 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Hampton Roads |
| Frequency | 97.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 97.3 The Eagle |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country[1] |
| Subchannels | HD2:Business talk "MoneyTalk Radio" |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WGH,WTWV-FM,WVBW-FM,WVSP-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | November 1948 (76 years ago) (1948-11)[2] |
Former call signs |
|
Former frequencies | 96.5 MHz (1948–1955)[4] |
Call sign meaning | "World's Greatest Harbor"[5] |
| Technical information[6] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 72102 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 74,000watts |
| HAAT | 120 meters (390 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 36°57′47.5″N76°24′40.8″W / 36.963194°N 76.411333°W /36.963194; -76.411333 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | 973eagle |
WGH-FM (97.3MHz) is a commercialradio stationlicensed toNewport News, Virginia, servingHampton Roads.[1] WGH-FM is owned and operated byMax Media and airs acountry musicradio format.[7] It uses the branding "97.3 The Eagle".
Studios and offices are on Greenwich Road inVirginia Beach, Virginia.[8] Thetransmitter is on Newport News Point, near Interstate 664.[9]
WGH-FM firstsigned on the air in November 1948, one of the first FM stations in Virginia.[10] It broadcasts at 74,000 watts in an area of the country where today the maximum power for FM radio stations should be 50,000 watts. But, because the station dates back to 1948, before theFederal Communications Commission set rules for FM power levels, it isgrandfathered at the higher power.
Thecall letters for WGH-FM and itssister stationWGH (1310 AM) stand for "World's Greatest Harbor", a slogan for the Hampton Roads or Tidewater area of Virginia, where there is a large shipbuilding industry and both commercial and military ports.[11] WGH and WGH-FM are the only stations in Virginia to operate with three-letter call signs.[12]
For many years in its early days, WGH-FM was aclassical music station.[13] On September 1, 1983, after Commcor bought the station, the classical format was abruptly dropped and flipped tosoft rock as WNSY-FM, "Sunny 97".[14] A year later, it flipped totop 40 as "Y-97".[15] The next year, afterSusquehanna Broadcasting took over, the station changed call letters to WRSR and rebranded as "97 Star" during the week of September 10, 1985, while keeping the current format.[16] The WGH-FM calls would return on December 15, 1986.
On August 29, 1990, the top 40 format was dropped and the station beganstunting with all-Elvis Presley. On September 3, at noon, it flipped to its current country format as "Eagle 97.3".[17][18]