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WXZO

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Coordinates: 44°24′11″N 73°25′59″W / 44.403°N 73.433°W / 44.403; -73.433
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WXZO
Broadcast areaBurlington–Plattsburgh
Frequency96.7 MHz
Branding96.7 MeTV FM
Programming
FormatSoft oldies
AffiliationsMeTV FM
Ownership
OwnerVox AM/FM, LLC
WEZF, WCPV, WEAV, WVTK, WXXX, WVMT
History
First air date
July 1996
Former call signs
WWGT (1992–1996)
WXPS (1996–2001)
Call sign meaning
W X ZOne (former format)
Technical information
Facility ID36422
ClassA
ERP1,000 watts
HAAT243 meters (797 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
44°24′11″N 73°25′59″W / 44.403°N 73.433°W / 44.403; -73.433
Links
WebcastListen Live
Website967me.com

WXZO (96.7 FM; "MeTV FM") is a radio station licensed to Willsboro, New York. Owned by Vox AM/FM, it primarily serves the Champlain Valley. Its studios are located in Colchester, Vermont. The station broadcasts a soft oldies format.

History

WXZO signed on in July 1996 with a modern rock format;[1] although the station conducted intermittent test operations in late June with this format under the call letters WWGT,[2][3] the station ultimately went with the call letters WXPS on July 5, upon formally beginning operations;[4] the callsign reflected its "Pulse" branding.[2] Initially licensed to Vergennes, Vermont, WXPS's signal had trouble reaching Burlington,[3] forcing the station to apply for a translator on 97.3 FM in late 1996;[5] after only a year, however, the station decided to drop the format, and following a brief silent period WXPS switched to sports talk.[6][7] Soon afterward, WXPS leased out WEAV (960 AM) as a simulcast.[8]

Capstar Broadcasting purchased WXPS in 1998.[9] On December 14, the sports talk format, which by then also incorporated some hot talk programs, was abandoned in favor of country music as "Kix 96.7"; around the same time, WXPS moved its city of license and transmitter to Willsboro.[10] This move improved the station's Burlington signal,[10] and the plans for the 97.3 translator were abandoned and the construction permit canceled two months earlier.[11] The following April, WEAV left the simulcast and implemented a separate talk format.[12] A year later, WXPS itself changed formats again, this time to smooth jazz.[13]

In April 2001, Clear Channel Communications, who acquired the station after a series of mergers, migrated the smooth jazz format to sister station WLCQ (92.1 FM; now WVTK); upon the completion of this move, WXPS resumed simulcasting with WEAV, this time airing its talk format under the "Zone" branding and the current WXZO call letters.[14][15]

Logo as "96.7 DOT-FM", used from September 17, 2008 until September 17, 2010.

Clear Channel announced on November 16, 2006 that it would sell its Champlain Valley stations after being bought by private equity firms,[16] resulting in a sale to Vox Communications in 2008.[17] On September 17, Vox again dissolved the simulcast with WEAV (except for First Light and Imus in the Morning), and WXZO adopted an oldies format, branding itself "96.7 DOT-FM" in reference to former local top 40 station WDOT (1390 AM; now WCAT); much of the station's on-air staff under this format had once worked for WDOT. (Despite this branding, the call letters were not changed, as a relay of The Point uses the WDOT call letters.) The oldies format was previously heard on WVTK.[18]

The oldies format was replaced with a contemporary hit radio format, branded "Planet 96.7", on September 17, 2010;[19] at that time, the remaining simulcasts with WEAV ceased. WXZO competed against WXXX (95.5 FM) and adult top 40 rival WYZY (106.3 FM, now WNBZ-FM). On August 25, 2017, WXZO flipped to rhythmic contemporary as "The New Hot 96.7".[20]

In January 2019, following Vox's acquisition of WXXX, the station began stunting with a promotional loop of oldies music, along with liners read in the first-person that emphasize the word "Me". The last song on WXZO as Hot 96.7 was "Love Lies" by Khalid.[21] On January 11, 2019, WXZO ended stunting and launched a soft oldies format, branded as "96.7 MeTV FM,"[22] playing a "variety of classic hits, deep tracks and softer sounds from the '60s, 70s, '80s, and beyond." [23]

References

  1. ^ Fybush, Scott (July 31, 1996). "WXTK On the Move..." New England RadioWatch. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Fybush, Scott (June 27, 1996). "KF2XBF Solved, etc". New England RadioWatch. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  3. ^ a b Fybush, Scott (July 5, 1996). "WRKO Fun, and San Juan too!". New England RadioWatch. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  4. ^ "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  5. ^ Fybush, Scott (December 9, 1996). "New England RadioWatch". Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  6. ^ Fybush, Scott (July 10, 1997). "On and Off the Air". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  7. ^ Fybush, Scott (July 17, 1997). "Another Nail in Radio News' Coffin". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  8. ^ Fybush, Scott (July 24, 1997). "Remembering Walt Dibble". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  9. ^ Fybush, Scott (April 2, 1998). "The Big Get...Smaller". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  10. ^ a b Fybush, Scott (December 18, 1998). "Vermont Heats Up". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  11. ^ "Station Search Details (DW247AG)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  12. ^ Fybush, Scott (April 23, 1999). "WABY Goes All-News". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  13. ^ Fybush, Scott (April 7, 2000). ""Quick," What's On 93.5/93.9?". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  14. ^ Fybush, Scott (April 4, 2001). "Take Me Out to the Ban Game". North East RadioWatch. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  15. ^ Fybush, Scott (April 9, 2001). "WWZN Stole the Celtics!". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  16. ^ Fybush, Scott (November 20, 2006). "Dark Days All Around". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  17. ^ Fybush, Scott (January 7, 2008). "Entercom/Nassau WEEI Deal is Dead". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  18. ^ Fybush, Scott (September 22, 2008). "Lobel's Radio Days". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  19. ^ Fybush, Scott (September 20, 2010). ""Radio 92.1" Comes to Scranton". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  20. ^ "Burlington's Planet Gets Hot". RadioInsight. 2017-08-25. Retrieved 2019-01-10.
  21. ^ Hot 96.7 on air playlist, https://onlineradiobox.com/us/wxzo/playlist/5?cs=us.wxzo
  22. ^ "96.7 MeTV-FM Debuts In Burlington/Plattsburgh". RadioInsight. January 13, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  23. ^ "WXZO (Hot 96.7)/Burlington-Plattsburgh, VT Turns On MeTV FM". All Access. Retrieved 2019-01-18.
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