WGH-FM(97.3MHz) is a commercialradio stationlicensedtoNewport News, Virginia,servingHampton Roads.[1]WGH-FM is owned and operated byMax Mediaand airs acountry musicradio format.[7]It uses the branding "97.3 The Eagle".
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| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Hampton Roads |
| Frequency | 97.3MHz(HD Radio) |
| Branding | 97.3 The Eagle |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country[1] |
| Subchannels | HD2:Business talk"MoneyTalk Radio" |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WGH,WTWV-FM,WVBW-FM,WVSP-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | November 1948[2] |
Former call signs |
|
Former frequencies | 96.5 MHz (1948–1955)[4] |
Call signmeaning | "World's Greatest Harbor"[5] |
| Technical information[6] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 72102 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 74,000watts |
| HAAT | 120 meters (390 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 36°57′47.5″N76°24′40.8″W/ 36.963194°N 76.411333°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | 973eagle |
Studios and offices are on Greenwich Road inVirginia Beach, Virginia.[8]Thetransmitteris on Newport News Point, near Interstate 664.[9]
Station history
editWGH-FM firstsigned onthe air in November 1948, one of the first FM stations in Virginia.[10]It broadcasts at 74,000wattsin an area of the country where today the maximum power for FM radio stations should be 50,000 watts. But, because the station dates back to 1948, before theFederal Communications Commissionset rules for FM power levels, it isgrandfatheredat the higher power.
Thecall lettersfor WGH-FM and itssister stationWGH(1310 AM) stand for "World's Greatest Harbor", a slogan for the Hampton Roads or Tidewater area of Virginia, where there is a large shipbuilding industry and both commercial and military ports.[11]WGH and WGH-FM are the only stations in Virginia to operate with three-letter call signs.[12]
For many years in its early days, WGH-FM was aclassical musicstation.[13]On September 1, 1983, after Commcor bought the station, the classical format was abruptly dropped and flipped tosoft rockas WNSY-FM, "Sunny 97".[14]A year later, it flipped toTop 40as "Y-97".[15]The next year, afterSusquehanna Broadcastingtook over, the station changed call letters to WRSR and rebranded as "97 Star" during the week of September 10, 1985, while keeping the current format.[16]The WGH-FM calls would return on December 15, 1986.
On August 29, 1990, the Top 40 format was dropped and the station beganstuntingwith all-Elvis Presley.On September 3, it flipped to its current country format as "Eagle 97.3".[17][18]
References
edit- ^ab"Arbitron Station Information Profiles".Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings.RetrievedJuly 18,2015.
- ^Broadcasting Yearbook 2010(PDF).ProQuest, LLC/Reed Publishing (Nederland), B.V. 2010. p. D-567.RetrievedJuly 18,2015.
- ^"Call Sign History".Federal Communications Commission,audio division.RetrievedJuly 18,2015.
- ^"FCC History Cards for WGH-FM".
- ^"Call Letter Origins: Key and Listing".Bob Nelson.RetrievedJuly 18,2015.
- ^"Facility Technical Data for WGH-FM".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^"WGH Facility Record".Federal Communications Commission,audio division.RetrievedJuly 18,2015.
- ^"5589 Greenwich Rd · 5589 Greenwich Rd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462".google.com.
- ^"WGH-FM Radio Station Coverage Map".radio-locator.com.
- ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 pg. C-220
- ^History of Newport News, Virginia
- ^White, Thomas."Three-Letter Roll Call".earlyradiohistory.us.
- ^"20All-4"(PDF).americanradiohistory.com.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
- ^"RR-1983-09-09"(PDF).americanradiohistory.com.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
- ^"Radio-All-BC-YB-1985"(PDF).americanradiohistory.com.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.[dead link]
- ^"Radio-All-BC-YB-1986"(PDF).americanradiohistory.com.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.[dead link]
- ^"RR-1990-09-07"(PDF).americanradiohistory.com.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
- ^"Radio NE MT 1991 B&W.pdf"(PDF).americanradiohistory.com.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
External links
edit- New Country 97-3 The Eagle Online
- Facility details for Facility ID 72102 (WGH-FM)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- WGH-FMinNielsen Audio's FM station database