WMJX's broadcast license was revoked by the Federal Communications Commission due to the use of fake news stories to promote a 1975 contest and an error in which advertisers were billed for commercials that did not air.
[18] The station hired Roby Yonge away from competitor WLQY (soon to become WHYI-FM) in 1973[19] to do mornings and fired him the next year amidst a major staff shakeup.
[20] Generally, the station was considered a revolving door of talent and management; other notable people to work for WMYQ included Lee Abrams, Jerry Clifton, Kris Erik Stevens, and Jack McCoy.
[23] On December 18, 1974, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) censured Bartell for its conduct in running the "Magnum One" contest, saying that WMYQ had overstated the prize as being a "massive treasure" when it was only worth $10,000.
The centerpiece of the allegations was an April 1975 vacation contest by morning personality Greg Austin, who created reports from the Devil's Triangle that were integrated into the station's newscasts.
[28] However, the challenge forced Bartell, now fully owned by Downe Communications, to scrap a sale of its WADO New York when the FCC conditioned action on the license transfer on the WMJX hearing.
[33] Charter had, in its attempts to appease the FCC, removed local management and some personnel at its corporate office; it had also increased WMJX's charitable involvement.
[40] However, station management indicated it had plans to continue the appeal, saying that Charter should not be held responsible for Bartell's indiscretions; the FCC countered by noting the two were now under common ownership.
"[43] Even before WMJX had left the air, applications came to the Federal Communications Commission for the frequency it would vacate, with the initial field yielding more than 60 interested parties.
The initial decision, issued on May 16, 1984, gave the nod to South Florida Broadcasting, owned by former state representative Elaine Bloom, which proposed an ethnic radio station.
[46] The FCC dismissed the Rana bid because Liberty City, as a neighborhood of Miami, was not sufficient to be a community of license;[45]: 854 Onyx, which was 30 percent owned and managed by WPLG-TV anchor Dwight Lauderdale, could not prove its financial qualifications adequately;[45]: 899 and First Black had attempted to block other applicants from using the candelabra.
[45]: 892 However, on appeal, the FCC Review Board remanded the case to the administrative law judge in December 1984, over the antenna site issues of various applicants.