WAPE-FM (95.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

"The Big Ape") is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

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 ...

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which the ...

. It is owned by

Cox Radio CMG Media Corporation (doing business as Cox Media Group) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company pri ...

and airs a Top 40 (CHR)

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

. Its

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 ...

is located in Downtown Jacksonville, off

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Boulevard. The studios and offices are located on Central Parkway in Jacksonville's

Southside Southside or South Side may refer to: Places Australia * Southside, Queensland, a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region Canada * South Side, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the St. George's Bay area on the southwest coast of New ...

section. WAPE's

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...

is 100,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

s. WAPE is licensed for

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 ...

operations but currently has no secondary channel.

History

In 1949, the station first

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...

as WJAX-FM, the FM counterpart to WJAX. The two stations were owned by the City of Jacksonville. They simulcasted their programming, and were

NBC Radio Network The NBC, National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (known as the NBC Red Network prior to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in operation from 1926 through 2004. Along with the Blue Network, NBC Blue Network it was ...

affiliates. WJAX-FM originally ran at only 7,700 watts, a fraction of its current power. Through the 1950s and 60s, WJAX-AM-FM carried 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 music format. Around 1970, WJAX-FM switched to an

album 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-orient ...

format. In the 1970s, WJAX-FM got a power boost to its current 100,000 watts, able to cover Jacksonville and its growing suburbs, from Southeast

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

down to St. Augustine and Gainesville. From the mid-1970s until 1986, WJAX-FM was successful as an

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

station. In March 1986, it flipped to a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

/urban hybrid format (also known as "CHUrban", which would be the forerunner to what is now

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...

) as WAPE-FM under their brand new moniker "Power 95 WAPE". WAPE-FM is the second outlet in Jacksonville to use the

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

and format, which was originally on the AM band at 690 kHz. WAPE-FM was Jacksonville's dominant hit music station from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s. In 1993, the station's CHUrban format and "Power 95" branding were replaced with a

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 ...

format as "WAPE 95.1, Today's Best Music with No Rap or Hard Rock". In 1997, WAPE returned to their Top 40/CHR roots as "95.1 WAPE". In 1998, the station was bought by Capstar, Inc., a forerunner of

iHeartMedia, Inc. 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 ...

In 2000, WAPE-FM was acquired by

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 ...

-based

.Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page D-139
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Past air personalities

Some of WAPE's alumni, from both AM 690 and FM 95.1, include the late great

Jay Thomas Jay Thomas (born Jon Thomas Terrell; July 12, 1948 – August 24, 2017) was an American actor, comedian, and radio personality. He was heard in New York from 1976–1979 on top-40 station 99X, and later on rhythmic CHR station 92KTU, and in L ...

, Douglas " The Greaseman" Tracht, Cleveland Wheeler, Honest John, Mark "The Unknown DJ" Driscoll, Kandy Klutch, Hoyle Dempsey, Marjorie "Marge Fizzy" Lou, Tommy Murphy, Ross Earl, JJ The Night Guy, Tony Mann, Mark "Mark The Shark" Fisher, Billy Goat, Chase Daniels, Jay Styles, Dave O, The Tin Man, Dani, Steve Sutton, Christopher "Trane On The Radio" Trane, Patricia "Pat" Harrison, Just Jim, Aaron Daniels, Dino, Gregory Tanner, CC Rider, Miss Lara, Spoon, Amadeus, Eden Kendall, Michael Knight, Russ The Hammer, Cadillac Jack, with Billy "Wild Bill" Miller, and the iconic mascot that made WAPE-AM and WAPE-FM a legend all over Jacksonvile and beyond The Big Ape.

References

External links

* * {{COXMG APE-FM Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Cox Media Group