WLVW (107.3
FM) – branded as ''K-Love'' – is a
non-commercial
A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that does not, in some sense, involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis. For example, advertising-free community ...
Christian adult contemporary Christian adult contemporary, also known as Christian AC or CAC, is a radio format. In the United States, Christian adult contemporary radio stations cater to a mostly adult audience and are similar to mainstream adult contemporary stations in that ...
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
licensed to serve
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Owned and operated by the
Educational Media Foundation
Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville.
EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest ...
, WLVW does not broadcast any local programming, functioning as the
Washington metropolitan area
The Washington metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the National Capital Region, is the metropolitan area centered on Washington, D.C. The metropolitan area includes all of Washington, D.C. and parts of the states of Maryland, Virgin ...
network affiliate
In the broadcasting industry (particularly in North America, and even more in the United States), a network affiliate or affiliated station is a local broadcaster, owned by a company other than the owner of the network, which carries some or a ...
for
K-Love. The station's
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...
resides in the district's
northwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sep ...
quadrant. In addition to a standard
analog transmission
Analog transmission is a transmission method of conveying information using a continuous signal which varies in amplitude, phase, or some other property in proportion to that information. It could be the transfer of an analog signal, using an ana ...
, WLVW is available online; the station also broadcasts in the
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
format.
History
WMAL-FM
On May 15, 1948, the station signed on as WMAL-FM, owned by ''
The Washington Evening Star''. WMAL-FM mostly simulcast co-owned
WMAL (630 AM), the market's
ABC Radio Network
Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which w ...
affiliate; as network programming moved from radio to television in the 1950s, WMAL and WMAL-FM switched to a
full service Full service or Full Service may refer to:
* Full-service radio, a wide range of programming
* Full Service Network, a communications company
Entertainment
* "Full Service", a song by the New Kids on the Block from their album ''The Block''
* F ...
middle of the road format.
In the late 1960s, WMAL-FM switched to a combination of
easy listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
and
classical music
Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
, mostly automated with the exception of ''
Harden and Weaver'', which aired on both WMAL and WMAL-FM Monday through Saturday mornings. In the 1970s, WMAL-FM flipped to
album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock.
Album-oriente ...
as "The Soft Explosion." Live
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music f ...
s were added and automation was cut back to nights and weekends.
In 1977,
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
acquired WMAL-AM-FM for $16 million, then a record price.
WRQX
WMAL-FM changed its call sign to WRQX on December 7, 1977.
On April 15, 1979, WRQX changed to
Top 40/CHR; branded as "Q107", the station eliminated automation completely. At noon on August 31, 1990, the station changed to
Hot AC
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet s ...
, branded as "Mix 107.3."
The first song on "Mix" was "
Let The Music Play" by
Shannon.
![WRQX former logo (1990-2013)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/WRQX_former_logo_%281990-2013%29.png)
WRQX was one of the many
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
/ABC Radio stations that merged with
Citadel Broadcasting
Citadel Broadcasting Corporation was a Las Vegas, Nevada-based broadcast holding company. Citadel owned 243 radio stations across the United States and was the third-largest radio station owner in the country. Only iHeartMedia and Cumulus Media ...
in 2007. Citadel, in turn, merged with
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...
on September 16, 2011.
[ Previous slogans have been "Not too hard, Not too light", "The Best Mix of the 80s, 90s & Today", "The Best Mix of...Everything", "Washington's Best Music Mix", "Today's Best Hits", "All the Hits", "More Music, More Variety", and "DC's Best Music Mix."
On April 27, 2013, long-time morning show host Jack Diamond was unexpectedly released from the station when his contract expired and management declined to renew it. Diamond had been at the station since the day the it flipped to "Mix" in 1990.] There was speculation that the station would take the morning show in a new direction to compete against top 40-formatted WIHT
WIHT (99.5 FM) is a Top 40 (CHR) formatted radio station that serves the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Located on the fifth floor of 1801 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland, the station broadcasts 24 hours a day and is licensed ...
. Bert Weiss, the host of "The Bert Show" on co-owned WWWQ
WWWQ (99.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Atlanta, Georgia, carrying a Top 40 (CHR) format known as "Q99.7". Owned by Cumulus Media, WWWQ serves the Atlanta metropolitan area as the regional affiliate for ''The Daly Download with ...
in Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
(and formerly Diamond's co-host), took over morning drive time
Drive time is the daypart in which radio broadcasters can reach the most people who listen to car radios while driving, usually to and from work, or on public transportation. Drive-time periods are when the number of radio listeners in this c ...
on WRQX, beginning May 16. "The Bert Show" was syndicated from Atlanta.
On August 19, 2013, WRQX began to slowly phase out its "Mix" moniker, and began emphasizing the slogan "All The Hits," as well as shifting its playlist towards more current music, while dropping all 1980s and most 1990s material. Rival company Clear Channel Communications
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
picked up word on this potential shift, and began registering domain names such as "allthehits1073.com" and "q1073dc.com" to prevent Cumulus from using them. Those domains redirected to WIHT's website. On August 28, WRQX completed its shift back to top 40, then branded as "All The Hits 107.3." The station debuted a new logo and transferred its website address to 1073Hits.com.
On May 2, 2014, WRQX dropped "The Bert Show" after one year, due to low ratings. Marco, who had previously been the station's afternoon drive personality, took over morning drive on an interim basis three days later. On July 30, 2014, the "Sarah, Ty and Mel Show" debuted on 107.3. It was heard weekdays from 6–10 a.m., and was hosted by Sarah Fraser (formerly of ''The Kane Show''), Ty Bentli (who would later host the syndicated Nash-FM country music morning show) and Melanie Glazener (who also worked with Fraser on ''The Kane Show''). Also in July 2014, WRQX was re-branded as "DC's 107.3" and its website address was changed to dcs1073.com.
During September and October 2015, WRQX began shifting back towards hot AC. On November 9, 2015, Louie Diaz was announced as WRQX's new program director, replacing Jan Jeffries. On that same day, the station's air staff was dismissed, leading to rumors of a format change, possibly back to hot AC, once again as "Mix 107.3." Rival WIHT was ranked 4th in the market with a 5.9 share, while WRQX was ranked #18 with a 2.1 share of the market according to the October 2015 Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
report.
On November 11, 2015, Cumulus announced that WRQX would revert to its "Mix 107.3" branding on November 13. In addition, the station began playing Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...
beginning at 3 p.m. on November 13. Cumulus initially said the Christmas format would be heard through the holiday season; however, it turned out to be a stunt
A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...
, only lasting for that weekend. At 6 a.m. on November 16, the station officially relaunched as "Mix" with the return of morning host Jack Diamond. The move proved popular and WRQX's ratings began to improve.
Sale to Educational Media Foundation
On February 13, 2019, Rocklin, California
Rocklin is a city in Placer County, California, about from Sacramento, and about northeast of Roseville in the Sacramento metropolitan area. Besides Roseville, it shares borders with Granite Bay, Loomis and Lincoln. As of the 2010 census, Ro ...
-based nonprofit broadcaster, Educational Media Foundation
Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville.
EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest ...
(EMF) entered into an agreement with Cumulus to purchase WRQX, along with five other Cumulus Media stations in New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
, San Jose, Savannah
A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the Canopy (forest), canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to rea ...
and Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
, for $103.5 million. This transaction would allow Cumulus to generate "substantial cash for debt repayment and investment in other business opportunities", according to its President and CEO Mary Berner. EMF also owns existing K-Love affiliate WLZV in Buckland, Virginia
Buckland is an unincorporated community in Prince William County, Virginia.
Established in 1798, Buckland was an early inland stagecoach town, situated along the Fauquier and Alexandria Turnpike. An 1855 gazetteer described it as having "1 church ...
, about southwest of Washington. After the sale received final approval by the FCC, EMF announced that WRQX and the other Cumulus stations acquired would all begin broadcasting its primary programming service, K-Love, on June 1 at Midnight local time.
On May 28, Jack Diamond announced the station's format change, set for May 31 at 7:00 p.m.—five hours earlier than originally planned—and that he would host the final hour of commercial programming on "Mix 107.3"; he also said he would return to the air at another station, but his new gig was never revealed. At the aforementioned time, after playing " Cherish" by The Association
The Association is an American sunshine pop band from California. During the late 1960s, the band had numerous hits at or near the top of the ''Billboard'' charts (including " Windy", " Cherish", " Never My Love" and "Along Comes Mary") and ...
and a final goodbye from Jack Diamond, the station changed to contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...
as part of EMF's K-Love network.
Prior to EMF's takeover of the station, Cumulus transferred the WRQX callsign onto the former WSOM (600 AM) in Salem, Ohio
Salem is the largest city in Columbiana County, Ohio, with a small district in southern Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 11,915. It is the principal city of the Salem micropolitan area in Northeast Ohio. It is 18 m ...
, in a callsign "parking" move; Cumulus retained rights to the WRQX callsign in the transaction. For part of May 31, 2019, the callsign WSOM was used on 107.3; after switching to K-Love, the station began identifying as WLVW, taking a callsign which had been in use on a K-Love station in Salisbury, Maryland
Salisbury () is a city in and the county seat of Wicomico County, Maryland, Wicomico County, Maryland, United States, and the largest city in Eastern Shore of Maryland, the state's Eastern Shore region. The population was 33,050 at the 2020 United ...
.
References
External links
*
*
{{K-LOVE
LVW
Radio stations established in 1948
K-Love radio stations
Educational Media Foundation radio stations
Former subsidiaries of The Walt Disney Company
LVW