 | |
| Broadcast area | Charlotte metropolitan area (Metrolina) |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 101.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | V 101.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban adult contemporary |
| Subchannels | HD2: Fox Sports Charlotte (Sports) HD3: Podcast Radio US (All-podcasts) |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WKQC,WNKS,WPEG,WSOC-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | September 1947; 77 years ago (1947-09) (as WGNC-FM) |
Former call signs | WGNC-FM (1947–1978) WZXI (1978–1987) WLIT (1987–1988) WCKZ (1988–1994) |
Call sign meaning | TheV from WBAV is used in branding:V101.9 BestAdultVariety (reflecting slogan and format) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 6587 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 301 meters (988 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | v1019.com foxsportsradiocharlotte.com (HD2) podcastradious.com (HD3) |
WBAV-FM (101.9MHz,"V 101.9") is anurban adult contemporaryradio station serving theCharlotte metropolitan area (Metrolina).[2] Owned byBeasley Broadcast Group, WBAV'sstudios and offices are on South Boulevard in Charlotte'sSouth End.[3] In morningdrive time, it carries thesyndicatedSteve Harvey Morning Show.
WBAV-FM has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts, the maximum for most American FM stations. Thetransmitter is onCrowder's Mountain, along McSwain Groves Road inGastonia (itscity of license).[4] The station broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. It carriessports fromFox Sports Radio on its HD-2subchannel. It carries all-podcasts on its HD-3 subchannel.[5]
The stationsigned on the air in September 1947; 77 years ago (1947-09).[6] The originalcall sign wasWGNC-FM and it had a power of 11,100 watts, a fraction of its current output. It was locally owned by the McSwain Family. WGNC-FM was a fullsimulcast of co-ownedWGNC1450 AM. The stations normally ran a broadcast day of 5:00 AM to 12:00 midnight until the late 1970s, when it began operating 24 hours daily. WGNC-AM-FM werenetwork affiliates ofABC.
In 1976, WGNC-FM broke off from its AM sister station's programming and began airing asoft adult contemporary format. The call letters were changed toWZXI in 1978. The station was one of three soft AC stations in theCharlotteradio market. Protests over the programming change were launched byWEZC in December 1982. That led WZXI to change tobeautiful music.[7][8]
In 1987, WZXI becameWLIT and later switched to a satellite-deliveredMiddle of the Road (MOR) format.[9]
On January 22, 1988, shortly afterBeasley Broadcasting bought the station, WLIT becameWCKZ, better known as "Kiss 102". "Kiss" aired a "Rhythmic Contemporary Hit Radio" format (commonly known as "CHURban," a precursor to what is todayRhythmic Contemporary). Artists includedLionel Richie,Shalamar,Whitney Houston,Lisa Lisa,Phil Collins andJody Watley. The station also increased its transmitter's power onCrowder's Mountain and moved its studio from Gastonia to Charlotte.[10]
However, due to rivalWPEG's increase in power, as well as increased competition fromWAQQ, the station began falling in the ratings. That, along with financial troubles, resulted in the station filing forbankruptcy in 1992. In late 1993, Beasley announced it would sell WCKZ to Broadcasting Partners Inc. (BPI), which recently purchased WPEG. A local group, Citizens for Broadcasting in the Public Interest, started a petition to stop the sale, but the sale was approved in mid-January 1994. BPI decided to merge WCKZ's rhythmic format with WPEG in order to eliminate the competition between the two stations. (The "Kiss-FM" moniker, with a moreMainstream Top 40 format, was relaunched on95.1 FM in May 1996.)
On January 25, 1994, at 2 p.m., WCKZ flipped toUrban AC, branded as "V 101.9."[11][12] NewWBAV-FM call letters were adopted the day prior to the flip.[13] The WBAV call letters were assigned on February 11 to co-owned stationWGIV. Following a format change, the AM station returned to the WGIV call letters in May 1997.[14]
Broadcasting Partners merged with Evergreen Media in May 1995. In December 1996, as part of a multi-market swap, WBAV-FM, along with Evergreen's four other Charlotte stations, were traded toEZ Communications (owners ofWSOC-FM andWSSS.WRFX then went toSFX Broadcasting, with Evergreen receiving EZ Communications' Philadelphia stationsWIOQ andWUSL in return. In July, EZ Communications was bought byAmerican Radio Systems.[15] ARS was bought out byInfinity Broadcasting on September 19, 1997. Infinity changed its name toCBS Radio in December 2005 as part of the spin-off of CBS' motion picture and cable television assets under a relaunchedViacom.
On January 22, 2004, WBAV-FM dropped thesyndicatedTom Joyner morning show, which would move toWQNC. Joyner was replaced byThe Steve Harvey Morning Show.[16]
WBAV-FM was one of only threeUrban Adult Contemporary stations owned byCBS Radio, the other two beingKTWV inLos Angeles and the now defunctWJBW/WNEW-FM/WUUB inWest Palm Beach. Charlotte was also the only market where CBS Radio operated two full-powered urban stations, WBAV-FM and WPEG.[17] On October 2, 2014, CBS Radio announced that it would trade all of the company'sTampa and Charlotte stations (including WBAV), as well asWIP inPhiladelphia to theBeasley Broadcast Group in exchange for five stations located inMiami and Philadelphia.[18] The swap was completed on December 1, 2014.[19] The trade brought the 101.9 frequency back to its former owners for the first time since 1993.
35°13′59″N81°16′34″W / 35.233°N 81.276°W /35.233; -81.276