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For the radio station V103 in Chicago, seeWVAZ.For the radio station V103 in American Samoa, seeWVUV-FM.For the radio station V103 in Oklahoma City, seeK276EX.
WVEE
Broadcast areaMetro Atlanta
Frequency103.3MHz(HD Radio)
BrandingV-103
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatUrban contemporary
Subchannels
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
July 1, 1948(1948-07-01)
Former call signs
  • WAGA-FM (1948–59)
  • WPLO-FM (1959–76)
Call signmeaning
"V-103"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID63776
ClassC0
ERP100,000watts
HAAT310 meters (1,020 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
33°45′32″N84°20′06″W/ 33.759°N 84.335°W/33.759; -84.335
Links
Public license information
Webcast
Websiteaudacy /v103

WVEE(103.3FM) – branded asV-103– is acommercialradio stationinAtlanta, Georgia.It is owned byAudacy, Inc.and airs anurban contemporaryradio format.WVEE is one of the highest-rated stations in theAtlanta radio marketaccording toNielsen Audio,reaching number one on many reports.[2]Itsstudiosand offices are located inColony SquareonPeachtree StreetinMidtown Atlanta,along with itssister stationsWAOK,WSTRandWZGC.[3]

WVEE has aneffective radiated powerof 100,000watts.It shares atoweroff New Street NE, withWABE-TV,as well as withWSB-FM,which is owned byCox Radio.[4]The two radio stations'transmittersarediplexedtogether, so that they feed to the same antenna.

History

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1940s

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The station that became WVEE firstsigned onthe air on July 1, 1948.[5]Its originalcall signwas WAGA-FM,simulcastingacountry musicradio format with WAGA (590 AM, nowWDWD).[6]They were owned byStorer Broadcasting,a company that owned several top stations in large American cities.

The following year, television stationWAGA-TVwas added as aCBS-TVnetwork affiliateand is now aFox Televisionowned and operated station.

1950s and 1960s

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In 1959, WAGA-AM-FM were acquired byPlough Broadcasting,asubsidiaryof apharmaceuticalcompany that decided to invest in radio stations.[7]Their call letters were switched to WPLO and WPLO-FM, and the two stations continued to simulcast WPLO's successful country programming.

In the late 1960s, theFederal Communications Commission(FCC) began requiring AM stations in larger cities to end full-time simulcasts, promoting new programming on FM stations. WPLO hadGeorgia State Universitystudents program and host afree form"underground" format, giving the students academic credit instead of pay. The arrangement allowed Plough to have an inexpensive FM presence in the years before FM came to dominate the radio spectrum. It created enough interest among the student body that theGeorgia Board of Regentsobtained aconstruction permitand license for its own station at the university,WRAS-FM.

Plough management believed the music programmed by the Georgia State students could become a profitable commercial format if presented professionally. By 1969, WPLO-FM was billing itself as "Atlanta's Alternative High," and described its 103.3 frequency as "103-and-a-third." Program directors in thisprogressive rockera included Ed Shane, Steve Hosford, and Chris Morgan.

1970s

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In 1974, as more listeners were switching from AM to FM for music listening, Plough-Shearing changed WPLO-FM's format. Keeping the same call letters, WPLO-FM flipped to country music to build on the AM station's popularity. The AM station continued to have more personality, with frequent news and weather updates, while the FM station went in a more-music, limited DJ chatter direction.

In October 1976, Schering-Plough recognized Atlanta's growing middle-classAfrican-Americanmarket by changing WPLO-FM tourban contemporaryunder the "V-103"monikerand new call sign WVEE.[8]It briefly aired adisco musicformat in the late 1970s.

When disco fever cooled, WVEE-FM returned to urban contemporary, and became one of the Atlanta radio market's top stations under the leadership of program director Scotty Andrews.[9]As the first urban station on the FM dial in Metro Atlanta, the "V-103" brand eventually saw other stations around the U.S. follow its formula, includingBaltimoresister stationWXYV,also known as "V-103", and aChicago"V-103" (WVAZ,now owned byiHeartMedia).

1980s-1990s

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In the early 1980s, DKM Broadcasting Corporation purchased WVEE-FM andWAOK.On January 1, 1988, WVEE-FM was sold, along with other DKM-owned properties in Baltimore,Denver,Springfield,Lincoln,Akron,Dayton,andDallas,for $200 million to The Summit Communications Group, Inc. In March 1995, Summit sold its interests in WVEE FM and WAOK AM to Granum Communications, Inc., owned by Herbert W. McCord, Peter Ferrara, and Michael Weinstein.

In March 1996, Granum Communications sold both stations toInfinity Broadcasting,which was later folded intoCBS Radio.Infinity already ownedWZGC,which it owned since 1992, that made the three stations a trio-poly.

2000s

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In 2000,V-103,after many years of operating as an urban contemporary station that only playedR&Bandclassic soulthroughout the day and only playedhip hop musicduring early evening hours, added hip-hop music full-time to compete withWHTA( "Hot 97.5," now "Hot 107.9" ) andWALR-FM(Kiss 104.7,nowKiss 104.1), and to appeal more to the 18-34demographicalongside the original 25-54 demo. With the gain of more competition, WVEE was one of three adult urban stations between 1998 and 2000 whenWAMJ(Majic 107.5) took to the air, although WVEE never called itself an urban AC station.

In 2003,"V-103"changed its longtime stationsloganfrom"The People's Station"to"Atlanta's BIG Station"to signify its dominance of Atlanta urban radio. WVEE-FM was often #1 or #2 in theArbitron ratings,along withWSB.In 2008, WVEE-FM reverted to the previous slogan"The People's Station"to signify its commitment to the African-American community.

Since autumn 2006, WVEE had aired anHD Radiodigital subchannelfor playingurban adult contemporary(specificallyneo-soul) music, with nobrandingother than "V-103 HD-2". On February 28, 2020, WVEE-HD2 changed their format to international hits, branded as "V-103 International".[10]The HD3 channel is asimulcastofsister stationWAOK.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom.[11]The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[12][13]

Programming

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V-103 has aplaylistconsisting of a balance of current R&B, soul, and hip-hop songs along with throwbacks and recurrents during most parts of the day. During late night hours from Sunday through Thursday, the station airs slow jams from current and old school R&B and soul songs during its"Quiet Storm"program. WVEE airs a Sunday morninggospelprogram the entire morning hours, and during the early morning hours on weekdays. On Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons, the station airs a show dedicated exclusively to classic and contemporary soul music (particularlyneo-soul).

WVEE-FM has maintained a strict balance of serving both younger adults and middle-aged listeners since its inception in 1976. This is rare among larger-market urban stations which serve either theMainstream UrbanorUrban Adult Contemporaryaudience. Its programming puts it in direct competition with Urban AC stationsWALR-FMand the simulcast ofWAMJ/WUMJ,as well as Mainstream Urban stationsWHTA-FM,W233BF,andWRDG.In recent years, the station occasionally spins hit crossover pop songs when they are hot on theTop 40charts.

WVEE was the largest urban station underCBS Radioownership, and the only CBS Radio urban outlet in the top 10 Americanradio markets.As ofDecember 2014,WVEE was the only CBS Radio Urban property remaining. Two former CBS urban stations had shifted to Rhythmic Contemporary:WPGC-FMinWashington, D.C.,an Urban-leaning Rhythmic, andWJHMOrlando,which switched formats from Urban to Rhythmic Contemporary in February 2012 (and to top 40 as of February 2014). A third CBS urban station,WPEGCharlotte,was sold to theBeasley Broadcasting Groupvia a multi-market swap on December 1, 2014.[14]UnderAudacyownership, WVEE is still considered the co-flagship urban station (along with WPGC-FM), but now the largest urban station as WPGC-FM Washington has shifted back to the urban format as of 2018.[15]

Morning shows

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From 1998 to 2012, WVEE had been home forFrank Skiand Wanda Smith in the Morning(originally namedThe Frank Ski Morning Show), when Ski took over the reins from Mike Roberts and Carol Blackmon, after Roberts retired and Blackmon left radio temporarily (now at WAMJ/WUMJ). It consistently maintained one of the highest ratings in the Atlanta region, often finishing as #1 or #2 among morning shows in Atlanta. While the show has almost always been local, it was briefly syndicated toBaltimore(Ski's adopted hometown) on sister stationWXYV,as well as inCharleston, South Carolina.Ski was a former host on WXYV (then known as V103) before relocating to Atlanta in 1998 after a two-year stint at rival Baltimore urban stationWERQ.

In 2008, WVEE entered a partnership withWUPAto broadcast theFrank and Wanda Television Show,recapping highlights fromFrank and Wanda in the Morningfor television viewers each night. The theme song for both programs is performed by singer and Atlanta nativeMonica.

On December 13, 2012, Ski and Smith announced that they both would be leaving WVEE after 14 years.[16]Both said they wanted to concentrate on other ventures. Ski wanted to focus more on family and continue to run his restaurant, while Smith wanted to return to stand up comedy. There were talks with CBS Radio onsyndicatingthe show to other cities but WVEE wanted it to stay focused on Atlanta.[17]The lastFrank and Wanda in the Morningshow aired on December 20, 2012.

On January 2, 2013, former afternoon host Ryan Cameron was chosen to replace them and assume duties as host ofThe Ryan Cameron Morning Show.In January 2014, Wanda Smith returned to the station to co-host the morning drive alongside Cameron.[18]As for Frank Ski, he continues to reside in the Atlanta region although he returned to radio as afternoon host forWashington, D.C.stationWHURuntil August 2015. As of June 2016, Ski returned to WVEE to host weekend shows for the station. On February 2, 2018, Ryan Cameron left the station to pursue opportunities outside of radio.[19]

On February 13, 2018, Frank Ski returned to host mornings alongside Wanda Smith and comedian Joe "Miss Sophia" McIntosh.[20]In January 2019, Smith and McIntosh exited, and the morning drive show was renamedThe Morning Culture,hosted by Frank Ski,Jade Novah,and J.R. in February 2019.[21]In July 2020, Ski once again exited WVEE to return to hosting the afternoon drive on WHUR in Washington, D.C.[22]On August 17, 2020,Big Tiggertook over hosting the morning drive with the show titledThe Big Tigger Morning Show.[23]

Awards

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In 1990, 1992, 1995 and 1998, the station was honored by theNational Association of Broadcasterswith theMarconi Awardfor "Urban Station of the Year." In 2000, it tied for the honor withWUSLPhiladelphia.

WVEE won the award on its own again in 2010[24]and in 2013.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WVEE".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^"Arbitron Atlanta PPM ratings".Radio Info & Arbitron.
  3. ^V103 /about/contact-us
  4. ^Radio-Locator /WVEE
  5. ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 116
  6. ^"Atlanta Metro GA Radio-1948".Atlanta Rewound.
  7. ^"Atlanta Area FM Radio Stations".Dr. Marshall Leach.
  8. ^"R.I.P George Pass, former engineer for Plough Broadcasting and WPLO-FM/WVEE".RadioInfo.
  9. ^Billboard, September 26, 1981.Billboard magazine. 26 September 1981.
  10. ^WVEE Launches V103 InternationalRadioinsight - February 28, 2020
  11. ^"CBS Radio To Merge With Entercom".2 February 2017.
  12. ^"Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio".Entercom.November 9, 2017.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
  13. ^Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017)."Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger".Radio Insight.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
  14. ^"CBS Radio trades 7 Charlotte stations for Philadelphia, Miami ones".The Charlotte Observer.
  15. ^"Entercom Portfolio - Radio Stations".Entercom.
  16. ^http://v103.cbslocal /2012/12/13/frank-and-wanda-announce-the-end/Frank and Wanda announce the End
  17. ^"Radio & TV Talk Frank Ski and Wanda Smith leaving V-103; Ryan Cameron takes over in January | Radio & TV Talk".Archived fromthe originalon December 15, 2012.RetrievedDecember 15,2012.Radio & TV Talk Frank Ski and Wanda Smith leaving V-103; Ryan Cameron takes over in January, December 13, 2012,Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  18. ^http://radiotvtalk.blog.ajc /2014/01/09/is-wanda-smith-coming-back-to-v-103/Radio & TV Talk Wanda Smith Coming Back to V-103, January 9, 2014,Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  19. ^https:// ajc /blog/radiotvtalk/ryan-cameron-leaves-103-joining-branding-company-rakanter/fRP7GPTP0hWeJ5C7LgPsGP/Ryan Cameron leaves V-103, joining branding company Rakanter, January 26, 2018,Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  20. ^https:// ajc /blog/buzz/exclusive-frank-ski-his-return-mornings-103/Y4i7ls2P3K6K6ucgsGnrFM/EXCLUSIVE: Frank Ski on his return to mornings at V-103, February 7, 2018,Atlanta Journal-Constitution
  21. ^V103 /shows/show-schedule/morning-culture
  22. ^"Frank Ski Returns to WHUR".30 July 2020.
  23. ^"Exclusive: Frank Ski again departs V-103, replaced by Big Tigger".
  24. ^"2010 Marconi Awards".FMQB. Archived fromthe originalon 2016-03-07.Retrieved2016-12-09.
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