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| Broadcast area | Huntsville metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 100.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 100.3 The River |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic Hits |
| Subchannels |
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| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | May 2, 1962; 63 years ago (1962-05-02) (as WVNA-FMTuscumbia) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "River" |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 19456 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 8,500watts |
| HAAT | 299 meters (981 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°47′36.3″N86°37′51″W / 34.793417°N 86.63083°W /34.793417; -86.63083 |
| Translator | HD2: 106.5 W293AH (Huntsville) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast |
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| Website | |
WQRV (100.3FM "100.3 The River") is acommercialradio stationlicensed toMeridianville, Alabama, and serving theHuntsville metropolitan area.[3] It broadcasts aclassic hitsradio format and is owned byiHeartMedia. The studios are on Peoples Road nearInterstate 565 inMadison, Alabama.[4] On weekdays, WQRV carries twonationally syndicated programs:The Rick Burgess Show fromWZZK-FMBirmingham in morningdrive time[5] andTheMartha Quinn Show fromPremiere Networks in middays.[6]
WQRV has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 8,500watts. Thetransmittertower is off NW Juniper Drive in Huntsville.[7] WQRV broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. The HD2subchannel has aTop 40 (CHR) format as "106.5KISS-FM". That feeds anFM translator at 106.5MHz. The HD3 subchannel playsalternative rock as "ALT HSV".
On May 6, 1962, the stationsigned on the air.[8] Its originalcall sign was WVNA-FM, thesister station to WVNA 1590 AM inTuscumbia. At first, the two stations wouldsimulcast their programming. But by the 1970s, WVNA-FM had anautomatedbeautiful music format. It would play quarter-hour sweeps of mostly soft, instrumental music.
WVNA-FM switched tocountry music and changed its call letters to WLAY-FM on March 30, 2000. This lasted until a 2006 when the station became known as "The River." The station was assigned the WQRV call letters by theFederal Communications Commission on March 10, 2006.[1]
WQRV's format was flipped in April 2006, relocated from the formerWWXQ (92.5 FM) andWXQW (94.1 FM), whichClear Channel Communications (the forerunner of iHeartMedia) had sold toCumulus Media. Those stations were known collectively as "WXQ". The station frequency was transferred fromFlorence, Alabama, to the Huntsvilleradio market. The newcity of license became Meridianville, a community north of Huntsville.
The station originally broadcast a moreclassic rock-basedclassic hits format under The River branding. Eventually, by the late 2000s, it had shifted to more mainstream classic hits of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, while still mixing in some rock hits. The station now concentrates on the 1980s, 90s and 2000s in itsplaylist.
Rick and Bubba, a popular syndicated comedy and Southern-culture morning show, relocated to WQRV from crosstown rivalWRTT-FM on January 2, 2008.[9] In January 2025,Rick & Bubba changed its name toThe Rick Burgess Show after Bill "Bubba" Bussey decided to step down from fulltime broadcasting.
On November 9, 2012, WQRV-HD2 dropped its simulcast of sister stationWBHP and began stunting withChristmas music for the holidays as "Christmas 106.5" (simulcast on translator W293AH). On December 26, WQRV-HD2 flipped to Top 40/CHR as "106.5 KISS FM", launching with 10,065 songs in a row played commercial-free. The first song on "106.5 KISS FM" was "Die Young" byKesha.[10]
On September 13, 2018, after briefly stunting with baseball-related music as "Trash Pandas Radio", WQRV-HD3 launched analternative rock format asAlt 92.9. It was carried on translator station W225AH.[11]
On April 7, 2022, W225AH signed off and WQRV-HD3 rebranded as "ALT HSV".