WNOR

WNOR (98.7 MHz "FM99") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, serving the Hampton Roads (Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News) radio market. WNOR is owned and operated by Saga Communications.[2] It airs an active rock radio format.[1]

WNOR
CityNorfolk, Virginia
Broadcast areaHampton Roads
Northeastern North Carolina
Frequency98.7 FM MHz
(HD Radio)
Branding"FM99 WNOR"
Slogan"FM99 Rocks"
Programming
FormatHD1: Active Rock[1]
HD2: Adult Standards (WJOI-AM simulcast)
Ownership
OwnerSaga Communications
(Tidewater Communications, LLC)
Sister stationsWAFX, WJOI
History
First air dateJuly 19, 1962
Former call signsWNOR-FM (1962–2002)
Call sign meaningNORfolk
Technical information
Facility ID67080
ClassB
ERP46,000 watts
HAAT158 Meters (518 ft)
Transmitter coordinates36°50′4.0″N 76°16′11.0″W
Links
WebcastWNOR Webstream
WebsiteWNOR Online

WNOR broadcasts in the HD Radio (hybrid) format.[3] Studios and offices are on Greenbrier Circle in Chesapeake.[4] The transmitter is next to Riverside Memorial Park in Norfolk.[5] The Class B signal covers Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina.

Programming

Weekdays begin with the Rumble in the Morning show, mixing comedy and rock music, followed by a 20-song marathon around 10 AM. Shelley's Lunch Box is heard middays, followed by Eric in afternoons. WNOR previously carried the nationally syndicated Sixx Sense which was hosted By Nikki Sixx himself, syndicated airplay was during the evening hours on WNOR for every week night from 7pm to midnight, it was announced that Nikki Sixx decided to end the show which was effective December 31, 2017. Sixx Sense had other affiliated stations that have been given the same announcement as well, locally the show's final run left WNOR open to afterhours shifts from 7pm-Midnight and Midnight to 5:30am either with a fill in DJ or the station's playlist goes on auto pilot, Weekends feature Rock Girl Elly, Stephen Hill, Adam and Rod Fitzwell. Sean Hood and Dave Taylor are the traffic reporters.

History

On July 16, 1962, WNOR-FM first signed on the air, owned by the Norfolk Broadcasting Company.[6] It was the sister station to AM 1230 WNOR (still co-owned but now called WJOI). WNOR-FM was an easy listening station, and at one point employed an all-female air staff, a revolutionary move at the time.

In 1969, WNOR-FM began airing a progressive rock format from 9pm-6am. Eventually the rock music proved more popular than the easy listening sounds. WNOR-FM abandoned the "split-format" approach in 1974 and began playing rock full-time. The station’s Arbitron ratings quickly took off, culminating in the station’s rise to #1 – the first time an FM station in the Norfolk market had achieved #1 status.

By the 1980s, the station had moved to an album rock format, based more on album sales than the previous progressive rock sound. In 1986, WNOR-AM-FM were acquired by Saga Communications, the current owner.[7] Saga decided to simulcast the FM station's rock format on the AM station.

In 1994, Saga Communications acquired another FM station in the market, WAFX in Suffolk. With WAFX broadcasting a classic rock format, WNOR-FM began to specialize in a current-based, harder-edged sound, bringing it into the active rock format. In 2001, the AM station went to an adult standards format as WJOI, no longer simulcast with WNOR-FM.[8] A short time later, the "-FM" suffix was dropped from WNOR's official call sign.

References
  1. "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  2. "WNOR Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=40 HD Radio Guide for Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News
  4. FM99.com/contact-us
  5. Radio-Locator.com/WNOR-FM
  6. Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-191
  7. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 page D-467
  8. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2001 page D-474
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