KTWV
| File:KTWV947TheWavelogo.png | |
| Broadcast area | Greater Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 94.7 (MHz) |
| Branding | 94.7 The Wave |
| Programming | |
| Format | Smooth Jazz |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KCBS-FM, KFWB, KAMP, KNX, KROQ, KRTH | |
| History | |
First air date | 1961 |
Call sign meaning | The WaVe |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 25437 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 52,000 watts |
| HAAT | 863 meters |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www.947thewave.com |
KTWV is a commercial radio station located in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Los Angeles, Orange County, and Riverside-San Bernardino, California area on 94.7 FM. KTWV airs a smooth jazz music format branded as "94.7 The Wave".
History
From the late 1960s until 1987, the 94.7 frequency was home of KMET, a very popular album-oriented rock station owned by Metromedia. Prior to KMET, the station was called KLAC-FM. The station's ratings were high until the early 1980s when it lost ground to the competition. Many observers believe the station's ratings struggles were in large part caused by embracing the advice of New York music consultants and abandoning its identity as the "Soundtrack for Southern California". Specifically, it abandoned the spontaneity of having disc jockeys pick the music to be played on the air. Together with reduced advertising budgets, this resulted in significant ratings drops.
Metromedia sold its TV stations in 1986 and restructured and became known as Metropolitan Broadcasting. By the end of 1986, the rock format on KMET had very low ratings and as a result, the format would end on February 14 1987. Some have called the change "the Valentine's Day Massacre" of KMET.[citation needed]
The station changed to a New Age Music/Soft Rock/Contemporary Jazz format with the nickname "The Wave". The initial focus of this new format was primarily non-vocal new age music, but over the years, the station moved to more of a smooth jazz sound. Today, the station is still called "The Wave" and plays a mix of smooth jazz, soft R&B hits, AC songs, and some softer rock hits.
The Wave is often regarded as the first NAC station in the United States. But some media writers disagree, preferring to award that title to KLRS (Colors) in Santa Cruz, CA. KLRS went on the air one month after The Wave, but was the first station in North America to play a true New Age music format, continuing to do so until its demise in 1990.
The era of The Wave has the distinction of being the only time legendary disc jockey J. J. Jackson has ever worked at the station. Jackson was a veteran of then-rival rock station KLOS (while The Wave was still rocker KMET) for ten years, before becoming one of the original "VJ's" (video jockeys) on MTV when the channel debuted in 1981. Jackson was a DJ for a brief time at The Wave in 2004.
KTWV is currently owned by CBS Radio and is home of The Brian McKnight Morning Show with Pat Prescott (McKnight's predecessor was saxophonist Dave Koz, who has a successful syndicated radio show of his own). It is located in the largest market with a Smooth Jazz station, thanks to the recent demise of WQCD in New York City.
When competitor Citadel Broadcasting switched WJZW smooth jazz format to oldies, CBS Radio began running ads promoting KTWV's streaming audio on CBS owned stations in the area such as WJFK-FM. There is a Canadian radio station that is named after KTWV's format see CIWV-FM. It is also called 94.7 the Wave.
Logos
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KTWV logo from 1987 to 2001
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KTWV logo from 2001 to the present
References
External links
- 94.7 The Wave
- Facility details for Facility ID KTWV ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database