WBZW
WUBL, WWPW | |
| History | |
|---|---|
First air date | 1952 (as WCOH-FM) |
Former call signs | WCOH-FM (1948–1985) WBUS (1985–1987) WWER (1987) WMKJ (1987–2000) WLDA (2000–2001) WXVV (2001–2002) WBZY-FM (2002–2005) WVWA (2005–2006) WLTM (2006–2008) WWLG (2008–2013) WRDG (2013–2020) WRDA (2020) |
Call sign meaning | Similar to that of former simulcaster WBZY |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 61142 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 2,100 watts |
| HAAT | 173 meters (568 ft) |
| Repeater(s) | 105.7 WBZY-HD2 (Canton) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | elpatron967 |
WBZW (96.7
History
Early years (1952–1987)
This station began broadcasting in 1952 as WCOH-FM at Newnan, Georgia.[2] The 96.7 frequency began in April 1985 as WBUS, then became WWER in March 1987.
Adult contemporary (1987–1997)
Just a few months later, it became
Classic hits (1997–2000)
WMGP would shift to classic hits not long after, WHILE still retaining the "Magic" branding.
Rhythmic (2000–2002)
In October 2000, it became Rhythmic Top 40 WLDA, branded as "Wild 96.7".
Alternative (2002–2005)
On April 5, 2002, WXVV dropped the simulcast with WMXV and flipped to alternative, branded as "96-7 the Buzz". The station also took on new calls WBZY.[7][8] On May 5, 2005, the Buzz was moved to 105.3.[9]
Spanish music (2005–2006)
It was then WVWA ("Viva 96.7"), returning to a simulcast in south
Adult contemporary (2006–2007)
On December 20, 2006, WVWA broke from the simulcast again and became
When WLTM aired as "94.9 Lite FM", it was the Atlanta
In March 2007, WLTM became the new home of Paul Harvey in Atlanta after a two-year stint on WYAY-FM "Eagle 106.7". Prior to that, Harvey was heard on sister station WGST.
In November 2007, the station again began playing
Classic country (2007–2008)
On December 26, 2007, WLTM became WWLG and took the
Rhythmic (2010–2013)
On September 6, 2010, WWLG started simulcasting
Alternative (2012–2016)
On March 28, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., due to low
On April 11, 2013, WWLG's call letters were changed to WRDG, while WWVA's call letters were changed to WRDA.Urban (2016–2020)
On November 11, 2016, at 9:23 a.m., WRDG dropped the simulcast of WRDA (who continued with the alternative format), flipped to mainstream urban as "92.3 & 96.7 The Beat", and began simulcasting on translator W222AF FM 92.3 (who also dropped its contemporary Spanish format). "The Beat" launched with 10,000 songs in a row, and began carrying The Breakfast Club (which had previously been heard on W233BF) in morning drive starting December 5. The flip made the pair the fourth current-based hip hop station in the market, the other three being WVEE, WHTA and the aforementioned W233BF.[20]
On April 12, 2018, W222AF was taken off-the-air by its owner because iHeart's lease of the translator expired.[21] W222AF now simulcasts WAKL (106.7 FM).
Spanish music (2020–present)
On May 4, 2020, iHeart moved the "Beat" moniker, airstaff, and urban format to WBZY (105.3 FM), as that signal has a larger coverage area than 96.7.[22] WRDG continued to simulcast 105.3 FM until May 18, when it switched to a fourth simulcast with 105.7 FM (now WBZY). The WRDG call letters moved to 105.3 on the same date; in turn, 96.7 FM adopted the WRDA call sign and then the WBZW calls on May 26, 2020.[23]
On November 5, 2021, the station broke from the 105.7 simulcast once again and began stunting with Christmas music as "Christmas 96.7", running commercial free through the holiday season.[24] On January 1, 2022, WBZW switched to a Regional Mexican format, branded as "96.7 El Patrón". The flip returned the format and branding to the iHeart cluster for the first time since the now-WRDG flipped to Spanish contemporary hits in November 2018.[25]
Previous logos
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "History Cards for WBZW". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
- ^ Lance (September 8, 2000). "WMKJ becomes Wild 96.7". Format Change Archive. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Miriam Longino, "Summer was a season of big changes," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 19, 2000.
- ^ "RR-2001-10-12" (PDF).
- ^ Rodney Ho, "The End result at 107.9 signal: A return to Hot hip-hop idea," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, October 9, 2001.
- ^ Rodney Ho, "Radio station 'Buzzing' with new format," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 6, 2002.
- ^ "RR-2002-04-12" (PDF).
- ^ Lance (May 5, 2005). "96.7 The Buzz Moves To 105.3". Format Change Archive. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ Richard L. Eldredge, "The Buzz on the Buzz," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 10, 2005.
- ^ "NorthEast Radio Watch by Scott Fybush".
- ^ Richard L. Eldredge, "Lite FM update," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, December 20, 2006.
- ^ "Music & Radio Station News | AllAccess.com". All Access. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "2007 HOLIDAY FORMAT CHANGE RUNDOWN". December 28, 2007.
- ^ WWLG "96.7 The Legend" Peachtree City, GA Station Imaging Part 2, retrieved January 24, 2024
- ^ "ATLANTA DOUBLES ITS GROOVE". September 6, 2010.
- ^ "GROOVE ATLANTA EVOLVING WILDLY". November 14, 2010.
- ^ "ALTERNATIVE RETURNS TO ATLANTA". March 18, 2013.
- ^ Lance (March 28, 2013). "Radio 105.7 Atlanta Launches". Format Change Archive. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
- ^ "IHEART DEBUTS THE BEAT 92.3/96.7 ATLANTA". November 11, 2016.
- ^ "Another Atlanta FM Loses its Translator".
- ^ The Beat Moves in Atlanta
- ^ "Z105.7 ATLANTA READDS 96.7 SIMULCAST". May 18, 2020.
- ^ "COMMERCIAL-FREE CHRISTMAS COMES TO ATLANTA". November 5, 2021.
- ^ "El Patrón Returns to Atlanta". Radioinsght. December 30, 2021. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
External links
- Facility details for Facility ID 61142 (WBZW) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WBZW in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- WVWA Parody Site
- Scott Fybush's article on (the fake) WVWA