WNWV

Infobox Radio Station
name = WNWV


city = Elyria, Ohio
area = Greater Cleveland
branding = 107-3 The Wave
slogan = Cleveland's Smooth Jazz
airdate = November 15, 1987
frequency = 107.3 (MHz) HD Radio
format = Smooth Jazz / Soft AC
erp = 20,000 watts
haat = 238 meters
class = B
facility_id = 19462
owner = Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co.
webcast = [http://wmc1.liquidcompass.cc/wnwv Listen Live]
website = [http://www.wnwv.com www.wnwv.com]
former_callsigns = WCZR (Jan-Nov 1987)
WBEA (1965-1987)
WEOL-FM (1948-1965)
sister_stations = WEOL, WLKR-AM, WLKR-FM, WKFM
callsign_meaning = "The (New) WaVe"

WNWV is a commercial FM radio station serving the Cleveland, Ohio, USA, radio market (though technically licensed to Elyria). The station calls itself "107-3 The Wave" and broadcasts at 107.3 MHz with a smooth jazz / Soft AC format. It is one of the few remaining locally-owned stations in the entire Cleveland metropolitan area (WCLV-FM in Lorain, and WCCD in Parma are the other two.) Its transmitter is located in Grafton, Ohio.

History

The station began as WEOL-FM, simulcasting the programming on AM station WEOL through the 1950s and most of the 1960s. The FM installations was established as an adjunct to the AM outlet around the same time as WEOL's 1948 sign-on. By 1960, WEOL-FM started separate programming on the weekdays as "Formula 107," playing a mixture of automated classical music and pop standards from 2pm until 10pm weekdays, while both WEOL and WEOL-FM played "Sterophonic Hi-Lites" from 9pm to 11pm on Sundays. WEOL-FM assumed a separate identity on December 8, 1965 as WBEA, with a mostly automated beautiful music and easy-listening format aimed toward Elyria, their city of license.

The easy listening soon segued to Top 40 as "WBEA B-107" in the early 1980s, then operated as "Z Rock" with a heavy metal rock format and the call letters WCZR from January 1 to November 15, 1987. This format itself originated from the Satellite Music Network (later absorbed into ABC Radio) in Dallas, Texas, and WCZR was only the second station to have picked it up. WCZR gained a cult following in the Cleveland area, as most other rock stations did not devote their playlists to heavy metal rock. However, lackluster ratings and the spread of the "smooth jazz" format precipitated the format change less than a year later.

When the station effectively became "The Wave" as WNWV, (patterned after Los Angeles-based new age KTWV) the station changed their broadcasting focus to the entire Cleveland market, while sister station WEOL continued to focus on Lorain County. Both stations' studios are still located in downtown Elyria, while WNWV has a separate sales office and staff located in suburban Rocky River.

The station did alter it's on-air nickname several times. Around 1992, WNWV became "Cleveland's Cool FM: 107-3 WNWV" before assuming it's current nickname and logo in 1994.

In 2003, WNWV became the first station in the Cleveland market to broadcast in the new HD digital format - as well as one of a handful in the country to make the initial switch. WCLV, licensed to nearby Lorain, but also aimed at the Cleveland market, was the second.

Throughout its history the station has been owned by Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co. On May 15, 1958, Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co. was purchased by the Lorain County Printing and Publishing Company, making it a wholly owned subsidiary. LCP&P also owns the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram and Medina Gazette; in effect forming a radio/newspaper duopoly. This arrangement has lasted to this day, grandfathered by FCC legislation that now prohibit such arrangements. Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co. also owns WEOL, as well as Norwalk stations WLKR 1510-AM, WLKR FM-95.3 and WKFM 96.1-FM.

WNWV's website has a section with links to some well-known Smooth Jazz artists, as well as the stations that also broadcast the Smooth Jazz format.

External links

* [http://www.wnwv.com WNWV Official Website]
* [http://maps.google.com/maps?q=41.269533,++-82.004442+(WNWV+Transmitter)&t=k&iwloc=A&hl=en Aerial photo of WNWV transmitter from Google Local]
*FMQ|WNWV
*FML|WNWV
*FMARB|WNWV