 | |
| Broadcast area | South Suburban Atlanta |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 96.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | El Patron 96.7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Regional Mexican |
| Subchannels | HD2:SpanishCHR (WBZY simulcast) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBIN,WBZY,WRDG,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 | 2,100watts |
| HAAT | 173 meters (568 ft) |
| Repeater | 105.7WBZY-HD2 (Canton) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | elpatron967 |
WBZW (96.7FM) is anAtlantaradio station broadcasting aRegional Mexicanradio format. It is owned byiHeartMedia and islicensed to serveUnion City, Georgia. It operates from studios located at the Peachtree Palisades building in theBrookwood Hills district of Atlanta, and the transmitter is located inTyrone.
This station began broadcasting in 1952 as WCOH-FM atNewnan, Georgia.[2] The 96.7 frequency began in April 1985 as WBUS, then became WWER in March 1987.
Just a few months later, it becameadult contemporary-formatted WMKJ "Magic 96.7" in November 1987, staying there for well over a decade. The "Magic" brand would be resurrected just one year after the demise of WMKJ when AC formatted "Mix 98.1"WMAX-FM (now WMGP) inHogansville, Georgia, rebranded as "Magic 98.1."
WMGP would shift toclassic hits not long after, WHILE still retaining the "Magic" branding.
In October 2000, it became Rhythmic Top 40 WLDA, branded as "Wild 96.7".[3][4] This lasted for only a year, becoming a simulcast ofrock AC-formattedWMXV (Mix 105.7) as WXVV on October 8, 2001.[5][6]
On April 5, 2002, WXVV dropped the simulcast with WMXV and flipped toalternative, 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]
It was then WVWA ("Viva 96.7"), returning to a simulcast in southmetro Atlanta of north metro'sWWVA-FM "Viva 105.7" (formerly "Viva 105.3").[10] (This was the first time thisbroadcast callsign, which had previously been associated with aparody of radio, had actually been legally assigned.[11])
On December 20, 2006, WVWA broke from the simulcast again and becameadult contemporary as "96.7 Lite FM". The format andmoniker and WLTM call letters were previously held locally on 94.9, which flipped tocountry music as "94.9 the Bull" and adopted new callsignWUBL two days earlier.[12][13]
When WLTM aired as "94.9 Lite FM", it was the Atlantaaffiliate for the nationallysyndicatedDelilah nighttime show; this was not the case on its 96.7 revival, as her show would be picked up by rival stationWSB-FM ("B98.5"), and aired there until it was dropped in 2011.
In March 2007, WLTM became the new home ofPaul Harvey in Atlanta after a two-year stint onWYAY-FM "Eagle 106.7". Prior to that, Harvey was heard onsister stationWGST.
In November 2007, the station again began playingChristmas music, though with a decidedly more modern and diverse musical style than in its previous years on 94.9, and than competitor WSB-FM. When the format was suddenly moved and changed in December 2006, it ceased playing Christmas music, even though it was beforeChristmas Day.
On December 26, 2007, WLTM became WWLG and took themoniker "96.7 The Legend", and began airing aclassic country format.[14] During this tenure, WWLG heavily emphasized how they played 10 songs in a row without interruption. WWLG's morning show was hosted by Chris East who also doubled as WWLG's assistant program director and WWLG's program director wasWUBL afternoon jock, Lance Houston. From WWLG's launch to around 2009, the station usedRoger Alan Wade for voiceover work.[15]
On September 6, 2010, WWLG started simulcastingrhythmic CHRsister stationWWVA-FM 105.7, in effort to increase its overallmarketcoverage, mostly in the southern parts of the Atlanta metropolitan area. (The classic country format and "Legend" branding were moved to WUBL-HD2.) The last songs on "The Legend" were "If We Make It Through December" byMerle Haggard andLinda Ronstadt's "When Will I Be Loved", which was then cut in the middle with "Let's Get It Started" byThe Black Eyed Peas, launching the simulcast.[16] This marked the station's return to a rhythmic format since WLDA's exit in October 2001, and marks the third time the two stations simulcasted each other. On November 14, 2010, the station changed its name to "WiLD 105.7 & 96.7", retaining the "Atlanta's Party Station" slogan.[17]
On March 28, 2013, at 11:00 a.m., due to lowratings most likely caused byPower 96-1's launch in August 2012, WWVA/WWLG beganstunting with a loop of "What's the Frequency, Kenneth" and "Radio Song" byR.E.M. Just after Noon, the stations became "Radio 105-7", with analternative rock format similar to92.9 Dave FM and99X, which both flipped in late 2012.[18][19] On April 11, 2013, WWLG's call letters were changed to WRDG, while WWVA's call letters were changed to WRDA.
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 carryingThe Breakfast Club (which had previously been heard onW233BF) in morning drive starting December 5. The flip made the pair the fourth current-based hip hop station in the market, the other three beingWVEE,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 simulcastsWAKL (106.7 FM).
On May 4, 2020, iHeart moved the "Beat" moniker, airstaff, and urban format toWBZY (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 (nowWBZY). 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 withChristmas music as "Christmas 96.7", running commercial free through the holiday season.[24] On January 1, 2022, WBZW switched to aRegional 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]
33°29′24″N84°34′08″W / 33.490°N 84.569°W /33.490; -84.569
