WGH-FM
Broadcast areaHampton Roads
Frequency97.3 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding97.3 The Eagle
Programming
FormatCountry[1]
SubchannelsHD2: Business talk "MoneyTalk Radio"
Ownership
Owner
WGH, WTWV-FM, WVBW-FM, WVSP-FM
History
First air date
November 1948 (at 96.5)[2]
Former call signs
  • WGH-FM (1948–1983)
  • WNSY (1983–1985)
  • WRSR (1985–1986)[3]
Former frequencies
96.5 MHz (1948–1955)[4]
Call sign meaning
"World's Greatest Harbor"[5]
Technical information
Facility ID72102
ClassB
Power74,000 watts
HAAT120 meters (390 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
36°57′47.0″N 76°24′42.0″W / 36.963056°N 76.411667°W / 36.963056; -76.411667
Links
WebcastListen Live
Website973eagle.com

WGH-FM (97.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Newport News, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads.[1] WGH-FM is owned and operated by Max Media and airs a country music radio format.[6] It uses the branding "97.3 The Eagle."

Studios and offices are on Greenwich Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[7] The transmitter is on Newport News Point, near Interstate 664.[8]

Station history

WGH-FM first signed on the air in November 1948, one of the first FM stations in Virginia.[9] It broadcasts at 74,000 watts in an area of the country where today the maximum power for FM radio stations should be 50,000 watts. But because the station dates back to 1948, before the Federal Communications Commission set rules for FM power levels, it is grandfathered at the higher power.

The call letters for WGH-FM and its sister station WGH (1310 AM) stand for "World's Greatest Harbor", a slogan for the Hampton Roads or Tidewater area of Virginia, where there is a large shipbuilding industry and both commercial and military ports.[10] WGH and WGH-FM are the only stations in Virginia to operate with three-letter call signs.[11]

For many years in its early days, WGH-FM was a classical music station.[12] On September 1, 1983, after Commcor bought the station, the classical format was abruptly dropped and flipped to soft rock as WNSY-FM, "Sunny 97".[13] A year later, it flipped to Top 40 as "Y-97".[14] The next year, after Susquehanna Broadcasting took over, the station changed call letters to WRSR and rebranded as "97 Star" during the week of September 10, 1985, while keeping the current format.[15] The WGH-FM calls would return on December 15, 1986.

On August 29, 1990, the Top 40 format was dropped and the station began stunting with all-Elvis Presley. On September 3, it flipped to its current country format as "Eagle 97.3".[16][17]

In August 2023, The Eagle was one of the first stations in the U.S. to break long-standing protocol whereby the station, like most others, doesn't add new artists to its playlists, and especially not unless a label promotes it. 97.3's Program Director at the time, Mike “Moose” Smith, hand-scheduled Oliver Anthony, something he hadn't done in 40 years.[18]

References

  1. ^ a b "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  2. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 2010 (PDF). ProQuest, LLC/Reed Publishing (Nederland), B.V. 2010. p. D-567. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  3. ^ "Call Sign History". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  4. ^ "FCC History Cards for WGH-FM".
  5. ^ "Call Letter Origins: Key and Listing". Bob Nelson. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  6. ^ "WGH Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved July 18, 2015.
  7. ^ "5589 Greenwich Rd · 5589 Greenwich Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462".
  8. ^ "WGH-FM Radio Station Coverage Map".
  9. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 pg. C-220
  10. ^ History of Newport News, Virginia
  11. ^ White, Thomas. "Three-Letter Roll Call". earlyradiohistory.us.
  12. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1982/C%20Radio%20NE%20to%20Terr%20BC%20YB%201982%20All-4.pdf[dead link]
  13. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1983/RR-1983-09-09.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  14. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1985/B-Radio-NE-to-Ter-B-Radio-All-BC-YB-1985.pdf[dead link]
  15. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1986/B-Radio-NE-to-Ter-B-Radio-All-BC-YB-1986.pdf[dead link]
  16. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1990/RR-1990-09-07.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  17. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1991/B-Radio-NE-MT-1991-B&W.pdf[dead link]
  18. ^ STEVE KNOPPER (23 August 2023). "Oliver Anthony's 'Rich Men' Is Taking Off at Radio Without Any Promotion". Billboard Pro. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 27 August 2023. Mike "Moose" Smith did something he hadn't done in 40 years. The program director for 97.3 The Eagle, in nearby Norfolk, Va., aired the unknown singer-songwriter's viral smash — "Rich Men North of Richmond" — once every hour [...] Few radio stations, including 97.3 The Eagle, add new artists to their playlists — especially those with no label promoting it–

External links

Radio stations in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, metropolitan area
Country radio stations in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Max Media radio stations
Categories