) is a popular word used in oldies, er, classic hits songs, so that'll probably affect 105.7's playlist for the next couple of weeks...if anyone notices.

But as far as we can tell, the temporary "CAVS 105.7" name change doesn't extend to the actual games being heard on WMJI.

That honor stays elsewhere in the building at Oak Tree, with "Cavs mothership" talk WTAM/1100 carrying the contests...without simulcast from the newly-temporarily-minted "CAVS 105.7".

If the Cavaliers beat Orlando, we're pretty sure Northeast Ohio doesn't have any "Lakers" or "Nuggets" radio-station-name-wise...

2 comments:

Mike Golch said...

I think that the station should keep the tempory name untill the win it all.

YEKIMI said...

In my opinion, the "Majic" has been long gone from 105.7 since the playlist has been cut to nil.