WVBW

WVBW (92.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Suffolk, Virginia, and serving Hampton Roads. WVBW is owned and operated by Max Media.[1] It airs an adult contemporary radio format using the branding "92-9 The Wave."

WVBW
CitySuffolk, Virginia
Broadcast areaHampton Roads
Frequency92.9 MHz
Branding92-9 The Wave
SloganThe 80s to Now
Programming
FormatAdult Contemporary
Ownership
OwnerMax Media
(MHR License, LLC)
Sister stationsWGH, WGH-FM, WVHT, WVSP
History
First air dateDecember 1965 (as WXYW)
Former call signsWXYW (1965-1970)
WFOG-FM (1970-1999)
WWSO (1999-2003)
WFOG (2003-2005)
Call sign meaningW Virginia Beach Wave
Technical information
Facility ID64000
ClassB
ERP50,000 watts
HAAT148 meters (486 ft)
Transmitter coordinates36°52′35.0″N 76°23′28.0″W
Links
WebcastWVBW Audio Stream
Website929TheWave.com

Studios and offices are on Greenwich Road in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[2] The transmitter is off Greenbrook Drive in Suffolk.[3]

History

Early Years as WXYW, WFOG

WVBW first signed on the air in December 1965 as WXYW.[4] It was owned by the Suffolk Broadcasting Company, along with AM 1460 WLPM (now 1450 WBVA which is currently silent). WXYW was largely automated, playing a beautiful music format of mostly instrumental versions of pop songs, as well as Hollywood and Broadway show tunes. In 1970, the call sign was switched to WFOG-FM, since the Tidewater region of Virginia, along the Atlantic coast, often experiences fog. The station's easy listening sound lasted for more than 20 years.

In 1985, WFOG was acquired by JAG Communications of Virginia.[5] JAG updated the easy listening format by adding more vocals, in an effort to attract younger listeners. WFOG changed hands again in 1989, being bought by the Sunshine Wireless Company for $8 million.[6] Sunshine Wireless deleted the instrumentals and moved WFOG to a soft adult contemporary format, known as "Lite Favorites."

Soul Classics and Oldies

Barnstable Broadcasting acquired WFOG in April 1999.[7][8] On September 10, 1999, Barnstable converted the station to urban oldies as "Soul Classics 92.9."[9][10] The call letters were also changed to WWSO. The "Soul Classics" format lasted only two years.[11] On December 16, 2001, the station changed formats again, this time going to oldies, branded as "Oldies 92-9." The first song of the new format was The Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night."[12][13] The WFOG call letters returned on December 5, 2003, when the classic country format on 100.5 FM shifted to AM and displaced the adult standards format on WFOG 1050 (now WVXX). That move made the WFOG call sign available once again. Not long after, in 2004, the moniker changed to "92-9 WFOG," reflecting the change in call letters.

92-9 The Wave

In early 2005, Max Media purchased WFOG, and the rest of the Barnstable cluster, making the stations locally owned and operated.[14] Later that year, on July 1, the station changed its moniker to "FM 92-9 WFOG." To mark the switch, it played a countdown of the top 100 songs for each year from 1965 to 1985. Then, at 6 a.m. on Thursday, July 21, "WFOG" signed off with Beach Boys' "Catch a Wave." Max Media then relaunched the station "92-9 The Wave," with an adult contemporary format with "Forever Young" by Rod Stewart as its first song. The call letters switched to WVBW. After an adult contemporary format for several years, the station transitioned to more of an adult hits format, with an emphasis on older music.

Barry Michaels was the morning drive time host for the station since the beginning of the oldies format. In July 2005, Michaels was let go by the new owners, who had hired Dick Lamb, the former morning host from rival station 101.3 WWDE-FM, known as "2WD." In the weeks leading up to the Lamb's debut, it was hinted that he would return to the air on The Wave. Lamb recorded a TV commercial saying that he would be the host of a new morning show on The Wave. This was also mentioned on the station's bumpers between songs. On September 12, 2005, Lamb made his return to the airwaves as the new morning host for The Wave, along with his "2WD Breakfast Bunch" sidekick Paul Richardson. Jennifer Roberts, the only remaining member of the former morning show, also joined them. A contest was held to name the new morning show. Voters picked "Dick Lamb and the Morning Wave."

On May 3, 2011, WVBW segued from Adult Hits to Classic Hits, though no personnel changes were made. The station now plays hits of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, competing with iHeartMedia-owned WVMA until that station flipped to Top 40 in April 2012.

In September 2018, the station shifted its musical focus from classic hits to adult contemporary while maintaining its "Wave" branding.[15]

Previous logos
Logo used until May 2011.
Logo used until early 2014
Logo used until September 2018

References
  1. "WVBW Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. 929TheWave.com/contact
  3. Radio-Locator.com/WVBW-FM
  4. Broadcasting Yearbook 1970 page B-214
  5. Broadcasting Yearbook 1988 page B-297
  6. Broadcasting Yearbook 1991 page B-349
  7. HighBeam
  8. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2000/D-Radio-NE-TER-BC-YB-2000-2.pdf
  9. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1999/RR-1999-09-17.pdf
  10. HighBeam
  11. HighBeam
  12. HighBeam
  13. http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2001/RR-2001-12-21.pdf
  14. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2008 page D-565
  15. "92.9 The Wave Norfolk Moves To AC - RadioInsight". RadioInsight. 2018-09-06. Retrieved 2018-09-06.
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