WVBW-FM

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Coordinates: 36°49′44″N 76°12′26″W / 36.82889°N 76.20722°W / 36.82889; -76.20722
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

WVBW-FM
Broadcast areaHampton Roads
Frequency100.5 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding100.5 The Vibe
Programming
FormatUrban adult hits
Ownership
Owner
WGH, WGH-FM, WTWV-FM, WVSP-FM
History
First air date
October 1, 1962; 62 years ago (1962-10-01)
Former call signs
  • WCMS-FM (1961–2003)
  • WXMM (2003–2009)
  • WVHT (2009–2022)
[1]
Call sign meaning
Vibe
(formerly "Wave Virginia Beach" on 92.9 until move of calls in 2022)
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID71287
ClassB
ERP50,000 watts
HAAT152 meters (499 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
36°49′44″N 76°12′26″W / 36.82889°N 76.20722°W / 36.82889; -76.20722
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Website1005thevibe.com

WVBW-FM (100.5

studios and offices are on Greenwich Road in Virginia Beach.[4]

WVBW-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts. The transmitter is off Gammon Road, also in Virginia Beach.[5]

History

Early years as WCMS-FM

WVBW-FM traces its roots back to July 1, 1954, when

African American-oriented radio station, WRAP, which moved to 850 AM. In 1961, WCMS was purchased by George A. and Marjorie Crump of Suffolk. The Crumps took the unprecedented step of playing only country music on WCMS when other Norfolk-area radio stations carried different musical styles, as country music was still looked down on in that era. Critics at the time assured the Crumps that their bold decision would fail quickly.[7][8]

WCMS was originally a

signed on the air.[9]
The FM station allowed WCMS's country music to be heard around the clock, even though only a small number of radios were equipped at that time to pick up FM broadcasts.

During the Crump family's ownership, WCMS-AM-FM received a number of awards from the

Tidewater region of Virginia, WCMS-AM-FM maintained a boat to assist sailors who ran into trouble while on Chesapeake Bay
and the rivers that flow into it.

George A. Crump died in 2005, but up until the 1990s, he was occasionally heard on WCMS-AM-FM giving editorials. His famous line at the end of every commentary was "And that, in our opinion, is that."[12]

Purchase by Barnstable Broadcasting

In 1999, Marjorie Crump sold WCMS-AM-FM for $15.5 million to Barnstable Broadcasting.[13] The deal included the corporate office building and studios at 900 Commonwealth Place in Virginia Beach.[14] Barnstable began firing longtime employees, such as Eric Stevens, who had worked at the station for nearly 20 years. As longtime staffers were being let go, the station began using DJs from new sister station WGH-FM.

With co-owned WGH-FM airing a mainstream country format, at 3:00 p.m. on April 10, 2003, after playing "Goodbye Says It All" by Blackhawk, WCMS-FM shifted to classic country music.[15] The new format lasted only seven months. After more than 40 years of country music, the format was dropped entirely at 11:30 p.m. on November 28, 2003, with "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson as its final song. WCMS-FM then began stunting with a loop of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long."[16]

Rock era

At 3 p.m. on November 30, 2003, the station flipped to

Mainstream Rock as "100.5 MAX-FM." The first song on "MAX-FM" was "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones.[17][18] The call sign changed to WXMM on December 18, 2003.[19]

With the format change, the country music format returned to its original frequency, 1050 AM. Morning

Nashville.[21] The WCMS call letters moved to 1310 AM as a sports radio station, while the 1050 frequency was acquired by Davidson Broadcasting, a company specializing in Spanish language stations, and became WVXX.[22]

In 2005, Barnstable Broadcasting sold all its stations to Max Media.[23]

Contemporary hits WVHT

At 5 p.m. on April 23, 2009, the station began

The Black Eyed Peas.[27][28] The station changed its call sign to WVHT on May 4, 2009.[19]

On January 13, 2014, at 8:45 a.m., after stunting for an hour with construction sounds, WVHT was relaunched, keeping the "Hot 100.5" name and Top 40 format. But it took a more music-intensive approach, as the home for "25 hits in a row." The logo was also changed with the adjustment in format.[29]

On August 7, 2016, WVHT made another format adjustment, moving to

Entercom-owned station also moved to a mainstream Top 40/CHR format after previously being a rhythmic CHR
for more than a decade.

Former "Hot" logo (2016–2022)

In May 2019, WVHT added American Top 40 with Ryan Seacrest, Elvis Duran and the Morning Show and Most Requested Live after the station that had run these syndicated Top 40 programs, WNOH, flipped to an alternative rock format the year prior. In addition, WVHT added Zach Sang's nightly syndicated show, which ran until its cancellation in 2022.

The Vibe

On June 17, 2022, at 6 p.m., after playing "

classic soul genres, under the oversight of new vice president of operations and programming Eddie Haskell, and new program director Anthony ‘Tone Hollywood’ Wheeler.[32][33]

On June 26, 2022, radio industry website RadioInsight disclosed that Max Media had applied to move the WVBW call letters from the co-owned station on 92.9 FM to match the new format. Upon making the move, 92.9 changed its call sign to WTWV-FM. The change was approved by the FCC on June 29.[34]

References

  1. ^ "Call Sign History". fcc.gov. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WVBW-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "WVBW Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  4. ^ "Hot1005.com/contact".
  5. ^ "WVBW-FM Radio Station Coverage Map". radio-locator.com.
  6. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1956 page 320, Broadcasting & Cable
  7. ^ "RUSS CASSIDY'S DEATH WAS SECOND BLOW FOR HIS WCMS FANS.(DAILY BREAK) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016.
  8. ^ "SPORTS TO BOUNCE COUNTRY MUSIC FROM WCMS-AM.(DAILY BREAK) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016.
  9. ^ "Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-191" (PDF).
  10. ^ "WCMS founders croon into Country Music Hall of Fame.(Suffolk Sun) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". May 4, 2016. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016.
  11. ^ "Ex-WCMS owner honored for role in country music.(Daily Break) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". May 4, 2016. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016.
  12. ^ "Heavy-hitter in regional radio dies at 79.(Local) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016.
  13. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2001 page D-473
  14. ^ "RADIO STATIONS MAY CHANGE HANDS WCMS STATIONS COULD BE THE LATEST IN AREA TO BE SOLD TO BARNSTABLE.(BUSINESS) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". May 4, 2016. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016.
  15. ^ "100.5 WCMS Flips from Country to Classic Country". April 10, 2003.
  16. ^ "100.5 WCMS Flips from Classic Country to Rock "Max 100.5"". November 29, 2003.
  17. ^ "WCMS-FM CANS COUNTRY SOUND: CHANGE IN 40-YEAR RADIO TRADITION CATCHES STATION'S LISTENERS BY SURPRISE.(FRONT)." The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA). McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 2003. Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ "WCMS Taken To The 'MAX'" (PDF). Radio & Records. December 5, 2003. p. 5. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  19. ^ a b "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  20. ^ "RADIO SHOCK WAVES CONTINUE TO REVERBERATE THROUGH THE AIR.(DAILY BREAK) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016.
  21. ^ "THE YEAR IN LOCAL BROADCASTING: RADIO FLIP-FLOPPED A LOT.(DAILY BREAK) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016.
  22. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook page D-533
  23. ^ "MAX MEDIA'S MEGA-TAKEOVER IS MEGA-QUIET.(Daily Break) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". May 3, 2016. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016.
  24. ^ "Max Media brings "Kung Pao 100.5" to Tidewater". Radio Business Report. April 23, 2009. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2009.
  25. ^ "is this radio station for real? maybe they're on to something.(Local) - The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA) | HighBeam Research". May 4, 2016. Archived from the original on May 4, 2016.
  26. ^ "KDOG Becomes Kung Pao 96.7, Plays The (Chinese) Classic Hits". All Access Music Group. April 3, 2006.
  27. ^ "WXMM Norfolk Becomes CHR "Hot 100.5"". RadioInsight. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  28. ^ "Debut of Hot 100.5 (audio)" (FMA). Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  29. ^ "Hot 100.5 Norfolk Relaunches". RadioInsight. January 13, 2014. Retrieved May 7, 2022.
  30. ^ Max Media #hrva adjusts CHR "Hot 100.5" WVHT into a more adult sound as "Virginia's New Hit Music Channel, Hot 100" #VARTV - Robert F. Corbin/VARTV, August 7, 2016
  31. ^ Hot 100.5 Norfolk Moves to Hot AC - Lance Venta/RadioInsight, August 8, 2016
  32. ^ "Domain Insight 6/17: What Market is About to Vibe?". RadioInsight. June 17, 2022.
  33. ^ "Max Media Launches 100.5 The Vibe Norfolk; Names Tone Hollywood Program Director". RadioInsight. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  34. ^ "FCC Report 6/26: FCC Clarifies Class D FM Public File Obligations - RadioInsight". June 26, 2022.
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