WVBE-FM
Encyclopedia
WVBE-FM is an Urban Contemporary
formatted broadcast
radio station
licensed to Lynchburg, Virginia
, serving Metro Lynchburg. WVBE-FM is owned and operated by Mel Wheeler, Inc.. and is simulcast in Roanoke, Virginia
on co-owned WVBE
610 AM.
. WWOD-AM was the second station to go on in Lynchburg after WLVA-AM. WWOD-FM was religious until it became WKZZ on May 12, 1979 and carried a country format until the late 1980s, when it becamne a locally programmed CHR format until 1991.
On November 21, 1991, the station was purchased by Aylett Coleman of Roanoke and began a simulcast with CHR
formatted WXLK "K92" in Roanoke to provide an improved signal in Lynchburg and took the callsign WLYK, which stood for "Lynchburg's K92." The following year, WLYK boosted power, going from a Class A to Class C3 station. The stations were later sold a few years after Coleman's death to Mel Wheeler Inc.
On April 19, 2001, the station became Vibe 100, with an R&B format, changing calls to WVBE-FM on March 13, 2002. The change was necessitated by the addition of the former WSLC-AM as a Roanoke-based simulcast signal for "Vibe 100", which took the calls WVBE
.
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
formatted broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
radio station
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...
licensed to Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg, Virginia
Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 75,568 as of 2010. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains along the banks of the James River, Lynchburg is known as the "City of Seven Hills" or "The Hill City." Lynchburg was the only major city in...
, serving Metro Lynchburg. WVBE-FM is owned and operated by Mel Wheeler, Inc.. and is simulcast in Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke, Virginia
Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
on co-owned WVBE
WVBE (AM)
WVBE is an Urban Contemporary formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, serving the New River Valley. WVBE is owned and operated by Mel Wheeler, Inc.-History:...
610 AM.
History
WVBE-FM 100.1 began its history in 1948 as WWOD-FM, originally at 940 watts. It had a sister station on 1390, WWOD, now WKPAWKPA
WKPA is a Religious formatted broadcast radio station simulcasting WKBA at Vinton, Virginia.WKPA is licensed to Lynchburg, Virginia, serving Lynchburg and Amherst County, Virginia. WKPA is owned and operated by Tinker Creek Broadcasters, Inc....
. WWOD-AM was the second station to go on in Lynchburg after WLVA-AM. WWOD-FM was religious until it became WKZZ on May 12, 1979 and carried a country format until the late 1980s, when it becamne a locally programmed CHR format until 1991.
On November 21, 1991, the station was purchased by Aylett Coleman of Roanoke and began a simulcast with CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
formatted WXLK "K92" in Roanoke to provide an improved signal in Lynchburg and took the callsign WLYK, which stood for "Lynchburg's K92." The following year, WLYK boosted power, going from a Class A to Class C3 station. The stations were later sold a few years after Coleman's death to Mel Wheeler Inc.
On April 19, 2001, the station became Vibe 100, with an R&B format, changing calls to WVBE-FM on March 13, 2002. The change was necessitated by the addition of the former WSLC-AM as a Roanoke-based simulcast signal for "Vibe 100", which took the calls WVBE
WVBE (AM)
WVBE is an Urban Contemporary formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Roanoke, Virginia, serving the New River Valley. WVBE is owned and operated by Mel Wheeler, Inc.-History:...
.