WEZB
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| Broadcast area | New Orleans metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 97.1 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | B97 FM |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Subchannels | HD2: Channel Q |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | September 1, 1945 |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | EZ Communications; beautiful music |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 20346 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 300 meters (980 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 29°55′12″N 90°01′30″W / 29.920°N 90.025°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (via Audacy) |
| Website | www |
WEZB (97.1
on weekdays.WEZB has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts. The transmitter site is off Behrman Highway in the city's Algiers neighborhood.[2] The signal covers much of Southeastern Louisiana and South Mississippi. WEZB broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format.
History
On September 1, 1945, 97.1 signed on the air as WRCM, the FM simulcast of WJMR (990 AM; WGSO) and sister station to WJMR-TV (now WVUE), all owned by George J. Mayoral.[3] Then, around 1966–67 after the TV station had already been sold, the Supreme Broadcasting Company bought the two radio stations and changed the call signs to WNNR and WNNR-FM. At the time, the stations were located in the Jung Hotel at 1500 Canal Street in downtown New Orleans. WNNR-FM had a power of only 20,500 watts from an antenna 310 feet atop the building, a fraction of its current wattage and antenna height.
On January 2, 1972,
According to Jackson "Jack Da Wack" Tally, who was also one of B97 FM's first Bee Jocks, in early November 1979, the station slowly started to work more Top 40 music into the playlist and scaled back the rhythmic titles. By the end of that year, the staff was ready for the format change to B97 FM. This station would be a popular Top 40 outlet for years to come, much like "The Mighty 690, WTIX" was in the 1960s and 1970s.
Kent Burkhart, consultant to EZ Communications at the time, states on his website[6] that Dan Vallie was hired on by the company to change the ailing format of WEZB from disco and dance music to Top 40. Bob Reich and Dan Vallie brought in Ken Cooper to do mornings and re-named him Cajun Ken Cooper telling listeners he lived in the "Cooper Dome" One of Cooper's best caricatures was "The Right Reverend Shamus On You" representing "The First Church of the Sacred Gumbo" The New B-97 FM with all the great B-Jocks went to number 1 within a year. Over the years, the name went through minor changes (i.e., "The New B97 FM", "New Orleans' B97 FM", "B97 FM", "97.1 The All New B-97 FM", and "B97 FM, All The Hits!"), the transmitting power was increased, and the antenna was moved to a taller location.
B97 has been New Orleans' top-rated Top 40 outlet for more than 40 years, except for two brief, failed experiments. The first format change was a decision by now-defunct EZ Communications, in which the station changed to a
In 1999, Sinclair Broadcast Group sold WEZB and 45 other radio stations to Entercom for $824.5 million.[8]
Hurricane Katrina
WEZB was also a member of the
Past programming and staff
Notable former programs include
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WEZB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WEZB-FM 97.1 MHz - New Orleans, LA". radio-locator.com. Retrieved 2024-01-25.
- ^ "Archive" (PDF).
- ^ "B 1973" (PDF).
- ^ B-97's Alumni page on Facebook.com
- ^ "cannot be reached".
- ^ "R&R-1996-06-14" (PDF).
- ^ "Begin Privacy Enhanced Message".
External links
- Official website
- WEZB in the FCC FM station database
- WEZB in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- WEZB audio clip from 1992