WBZY
| Broadcast area | Atlanta metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 105.7 MHz (HD Radio)
HD-2: Pride Radio (HD) |
| Branding | The Groove @ 105.7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Rhythmic Hot AC |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Clear Channel Communications |
| WBZY, WGST, WKLS, WWLG, WUBL | |
| History | |
Former call signs | WCHK-FM, WGST-FM, WMXV, WLCL |
Call sign meaning | VivA 105.7 (Former meaning) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 10698 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 20,000 watts |
| HAAT | 238 m (781 ft) |
| Translator(s) | WANN-LD TV 29 (32.106, HD2 32.105) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | getintothegroove.com |
WWVA-FM ("The Groove @ 105.7") is an Atlanta radio station broadcasting a rhythmic adult contemporary radio format although it does have some pop songs in its playlist. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications and is licensed to serve Canton, Georgia.
History
Until 1991 the station was country music WCHK-FM on 105.5 MHz in Canton, Georgia, sister station to WCHK AM. In 1993 owner Cherokee Broadcasting received FCC approval to upgrade to class C2, with a much stronger signal and relocation of their transmitter site from the WTLK-TV 14 (now WPXA-TV) tower on Bear Mountain (near Lake Arrowhead southwest of Waleska) south-southeastward toward Atlanta. (This large broadcast tower in Holly Springs is next to Interstate 575 and old Georgia 5 at Rabbit Hill Road, and now only has mobile phone base stations about halfway up on it.) This change also required a frequency shift of one channel to 105.7. Subsequently this also allowed a later move by WMAX-FM (now latino music station WBZY FM "El Patrón") on 105.3 from Carrollton east towards Atlanta, also having changed channels from 105.5. WCHK remained under local management for a little over a year afterward, briefly as "North Metro's K-105" then as "Country 105.7", and finally as "Atlanta's Classic Country 105.7", before owner Chuck McClure leased the station to Clear Channel Communications (which also owns 105.3).
Under Clear Channel management the station became WGST-FM and simulcast news/talk WGST AM 640. In the mid-1990s it again relocated its transmitter site southward, this time to the Sweat Mountain antenna farm in northeastern Cobb County (where several other stations are). In 2004, Clear Channel purchased the station and license outright from McClure, and still holds Canton as its city of license. A new WCHK-FM, located at 100.1 and also owned by McClure, was sold and changed to WNSY FM (oldies "Sunny 100") in 1999, later becoming the market's third hispanic FM station, but covering more toward northwest Georgia.
In the fall of 2000, the station became rock "Mix 105.7" (WMXV), but didn't stay that way for long due to lagging Arbitron ratings. It finally became WLCL "Cool 105.7" in the spring of 2003, playing '60s/'70s oldies music after Cox Radio dropped its '50s/'60s "Fox 97" format from WFOX, which is now WSRV FM 97.1. At the time, WLCL was the only oldies station in Atlanta, however the format still wasn't as profitable to companies as it once was.
In September 2004, the station format and moniker were created as "Viva 105.3", as part of efforts by owner Clear Channel Communications to expand into Hispanic markets. By 2005, it switched to Spanish top 40 on May 2, simulcasting with 105.3 WWVA-FM. One week later, the station officially became WWVA-FM itself, swapping the WLCL callsign over to 105.3, where "The Buzz" format from 96.7 was put. Strangely, that left the hard modern rock of "The Buzz" with the oldies call sign WLCL instead of with its own WBZY-FM, which was unused for about two weeks. ("The Buzz" later merged into "96 Rock", becoming "Project 9-6-1" but remaining as WKLS FM 96.1.)
"Viva 105.7" began simulcasting on 96.7 (formerly "the Buzz", then "Viva 96.7") on May 17, and that station's callsign was changed to WVWA (an anagram of WWVA, with the two middle letters transposed). Because 105.7 is north of Atlanta, 96.7 gave some coverage to the south. Its far-northeastern simulcast on WHEL FM 105.1 in Helen, Georgia was sold in 2005, and has since changed formats to hot AC. On December 20, 2006, WVWA flipped formats to 94.9's former adult contemporary radio format as "96.7 Lite FM" and took its WLTM callsign as well. (This is now country music WWLG FM 96.7 "The Legend".) During the last quarter of 2004, it was the second-highest-rated radio station in Atlanta.
On October 19, 2009, the station dropped the Spanish format and again began simulcasting WGST AM 640, leading to speculation that it would return to its former news/talk format. At the same time its website displayed a large question mark. However, the format wheel would officially land on rhythmic AC as Groove 105.7. The "Viva" format now airs on the HD2 channel of sister station 105.3 "El Patron".
The new station features a mix of current and gold-based rhythmic hits targeting ages 25 to 54. Its primary competitors are a variety of Atlanta stations because of its unique approach: AC WSB-FM, rhythmic WBTS, top-40 WWWQ and WSTR, urbans WVEE and WHTA, and urban ACs WALR and WUMJ. For its kick-off, WWVA's first songs were,"Into The Groove" by Madonna, "Shake Your Groove Thing" by Peaches & Herb, "Groove Is In The Heart" by Deee-Lite and "Let's Groove" by Earth, Wind & Fire. Clear Channel in turn merged WWVA's format into WBZY's, giving Atlanta a hybrid regional Mexican and Spanish AC outlet at the latter.
On January 11, 2010, the national-syndicated morning drive-time Elvis Duran and the Morning Show premiered on the station. Duran previously did evenings in Atlanta with sidekick "Hot Henrietta" at Z-93 during the late 1980s.
The station briefly aired "Streetz 102.9" on its HD Radio channel 2, in order to satisfy a technicality so that it could be broadcast on W275BK FM 102.9. A lawsuit regarding the owners of that broadcast translator quickly ensued, and W275BK is now assigned to WAMJ FM 107.5.
Since the end of March 2010, the station is now also simulcast on WANN-LD, a low-power digital TV station on physical (RF) TV channel 29 in Atlanta. The main channel is heard on virtual channel 32.106, with Pride Radio (WWVA's HD2 digital subchannel) on 32.105. Clear Channel's other Atlanta stations are also heard via DTV radio on WANN.
External links
- The Groove's website
- WWVA in the FCC FM station database
- WWVA in Nielsen Audio's FM station database