WVEI-FM

WVEI-FM (103.7 FM, SportsRadio 103.7) is a radio station broadcasting a sports radio format, largely simulcasting Boston-based WEEI-FM.[2] Licensed to Westerly, Rhode Island, United States. The station is currently owned by Entercom Communications.[3] In addition to WEEI programming, WVEI-FM carries Providence Friars men's basketball,[4] Boston Bruins hockey,[5] and ESPN Radio. Its transmitter is in Exeter, Rhode Island but due to it being mostly a simulcast, its operations are run out of WEEI-FM's studios in Boston's Brighton neighborhood.

For the former WVEI-FM in Easthampton, Massachusetts, United States, see WWEI.
WVEI-FM
CityWesterly, Rhode Island
Broadcast areaProvidence, Rhode Island
Frequency103.7 MHz
BrandingSportsRadio 103.7 WEEI-FM Providence
Programming
FormatSports
AffiliationsWEEI Sports Radio Network
ESPN Radio
NBC Sports Radio
Ownership
OwnerEntercom Communications
(Entercom License, LLC)
History
First air dateOctober 17, 1967 (1967-10-17)[1]
Former call signsWERI-FM (1967-1987)
WWRX (1987-1992)
WWRX-FM (1992-2004)
WEEI-FM (2004-2011)
Call sign meaningsimilar to WEEI
Technical information
Facility ID71720
ClassB
ERP37,000 watts
HAAT173 meters (568 ft)
Transmitter coordinates41°34′23.00″N 71°37′58.00″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteWVEI-FM site within WEEI-FM website

History
Former logo of the radio station

The station signed on October 17, 1967[1] as WERI-FM.[6] At one time a simulcast of its sister AM station (1230 AM; now WBLQ), in the mid-1970s, WERI-FM became a totally separate station with an automated Drake/Chenault format called "Hit Parade". Eventually, in the early 1980s, the station switched to Stereo with a live album rock format called "Number 1-04", consulted by Clark Smidt. By the mid-1980s, after a major power upgrade, it had become "RI 104", a top 40 station.[7] On March 9, 1987, the station changed its call sign to WWRX,[8] and the station shifted to an album rock format.[9] Though WWRX saw some success in the New London, Connecticut market, management opted to focus on the larger Providence market, and the station moved its transmitter from West Greenwich to Exeter in 1989.[9] The call sign was modified to WWRX-FM on February 22, 1992,[8] concurrent with a brief period of time in which then-sister station WHIM (1110 AM; now WPMZ) discontinued its country format in favor of CNN Headline News under the WWRX call sign; however, the "-FM" suffix was not removed from 103.7 when the AM station reverted to WHIM and the country format in 1993.

Recent logo of the radio station

WWRX-FM was acquired by Radio Equity Partners in 1995;[10] Radio Equity Partners, in turn, was purchased by Clear Channel Communications the following year.[11] After Clear Channel's acquisition of AMFM Broadcasting, WWRX was divested to Stephen Mindich, owner of The Providence Phoenix, similar publications in Boston and Portland, Maine, and Boston modern rock station WFNX, in 2000.[12] Mindich switched the station to modern rock on September 7, initially as a simulcast of WFNX,[13] and later, starting in 2003, on its own.[14]

In March 2004, Mindich sold WWRX-FM to Entercom. As a result, the station canceled its local programming on March 22 and reverted to the WFNX simulcast on a temporary basis as Entercom prepared to relaunch WWRX with the WEEI simulcast.[15] The change of simulcast partners took effect on-air April 16,[16] and the station was renamed WEEI-FM.[8] The call letters were changed to WVEI-FM on September 14, 2011.[8]

gollark: So I could probably say "osmarks internet radio™ - 5000 listeners" and appear at the top of the list for a bit, probably for a few days until someone noticed.
gollark: I found the code for submitting to it in the icecast source tree.
gollark: Icecast has a public icecast directory and apparently it doesn't actually have any mechanism to check that your submission is, you know, *true*.
gollark: I used icecast briefly due to issues with mpd streaming to a Discord bot but it was bad.
gollark: osmarks internet radio™ is backed by `mpd`, `ympd` and an 8-hour playlist which plays randomly with no manual intervention.

References
  1. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-391. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  2. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Fall 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  3. "WVEI-FM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  4. McNamara, Kevin (August 2, 2007). "Friars change radio stations". The Providence Journal. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  5. http://www.fybush.com/nerw-20140811/
  6. "Of Interest". Connecticut Broadcasters Association. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  7. Slosberg, Steve (February 7, 1986). "This Band Doesn't Fit The Format" (reprint). The New London Day. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  8. "WVEI-FM Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  9. Wollman, Garrett. "WEEI-FM/WSKO-FM tower". Rhode Island Towers, part II. The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  10. Boehlert, Eric; Atwood, Brett (February 4, 1995). "Judge Stands Up For Free Radio Berkeley; KYCY's 'Steve Young Country' Promo Pulled". Billboard. Google Books. p. 119. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  11. Fybush, Scott (May 21, 1996). "New England RadioWatch". Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  12. Fybush, Scott (March 24, 2000). "WFAU Loses A Tower, WFNX Gains A State, NERW Visits California's Coast". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  13. Fybush, Scott (September 11, 2000). "Hearst-Argyle Gets WMUR". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  14. Fybush, Scott (March 31, 2003). ""The Duke of Portland" is Dead". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  15. Fybush, Scott (March 29, 2004). "WEEI Enters Rhode Island". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  16. Fybush, Scott (April 19, 2004). "Live from Las Vegas". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
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