WWZW
Broadcast areaLexington, Virginia
Lynchburg metropolitan area
Frequency96.7 MHz
BrandingClassic 96.7 3WZ
Programming
FormatClassic hits
Ownership
OwnerFirst Media Radio, LLC
WREL
History
First air date
1981; 43 years ago (1981)
Former call signs
  • WWZD (1980–1985)
  • WVLI (1985–1990)
  • WREL-FM (1990–2004)
  • WWZW-FM (2004)
Call sign meaning
a nod to former sister WZWW in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID19672
ClassB1
ERP2,000 watts
HAAT346 meters (1,135 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
37°43′37.0″N 79°18′24.0″W / 37.726944°N 79.306667°W / 37.726944; -79.306667
Links
Public license information
WebcastWWZW Webstream
WebsiteWWZW Online

WWZW (96.7 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Buena Vista, Virginia, and serving the Lexington area and part of the Lynchburg metropolitan area. WWZW is owned and operated by First Media Radio, LLC.[2] It broadcasts a classic hits radio format. The studios and offices are on Main Street in Lexington.

WWZW has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 2,000 watts. The transmitter is on Blue Ridge Parkway near U.S. Route 60 in Buena Vista.[3]

History

The station signed on the air in 1981.[4] Its original call sign was WWZD. It was the sister station to WREL (1450 AM) in Lexington. In 1985, Equus Communications acquired WWZD and WREL for $185,000. WWZD changed its call sign to WVLI on November 1, 1985, and to WREL-FM on May 1, 1990.[5] The two stations simulcast a full service country music format.

On July 22, 2004, WREL-AM-FM were sold to First Media Radio. On September 9, 2004, WREL-FM switched its call letters to WWZW-FM[5][a] to match co-owned station WZWW in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. On November 1, 2004, WWZW, still a country music station, adopted the "3WZ" branding, the same branding used by WZWW, an adult contemporary station.

On February 2, 2005, First Media Radio changed WWZW's format from country to adult contemporary. Sister WREL remained a talk station.

In July 2009, WWZW switched from an adult contemporary to classic hits as "Classic 96.7 3WZ".

Notes

  1. ^ The "-FM" suffix was dropped on October 15, 2004.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WWZW". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WWZW Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ^ Radio-Locator.com/WWZW
  4. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1999 page D-46-, Broadcasting & Cable
  5. ^ a b c "Call Sign History (WWZW)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved August 18, 2023.

External links


Radio stations in the Virginia Highlands
Classic Hits radio stations in the Commonwealth of Virginia
Categories