 | |
| Broadcast area | Central Virginia CentralShenandoah Valley |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 97.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 97-5 3WV |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Subchannels | HD2:Sports talk "Fox Sports 102.9" |
| Affiliations | United Stations Radio Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WCNR,WCVL-FM,WINA,WQMZ | |
| History | |
First air date | March 5,1960 |
Former call signs | WCCV-FM (1960–1977)[1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 19837 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 8,900watts (analog) 356 watts (digital) |
| HAAT | 345 meters (1,132 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°59′5.0″N78°28′49.0″W / 37.984722°N 78.480278°W /37.984722; -78.480278 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 3wv.com |
WWWV (97.5FM) is aclassic rock formattedbroadcastradio station licensed toCharlottesville, Virginia, and servesCentral Virginia and the CentralShenandoah Valley. WWWV is owned and operated by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Charlottesville Radio Group.[3]
WCCV-FM signed on March 5, 1960, with amiddle-of-the-road format of post-war pop andlight classical music. WCCV-FM was co-owned withWCHV (1260 kHz) by Roger and Louise Neuhoff's Eastern Broadcasting Corporation.[4] In December 1968, WCCV-FM and WCHV were sold to Charlottesville resident Edward S. Evans, Jr.[5] Two years later, the station flipped tocountry music during the day and a simulcast of WCHV'sadult contemporary format between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. On May 1, 1971, WCCV-FM switched again tobeautiful music.[6] In 1973, Evans sold the two stations to Lyell B. Clay's Clay Broadcasting, owner of several newspapers and television stations, most notablyWWAY ofWilmington, but no other radio stations.[7]
On January 10, 1977, the station adopted its current identity –album-oriented rock music, the branding "3WV", and the callsignWWWV.[8]
Clay sold all of his broadcasting interests in 1987-88; WWWV and WCHV went to Eure Communications, then-owners ofWXEZYorktown.[9] In 1998, Eure combined WWWV with Charlottesville Broadcasting Corporation'sWINA (1070 kHz) andWQMZ (95.1 MHz) in a merger deal. Eure was ordered by theDepartment of Justice to spin off the merger's two remaining stations – WCHV andWKAV (1400 kHz) – toClear Channel, as FCC regulators took issue with Eure's potential ownership of five stations in the small market. (The FCC under a different leadership permitted Clear Channel to own six stations just five years later.)[10][11]
Saga Communications bought Eure's three-station cluster in 2004.[12]
WWWV took over as the FM home ofVirginia Cavaliers football and men's basketball at the beginning of the 2003-04 football season, complementing longtime state network flagship WINA.[13] It simulcasts all games, but does not air the coaches' shows.
Since flipping to a broadly rock format in 1977, the station's music has aged with its audience; it remained amodern rock reporter through the 1990s before adding recurrents and moving toactive rock. WWWV dropped all new music in 2017 to become strictlyclassic rock.[citation needed]
After co-ownedWVAX (1450 kHz) was deleted in 2025, itssports talk programming was moved to WWWV'sHD Radio signal in order to continue feeding an FM translator.[14]
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W275CL | 102.9 FM | Charlottesville, Virginia | 141162 | 120 | 92 m (302 ft) | D | LMS |
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