 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Hampton Roads Northeastern North Carolina |
| Frequency | 105.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 105.3 The Breeze |
| Programming | |
| Format | Soft adult contemporary |
| Subchannels | HD2:K-Love (Contemporary Christian) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WHBT-FM,WMOV-FM,WOWI | |
| History | |
First air date | August 3,1962 (as WXRI) |
Former call signs | WXRI (1962–1989) WZCL (1989–1990) WMXN (1990–1995) WJCD (1995–2001) WSVY-FM (2001–2004) WKUS (2004–2010) WVMA (2010–2013) |
Call sign meaning | Now Hampton Roads (former branding) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 69570 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 150 meters (490 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 36°48′43.0″N76°27′45.0″W / 36.811944°N 76.462500°W /36.811944; -76.462500 |
| Translators | HD2: 93.3 W227BR (Portsmouth) HD2: 97.9 W250BQ (Newport News) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | WNOH Webstream |
| Website | 1053thebreeze |
WNOH (105.3FM) is a commercial radio stationlicensed toWindsor, Virginia, serving theHampton Roadsradio market inVirginia andNortheastern North Carolina. WNOH is owned and operated byiHeartMedia and broadcasts aSoft adult contemporary music format, branded as "105.3 The Breeze".[2] WNOH is the Hampton Roads affiliate for the syndicatedDelilah show, which airs during the evening.
WNOH's studios and offices are on Greenbrier inChesapeake, Virginia.[3] Thetransmitter is off Nansemond Parkway inSuffolk, Virginia.[4] WNOH broadcasts at 50,000 watts, the maximum power for the Hampton Roads section of Virginia, although a few FM stations in the market are powered at 100,000 watts if their towers are located near or over theNorth Carolina state line. (WGH-FM isgrandfathered at 74,000 watts).
WNOH broadcasts in theHD Radio format; its HD2 subchannel carries "K-Love", acontemporary Christian format from theEducational Media Foundation. Sometime in 2022, Master of the Mix was pulled from iHeartRadio, leading to the HD2 channel being turned off; the HD3 subchannel remained on before being turned off as the HD3 format moved to HD2.[5]
On August 3, 1962, WXRIsigned on the air on 104.5 MHz, licensed to Norfolk.[6] It was owned by theChristian Broadcasting Network, headed byPat Robertson, and carried aChristian radio format for 27 years, but it started with an antiquated 3,000-watt transmitter located in an abandoned garage.[7] A year after signing on, it was approved to move to its present 105.3 MHz and increased its transmitter power to 50,000 watts.[8] CBN, then headquartered inPortsmouth, also owned WYAH-TV (channel 27, nowWGNT), and the two stations shared studio facilities on Spratley Street in Portsmouth.
In 1981, the format was modified to what was described as a "sanitized secular format" in preparation for planned syndication throughout the U.S. by CBN's Continental Radio division.[9] The format mixedChristian contemporary songs withadult contemporary, avoiding overtproselytism of religious views.
The 1989 sale of WXRI to Win Communications severed CBN's ties to the station and prompted the station'scall sign to change to WZCL. The Christian format initially moved to 96.1WKSV, which received CBN's music library, hired most of its former DJs and even considered changing its call letters to WXRI.[10] WZCL went through a period ofstunting with everything fromalbum rock tobeautiful music.[11] On May 19, the new WZCL became "Cool 105" with anoldies format.[12] On September 3, 1990, after briefly stunting withcountry music, WZCL becameadult contemporary-formatted WMXN, "Mix 105".[13][14]
In 1995, ML Media Opportunity Partners sold WMXN to US Radio L.P., which ownedWSVY andWOWI.[15] The following year, WMXN and co-owned WOWI were acquired byClear Channel Communications, a forerunner to current owner iHeartMedia, Inc.[16] Clear Channel switched the format tosmooth Jazz as WJCD on March 17, 1995.[17] On June 25, 2001, WJCD and sisterWSVY-FM swapped formats and call letters, with smooth jazz WJCD moving to 107.7 FM, while WSVY'surban AC format moved to 105.3, and rebranded as "Vibe 105.3".[18] On March 19, 2004, WSVY rebranded as "105.3 Kiss FM", and on March 29, the station became WKUS.[19][20][21]
On October 11, 2010, WKUS' urban AC format moved from 105.3 to the92.1 and107.7 signals to make room for the launch of WVMA, an AC-leaningclassic hits format as "Magic 105.3". The move meant the end of the oldies format on 92.1 and the smooth jazz format on 107.7.[22][23]
On April 5, 2012, WVMA changed their format tocontemporary hit radio, branded as "The New 105.3".[24]
On January 25, 2013, WVMA rebranded as "Now 105.3".[25] Ten days later, WVMA shortened the branding to "Now 105".[26] On March 11, 2013, the station changed its call sign to the current WNOH. WNOH primarily competed withWNVZ andWVHT.
On October 31, 2017, at midnight, after playing "Let Me Love You" byDJ Snake, WNOH began stunting with a loop of "Thriller" byMichael Jackson. At 2 p.m. that day, WNOH flipped toalternative rock, branded as "Alt 105.3". The syndicated programs moved to WVHT. The first song on "Alt" was "Feel It Still" byPortugal. The Man. The station primarily competed against Sinclair Communications-ownedWROX-FM, as well as Saga Communications'active rock-formattedWNOR.[27][28]
On June 29, 2020, fifteen iHeart stations in markets with large African American populations, including WNOH, began stunting with African American speeches, interspersed with messages such as "Our Voices Will Be Heard" and "Our side of the story is about to be told," with a new format slated to launch the following day at noon.[29][30] At the promised time, WNOH, along with the other fourteen stations, became the launch stations for theBlack Information Network, an African American-orientedall-news radio network.[31] WNOH was the only full-power FM affiliate of the network.
On July 25, 2025, the Black Information Network format moved toWHBT-FM (92.1FM), while 105.3 began stunting withChristmas music as "Christmas 105.3".[32] This stunting lasted for the last week of July as the station temporarily branded as "Hampton Roads' Christmas Station." The week of Christmas music concluded on August 1, at midnight, when WNOH officially switched to asoft adult contemporary format and rebranded as "105.3 The Breeze."[33]
With the change, a new lineup ofradio DJs were added, including the syndicated Murphy, Sam, and Jodi Show in mornings, and the syndicatedDelilah in evenings.[34]
On November 1, 2025, WNOH flipped to Christmas music again, this time, retaining the "105.3 the Breeze" branding. This picks up iHeart's yearly tradition of putting Christmas music on one of their radio stations in Norfolk. Prior to this year,WMOV-FM flipped to all-Christmas music annually, but the station changed formats after the 2024 holiday season, and now no longer flip to Christmas music. The Christmas music on WNOH also competes againstAudacy-ownedWWDE-FM, which flips to Christmas music every year.[35]
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