WLZV explained

WLZV
Country:US
City:Buckland, Virginia
Branding:K-Love
Frequency:94.3 MHz
Languages:English
Format:Contemporary Christian
Class:A
Facility Id:16819
Licensing Authority:FCC
Haat:175m (574feet)
Coordinates:38.7392°N -77.8356°W
Affiliations:K-Love
Owner:Educational Media Foundation
Sister Stations:WLVW, WTCF, WAIW
Webcast:Listen Live
Erp:2,000 watts

WLZV (94.3 FM) – branded K-Love – is a non-commercial contemporary Christian radio station licensed to serve Buckland, Virginia. Owned and operated by the Educational Media Foundation, WLZV does not broadcast any local programming, functioning as the Northern Virginia network affiliate for K-Love; WLZV also services the southwestern portion of the Washington metropolitan area.

History

WQRA signed on November 2, 1978, as a local station serving Warrenton, Virginia with middle-of-the-road music and local news coverage.[1]

In 1996, the station was sold by Dettra Broadcasting to Bill Parris' Radio Broadcasting Communications, owner of WINX (1600 AM, Rockville, Maryland).[2] Parris flipped the station in September 1996 to WINX-FM, a simulcast of WINX's oldies music.[3]

The station became WTOP-FM in September 1997; it was the first FM outlet of all-news WTOP, which at the time was on 1500 AM.[4] In February 1998, Bonneville International, the owner of WTOP, bought it from Parris. Bonneville then traded this station and cash to Syd Abel for his higher-powered 107.7 FM.[5] The transaction was completed the next month, and Abel moved over his "rocking country" format, branded as WUPP "Up Country".[6] One year later, on April 28, 1999, Abel flipped the station to WPLC "The Pulse", playing hot adult contemporary crossed with alternative rock hits.[7]

Mega Communications purchased the station in 2000. Mega first broadcast a format of Spanish love songs, renaming the station WPLC-FM as they added a simulcast with 1050 AM in Washington, which became WPLC.[8] The following year, Mega changed the callsign to WBPS-FM and joined it with WBZS-FM (92.7 FM, Prince Frederick, Maryland) in a Spanish adult contemporary simulcast branded as "La Nueva Mega". In 2005, the stations switched to Spanish oldies as "Mega Clasica".[9]

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder bought the two stations, as well as Mega's WKDL (730 AM, Alexandria, Virginia), in 2006. The new three-station network ran a new simulcast as "Triple X ESPN Radio", creating an ESPN Radio-based sports talk competitor to WTEM (980 AM). 94.3 changed to WWXX to reflect the branding.[10] In 2008, Snyder bought WTEM itself, and the network became simply "ESPN 980" with no other changes to the two FM stations.[11]

Snyder began selling off his radio properties during 2017; Educational Media Foundation bought 94.3 FM and flipped it to WLZV with their national K-Love contemporary Christian music programming.[12]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Broadcasting Yearbook 1980. C-242.
  2. Staff. Newsline. Billboard. April 5, 1996. 106.
  3. Web site: Hughes. Dave. Spanish WINX Is Born December 17. DCRTV. December 17, 1998.
  4. Web site: Hughes. Dave. WTOP Plans Improved Reception On 107.7. DCRTV. May 5, 1998.
  5. News: Staff. Changing hands. Broadcasting & Cable. March 16, 1998. 57.
  6. Web site: Hughes. Dave. WTOP Moves To 107.7. DCRTV. April 1, 1998.
  7. Web site: Hughes. Dave. WUPP Drops Country. DCRTV. April 28, 1999.
  8. News: Staff. Changing hands. Broadcasting & Cable. April 24, 2000. 61.
  9. Web site: Hughes. Dave. Mega Flips 92.7 & 94.3 To "Classica". DCRTV. November 17, 2005.
  10. News: Clabaugh. Jeff. Snyder buys three Washington radio stations. Washington Business Journal. January 20, 2006.
  11. Web site: Hughes. Dave. Snyder To Buy WTEM & Two Talkers From Clear Channel. DCRTV. June 4, 2008.
  12. News: Venta. Lance. EMF Acquires 94.3 WWXX In DC Suburbs. RadioInsight. May 15, 2017.