 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | South Central Pennsylvania |
| Frequency | 97.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | The River 97.3 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Subchannels | HD2:Talk radio (WHP) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | June 6, 1946 (79 years ago) (1946-06-06) |
Former call signs |
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Former frequencies | 43.5MHz (1945)(CP) |
Call sign meaning | "River" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 15324 |
| Class | B |
| ERP |
|
| HAAT | 260 meters (850 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°20′43.3″N76°52′7.9″W / 40.345361°N 76.868861°W /40.345361; -76.868861 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | theriver973 |
WRVV (97.3FM, "The River 97.3") is acommercialFMradio stationlicensed to serveHarrisburg, Pennsylvania. The station is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. and broadcasts aclassic rockformat. The station's studios and offices are located at 600 Corporate Circle in Harrisburg.[3]
WRVV has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 15,000 watts. Thetransmitter antenna is on theWHP-TVbroadcast tower onBlue Mountain inSusquehanna Township, Dauphin County at (40°20′43.3″N76°52′7.9″W / 40.345361°N 76.868861°W /40.345361; -76.868861).[4][5] It uses the slogan is "Real. Rock. Variety". WRVV broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD2digital subchannelsimulcasts thetalk radio programming onsister stationWHP (580 AM).[6]
On January 10, 1945, WHP, Inc. applied to theFederal Communications Commission for aconstruction permit for a new station on 43.5 MHz on the original 42-50 MHz FM broadcast band.[7] After the FCC created the current FM band on June 27, 1945,[8] the Commission granted the permit on November 21, 1945, while modifying it by reassigning the station to 97.3 MHz on the new FM band. The FCC then granted permission to begin broadcasting at any time beginning on March 18, 1946.[7]
WHP, Inc operated the station underspecial temporary authority (STA) for several years, during which time numerous changes were made to the station's broadcast facilities.[7] In June 6, 1946, the station firstsigned on with the WHP-FMcall sign.[9] Its power was only 4,300 watts.[10] WHP-AM-FM originallysimulcast their programming. WHP was a long-timeCBS RadioNetwork affiliate, so the two stations carried CBS's dramas, comedies, news and sports during the "Golden Age of Radio". In the 1950s, WHP-FM duplicated WHP about 50% of the broadcast day, with the remainder devoted to instrumentals and someclassical music programming. In addition to the two radio stations, a television station was added in 1953, Channel 21WHP-TV.
In the 1960s, WHP-FM's programming split entirely from WHP (AM). Its format evolved tobeautiful music, which would continue for more than two decades. The station played quarter-hour sweeps of soft instrumental music, includingcover versions of popular adult hits,Broadway andHollywoodshow tunes.[11] In the late 1980s, however, the audience for soft instrumental music was aging and management decided a change was needed. By March 1988, WHP-FM had tweaked the format to "music-intensivesoft adult contemporary".[12] Central Pennsylvania already had several soft AC stations, including 101.3WROZ and 103.3 WSBA-FM (nowWARM-FM), so this format only lasted for two years.
In February 1990, the station switched its call letters to WXBB, and flipped tohot adult contemporary asB97.3.[13] The hot AC format was short-lived. In December 1990, the station returned toeasy listening for another two years as WHP-FM.
In March 1992, WHP-AM-FM were sold to Pennsylvania Broadcasting Associates, a division of Dame Media, which separated the stations from WHP-TV.[14] Studios were moved out of the WHP-TV building to their current location at 600 Corporate Circle in Harrisburg. The FM station went through numerous changes following the sale.
The call sign was changed to WRVV on March 16, 1992.[15] The station's branding was switched toThe River 97.3. It was the first station in the country to be branded asThe River.[16] WRVV's slogan was changed to "Rock and Roll without the Hard Edge". The station changed format to "rock adult contemporary".[14][17]
The format played tracks from popular rock albums released over the previous 15 years intended for a general rock listener not interested in current titles.[18] The station's Operations Manager at the time, Chris Tyler, created the format.[19]
In August 1998, the Dame Media stations, including WHP and WRVV, were sold to Clear Channel Communications, the forerunner toiHeartMedia, Inc.[20][21] The format changed toclassic rock after the sale. In the mid-2000s, the station changed its slogan to "Real. Rock. Variety".
In 2004, WRVV andCumulus Media'sWNNK-FM were the first stations in Harrisburg to begin usingHD Radio.[22] Since the mid-1990s, WRVV and WNNK frequently trade the number one spot inNielsen Audio's Harrisburg-Lebanon-Carlisleradio market.