 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "WRVF" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(January 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
 | |
| Broadcast area | Toledo metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 101.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 101.5 The River |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Subchannels | HD2:News/talk (WSPD simulcast) |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WCWA,WIOT,WSPD,WVKS | |
| History | |
First air date | August 11, 1946; 79 years ago (1946-08-11) (as WSPD-FM) |
Former call signs | WSPD-FM (1946–1971) WLQR (1971–1995) |
Call sign meaning | WRiVer-FM |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 62188 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 33,000watts |
| HAAT | 164 meters (538 ft) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1015theriver.iheart.com |
WRVF (101.5FM "The River") is acommercialradio station inToledo, Ohio, owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. It broadcasts anadult contemporaryradio format, switching to all-Christmas music for much of November and December. WRVF carries thesyndicatedDelilah music and call-in show in the evening. Theradio studios and offices are at Superior and Lafayette in Downtown Toledo.
WRVF has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 33,000watts. The station'stransmitter is located at North Wynn Road at Cedar Point Road inOregon, Ohio.[1] The signal covers parts of Ohio andMichigan, getting into theDetroit metropolitan area, as well as a small chunk ofOntario. The station broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. The HD2digital subchannelsimulcasts thenews/talk format of co-ownedWSPD1370 AM.
On August 11, 1946, the stationsigned on the air as WSPD-FM.[2] The station largelysimulcastsister stationWSPD1370 AM. They were owned by The Fort Industry Company on Huron Street, which added television station WSPD-TV in 1948 (nowWTVG). WSPD-AM-FM wereNBC Red Networkaffiliates, carrying its dramas, comedies, news, sports,soap operas,game shows andbig band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio."
As network programming moved from radio to television, WSPD-AM-FM switched tofull servicemiddle of the road programming, including popular adult music, news and sports. In the late 1960s, theFederal Communications Commission required many AM-FM combos to offer separate programming. WSPD-FM adopted anadult contemporary format usingDrake-Chenault'sautomated "Hit Parade" package.
In 1971, WSPD-FM was sold toSusquehanna Broadcasting. It switched itscall sign to WLQR and became abeautiful music station, known as "Stereo 101." It played half-hour music tapes mastered at Susquehanna's studios inYork, Pennsylvania, with local announcers Steve Kendall, Mike Stanley, Larry Weseman and Bill Stewart.
By the 1980s, theeasy listening format's audience was beginning to age, while most advertisers seek out young to middle aged customers. In an effort to stay youthful, WLQR added more vocals and reduced the instrumentals in itsplaylist.
In 1987, the station finished its transition tosoft adult contemporary, becoming "Soft Rock 101.5 WLQR." By this time the station was again co-owned with WSPD. A few years later the station began stunting by playing "Friends in Low Places" byGarth Brooks with a man with asouthern accent announcing that something new was coming to WLQR on Monday. The following Monday the station kept itssoft AC format and became "101.5 The River", changing its call letters to WRVF.
The River is among the first stations to go with allChristmas music between mid-November throughChristmas Day. This tradition began in 1995, the year the station's call sign changed from WLQR-FM. It was several years before the practice became commonplace for AC stations around North America. WRVF's morning show featured Toledo radio veteran Jack "Mitch" Mitchell until March 31, 2006.
WRVF became the new home of the popular "Friday Night '80s" feature in May 2007 after crosstown competitorWWWM-FM (Star 105) dropped it in favor ofDelilah six nights a week. Several years later, WRVF became the Delilah affiliate in Toledo. The all-1980s show switched to Saturday nights. The River also aired the 1980s version ofCasey Kasem'sAmerican Top 40 Saturdays from 6 to 10 p.m., until the show was dropped after Christmas of 2011.
From October 2010 to October 2014, WRVF had a competitor in the AC format in "My 98-3"WMIM, licensed toLuna Pier, Michigan. WMIM switched to a country music format in October 2014, leaving WRVF again as the only mainstream AC station in the market. Also in the fall of 2014, WRVF backed away from its longtime "soft rock" image and began re-imaging itself as "The '80s to Now," with a slightly more contemporary music mix.
Since 2007, WRVF has been broadcasting in IBOC "HD Radio":
WRVF is also the (LP) Local PrimaryEmergency Alert System (EAS) station in Northwestern Ohio.
Radio stations in theGreater Toledo area | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AM | |||||
| FM |
| ||||
| Digital | |||||
| NOAA | |||||
| Call signs | |||||
| Internet | |||||
| Defunct | |||||
| |||||
41°40′23″N83°25′30″W / 41.673°N 83.425°W /41.673; -83.425
