WSVA

WSVA is a news/talk/sports-formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Harrisonburg, Virginia, serving the Central Shenandoah Valley. WSVA is owned and operated by Saga Communications, through licensee Tidewater Communications, LLC.

Programming

The WSVA morning show, known as "Early Mornings" features hosts Frank Wilt and Jim Britt along with news reported by Karl Magenhofer. Mike Schikman hosts afternoon drive time; a noon news hour is also locally originated. The station's syndicated programming is a hodgepodge of programs from various networks including '' The Dave Ramsey Show'', shows from Westwood One (''The Mark Levin Show'', '' The John Batchelor Show'' and ''Red Eye Radio'') and the Salem Radio Network (Hugh Hewitt and, on weekends, Sebastian Gorka). Weekend talk programming consists of numerous lifestyle programs (such as ''The Kim Komando Show'', Clark Howard, ''Music and the Spoken Word'' and ''The Lars Larson Show'').

WSVA broadcast local sports programs including high school football, basketball and baseball along with James Madison University football and basketball broadcast.

History

WSVA went on the air on June 9, 1935 with 500 watts of power. It was the first radio station to broadcast in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. Although it appears that the call letters stand for Shenandoah VAlley, they actually stand for We Serve Virginia Agriculture." The station was affiliated with NBC, and offered news, agricultural programs, music and other items of local interest.

WSVA was originally owned by Frederick L. Allman. In 1946, it produced the Valley's first FM station, WSVA-FM (now WQPO), and in 1953 it added a television station, WSVA-TV (now WHSV-TV). Allman sold his stations to a partnership of Transcontinent Television and former NBC executive Hamilton Shea in 1956, earning a significant return on his investment of 21 years earlier. In 1959, the ''Washington Evening Star'', owner of WMAL AM- FM- TV in Washington, D.C., bought Transcontinent's share of the stations, as well as 1% of Shea's stake. Michigan businessman James Gilmore bought the WSVA stations in 1965. Gilmore sold off channel 3 in 1976, but held onto the radio stations until 1987, when he sold them to local businessman John David VerStandig. Over the years, VerStandig added WTGD-FM, WJDV-FM, and WHBG to his portfolio.

Expanded Band assignment

On March 17, 1997 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available " Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with WSVA authorized to move from 550 to 1700 kHz."FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations"
(FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997. A Construction Permit for the expanded band station was assigned the call letters WEZI on November 17, 1997. However this station was never built, and its construction permit was cancelled on January 16, 2004.FCC Station Search Details: DWEZI
(Facility ID: 87172)

Later history

In 2009 WSVA moved into a new building located on the same property to the old one on Heritage Center Way.

On January 1, 2015, the station began simulcasting its programming on FM translator W221CF, transmitting on 92.1 MHz. It exists to fill in the gaps in WSVA's nighttime coverage. The AM signal decrease power to 1,000 watts at night to protect the directional nighttime signal of WGR in Buffalo, New York and other regional stations.

The sale of Verstandig Broadcasting of Harrisonburg to Saga Communications was closed on July 31, 2015, at a purchase price of $9.64 million.

Translator

In addition to the main station, WSVA is relayed by an FM translator to widen its broadcast area.

References

External links

92.1 FM and 550 AM WSVA Online

FCC History Cards for WSVA
(covering 1934-1980)

{{Saga Communications

SVA
News and talk radio stations in the United States
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Radio stations established in 1935
1935 establishments in Virginia