On June 10, 1977, WMGX first signed on the air. It was owned by Sunshine Broadcasting and played a soft rock format as "Magic 93." Artists included James Taylor, Carole King, Cat Stevens and Carly Simon. Announcers did not talk over the music. Several songs were played in a row, with no talking between the songs. From the mid-to-late-1980s and through the 1990s, WMGX was owned by the Portland Radio Group, LLC., which also operated talk radio station 560 AM WGAN, country music station 101.9 WPOR and "Oldies" station 100.9 WYNZ. WMGX had a unique format, blending classic, soft, and progressive rock with adult contemporary music. At this time, the station claimed that " never the same song twice ," a boast that it later backed up with a monetary prize to anyone who caught the station doing so. In 1992, WMGX and WGAN were acquired by Saga Communications. On March 9, 2006, 29 years after the station's launch, WMGX changed format. The station then became "Coast 93.1," with a hot adult contemporary format, playing music from the "80s, 90s and Now". WMGX eventually dropped the "80s, 90s and Now" slogan and changed it to "Today's Best Mix" in order to reflect the playlist from the current and recent Top 40 charts, minus any songs deemed too hard-edged or rap-oriented. Songs from the last couple of decades also were heard but WMGX rarely played any song recorded before 1990. As of April 2016, to compete more with the long dominant Top 40 station 97.9 WJBQ, WMGX shifted to an Adult Top 40 format under the branding of "Portland's Adult Hit Music Station." The station currently acts as a hybrid between a Hot AC and a Mainstream Top 40 station. On Sunday mornings, WMGX airs the nationally syndicated show "American Top 40" with Ryan Seacrest.
The Coast Morning Show with and was voted Portland's #1 morning show according to the Portland Phoenix. Mondays are "Missed Connection Monday," when Blake and Eva read different posts from Craigslist's Missed Connections Section. Thursday is "Blown Off" Day where Blake and Eva try to figure out why a listener was "blown off" by a person they went out on a date with. Fridays are "Tell Us Something Good" where listeners get a chance to call in and tell everyone something positive. Blake Hayes is open about being gay and sometimes discusses life as a gay man.
