WVEZ
 | |
| Broadcast area | Louisville metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 106.9 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 106-9 Play |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult Contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WQNU, WRKA, WSFR | |
| History | |
First air date | April 1967 |
Former call signs | WKRX (1966–74) WVEZ (1974–88) WVEZ-FM (1988–99) |
Call sign meaning | former eazy listening format |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 53595 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 24,500 watts |
| HAAT | 204 meters |
Transmitter coordinates | 38°22′19.00″N 85°49′33.00″W / 38.3719444°N 85.8258333°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1069play |
WVEZ (106.9 FM) – branded 106.9 Play – is a commercial adult contemporary radio station licensed to serve St. Matthews, Kentucky. Owned by SummitMedia, the station covers much of the Louisville metropolitan area.[1] The WVEZ studios are located in Downtown Louisville, while the station transmitter resides in nearby New Albany. Besides a standard analog transmission, WVEZ broadcasts over a single HD Radio channel,[2] and is available online.
History
The station signed on the air in April 1967 as WKRX in Louisville, playing the automated "Young Sound" format, a blend of soft adult contemporary and easy listening music from CBS Radio.[3] It switched to a Schulke-produced Beautiful Music format in 1970. In 1974, it was acquired by Stoner Broadcasting and its call sign changed from WKRX to WVEZ.[4] The EZ in the call letters represented the easy listening format.
The station continued to play the Schulke format until 1984, but remained Beautiful Music until 1986. In April 1986, the station switched to a satellite-delivered Soft Adult Contemporary format, before going with live disc jockeys and local programming in 1989. The station rebranded from "EZ107" to "Lite 106.9" in 1993. In 1999, the station was acquired by the Atlanta-based Cox Radio, Inc.[5]
WVEZ's call letters were changed to WVEZ-FM in 1988. Its AM sister station at 790 kHz, now WKRD, changed its call sign to WVEZ. 106.9 remained WVEZ-FM until December 7, 1999.[6]
On July 20, 2012, Cox Radio, Inc. announced the sale of WVEZ and 22 other stations to Summit Media LLC for $66.25 million. The sale was consummated on May 3, 2013.[7][8] Summit Media moved WVEZ's city of license from Louisville to St. Matthews, Kentucky, although the studios and transmitter remained in place.
On January 4, 2016, WVEZ rebranded from "Lite 106.9" to "106.9 Play."[9]
Previous logo
References
- ^ "WVEZ Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ "HD Radio Station Guide". HD Radio. iBiquity.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1970 page B-84
- ^ "Welcome to LKYRadio - Classic Louisville, Kentucky Radio - WVEZ Page". lkyradio.com. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2005 page D-230
- ^ "WVEZ Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ "Cox Puts Clusters Up For Sale". RadioInsight. 2012-07-20. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
- ^ "Cox Sells Stations In Six Markets To Two Groups". RadioInsight. 2013-05-06. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
- ^ "Play Time In Louisville". RadioInsight. 2016-01-04. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
External links
- Facility details for Facility ID WVEZ ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database