WAQZ
Encyclopedia
WREW is a radio station
broadcasting an Adult Hits
/Rhythmic AC format. Licensed to the suburb of Fairfield
, Ohio
, it serves the Cincinnati, Ohio
metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Hubbard Broadcasting.
under the call sign WFOL-FM, licensed to Fairfield, Ohio
, and aired a "beautiful music
" format. They became WCNW-FM in 1965, sister to then Country
-formatted WCNW
(1560 AM). Beautiful music
returned to the frequency in the mid 1970s as WLVV-FM "Love 95."
The frequency was sold off to Heftel Broadcasting in 1980, becoming WYYS-FM "Yes 95" with a Top 40-Rock format. The format changed within a year to soft rock
under the same call letters and handle before becoming WLLT-FM "Lite 95" in 1983. In 1988, WOFX-FM
"The Fox" replaced WLLT-FM, airing Classic rock
. In 1995, the WOFX call letters and format moved to 92.5 FM
, and WVAE-FM "The Wave" took over the 94.9 FM frequency, airing smooth jazz.
format as "Mojo 94.9 FM" with the call sign WMOJ. That format remained on 94.9 FM until 2006 when Radio One, Inc. acquired the intellectual property and call letters of the station from Cumulus Media Partners, and moved it from 94.9 FM to 100.3 FM
, where it remains today. New owner Cumulus Media
temporarily switched the 94.9 FM frequency to country a simulcast of country-formatted WYGY as WPRV.
and branded as "The Star". From September 2 to October 31, 2006, Cumulus also simulcast the station on WPRV 94.9 FM. The call letters and format of WYGY, as well as the frequency of 94.9, were traded to Entercom Communications
in exchange for WGRR
.
call letters for the first month of the new format, the call letters and country format were moved to 97.3 FM
. The WSWD call letters debuted in late November.
, to Bonneville International
in exchange for all three of Bonneville's FM stations in San Francisco, California
and $1 million cash. In May 2007, Bonneville officially took over control of the Cincinnati stations through a time brokerage agreement
. On March 14, 2008, Bonneville officially closed on the stations.
changed the formats of two stations in Cincinnati -- WFTK
from active rock
to alternative rock
and WNNF
from hot adult contemporary to adult album alternative
.
On January 19, 2011, Bonneville International announced the sale of WREW and several other stations in various markets to Hubbard Broadcasting for $505 million. The sale was completed on April 29, 2011.
The station expanded the playlist on September 6, 2011 by re-introducing music from the 2000s and today to the playlist, while still playing 70s.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting an Adult Hits
Adult hits
Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
/Rhythmic AC format. Licensed to the suburb of Fairfield
Fairfield, Ohio
Fairfield is a city in Butler County in the U.S. state of Ohio, near Cincinnati. Fairfield was incorporated in 1955. The population was 42,510 at the 2010 census. The city school district is one of the largest in Ohio, with Fairfield High School graduating 842 students in June 2009. Fairfield is...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, it serves the Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Hubbard Broadcasting.
History
The station first began broadcasting in 19621962 in radio
The year 1962 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*In Sweden Sveriges Radio launches a third national channel – P3 – as an alternative to commercial pirate radio....
under the call sign WFOL-FM, licensed to Fairfield, Ohio
Fairfield, Ohio
Fairfield is a city in Butler County in the U.S. state of Ohio, near Cincinnati. Fairfield was incorporated in 1955. The population was 42,510 at the 2010 census. The city school district is one of the largest in Ohio, with Fairfield High School graduating 842 students in June 2009. Fairfield is...
, and aired a "beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
" format. They became WCNW-FM in 1965, sister to then Country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
-formatted WCNW
WCNW
WCNW is a radio station broadcasting a Religious format. Licensed to Fairfield, Ohio, USA, it serves the Cincinnati area. The station is currently owned by Vernon R. Baldwin, Inc.....
(1560 AM). Beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
returned to the frequency in the mid 1970s as WLVV-FM "Love 95."
The frequency was sold off to Heftel Broadcasting in 1980, becoming WYYS-FM "Yes 95" with a Top 40-Rock format. The format changed within a year to soft rock
Soft rock
Soft rock is a style of music which uses the techniques of rock music to compose a softer, more toned-down sound. Soft rock songs generally tend to focus on themes like love, everyday life and relationships. The genre tends to make heavy use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synthesizers and sometimes...
under the same call letters and handle before becoming WLLT-FM "Lite 95" in 1983. In 1988, WOFX-FM
WOFX-FM
WOFX-FM is an American radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The station plays a classic rock format. The station is owned and operated by Cumulus Media. It broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 16,000 watts...
"The Fox" replaced WLLT-FM, airing Classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
. In 1995, the WOFX call letters and format moved to 92.5 FM
WOFX-FM
WOFX-FM is an American radio station in Cincinnati, Ohio. The station plays a classic rock format. The station is owned and operated by Cumulus Media. It broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 16,000 watts...
, and WVAE-FM "The Wave" took over the 94.9 FM frequency, airing smooth jazz.
WMOJ
In 1999 the station switched to a Rhythmic oldiesRhythmic oldies
Rhythmic Oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, disco or dance genres of music. Playlists may span from the 1970s through the early 1990s...
format as "Mojo 94.9 FM" with the call sign WMOJ. That format remained on 94.9 FM until 2006 when Radio One, Inc. acquired the intellectual property and call letters of the station from Cumulus Media Partners, and moved it from 94.9 FM to 100.3 FM
WMOJ
WMOJ-FM is a rhythmic oldies radio station licensed to Norwood, Ohio.On September 2, 2006, Radio One, Inc. acquired the intellectual property and call letters of the station from Cumulus Media Partners, and moved it from 94.9 FM to 100.3 FM...
, where it remains today. New owner Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
temporarily switched the 94.9 FM frequency to country a simulcast of country-formatted WYGY as WPRV.
- Further information: 2006 Cincinnati radio station reorganization
"The Wolf"
WYGY was located at 96.5 FMWFTK
WFTK is a commercial modern rock radio station in Cincinnati, operated by Cumulus Media.- History :The station began in 1958 as WQMS, Quality Music Station, playing beautiful music. In 1968, the station became a religious station and played contemporary Christian music...
and branded as "The Star". From September 2 to October 31, 2006, Cumulus also simulcast the station on WPRV 94.9 FM. The call letters and format of WYGY, as well as the frequency of 94.9, were traded to Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications
Entercom Communications Corporation is the fourth-largest broadcasting company in the United States. As of November 2009, Entercom operates 110 radio stations in 23 markets across the United States....
in exchange for WGRR
WGRR
WGRR is a Classic Hits radio station in the Cincinnati, Ohio market on the FM dial at 103.5, owned by Cumulus Media.-History:Originally WHOH when founded in the 1950s by Fort Hamilton Broadcasting which aired middle of the road and beautiful music through the 1960s...
.
WSWD
On Thursday, November 9, 2006 at 12 p.m. EST, 94.9 FM became "The Sound". Although the station used the WYGYWYGY
WYGY is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to the suburb of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, it serves the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1993 under the call sign WAAR...
call letters for the first month of the new format, the call letters and country format were moved to 97.3 FM
WYGY
WYGY is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to the suburb of Fort Thomas, Kentucky, it serves the Cincinnati, Ohio metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1993 under the call sign WAAR...
. The WSWD call letters debuted in late November.
Entercom/Bonneville station trade
On January 18, 2007, Entercom announced plans to swap its entire Cincinnati radio cluster, including WSWD, together with three of its radio stations in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, to Bonneville International
Bonneville International
Bonneville International Corporation is a broadcasting company wholly owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through its for-profit arm, Deseret Management Corporation...
in exchange for all three of Bonneville's FM stations in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
and $1 million cash. In May 2007, Bonneville officially took over control of the Cincinnati stations through a time brokerage agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
. On March 14, 2008, Bonneville officially closed on the stations.
"The Wolf" moves to 94.9 FM
On November 7, 2008 at 11:00 a.m., the formats and call signs of WSWD and WYGY switched frequencies, returning the country music format to the 94.9 FM frequency."Rewind 94.9"
Another shakeup occurred in May 2009, as Bonneville moved the Wolf back yet again to 97.3, and 94.9 became WREW "Rewind 94.9." The demise of WSWD was caused by new competition, as Cumulus MediaCumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
changed the formats of two stations in Cincinnati -- WFTK
WFTK
WFTK is a commercial modern rock radio station in Cincinnati, operated by Cumulus Media.- History :The station began in 1958 as WQMS, Quality Music Station, playing beautiful music. In 1968, the station became a religious station and played contemporary Christian music...
from active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
to alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
and WNNF
WNNF
WNNF is a radio station currently airing an 80's/90's Hits-leaning Hot AC format. Licensed to Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, it serves the Cincinnati area. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media. Cumulus also owns classic rocker WOFX-FM 92.5 and alternative rocker WFTK 96.5...
from hot adult contemporary to adult album alternative
Adult album alternative
Adult album alternative is a radio format. A spinoff from the album-oriented rock format, its roots trace to the 1960s and 1970s from the earlier freeform and progressive formats....
.
On January 19, 2011, Bonneville International announced the sale of WREW and several other stations in various markets to Hubbard Broadcasting for $505 million. The sale was completed on April 29, 2011.
The station expanded the playlist on September 6, 2011 by re-introducing music from the 2000s and today to the playlist, while still playing 70s.