WNOR
WNOR (98.7 MHz "FM99") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, serving the Hampton Roads (Norfolk-Virginia Beach-Newport News) radio market. WNOR is owned and operated by Saga Communications.[2] It airs an active rock radio format.[1]
| Broadcast area | Hampton Roads Northeastern North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.7 FM MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | FM99 WNOR |
| Programming | |
| Format | FM/HD1: Active rock[1] |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WAFX | |
| History | |
First air date | July 19, 1962 |
Former call signs | WNOR-FM (1962–2002) |
Call sign meaning | NORfolk |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 67080 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 46,000 watts |
| HAAT | 158 meters (518 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 36°50′4.0″N 76°16′11.0″W / 36.834444°N 76.269722°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | WNOR Webstream |
| Website | WNOR Online |
WNOR broadcasts in the HD Radio (hybrid) format.[3] Studios and offices are on Greenbrier Circle in Chesapeake.[4] The transmitter is next to Riverside Memorial Park in Norfolk.[5] The Class B signal covers Southeastern Virginia and Northeastern North Carolina.
History
On July 16, 1962, WNOR-FM first signed on the air, owned by the Norfolk Broadcasting Company.[6] It was the sister station to WNOR (1230 AM, still co-owned but now defunct, was last called WJYI). WNOR-FM was an easy listening station, and at one point employed an all-female air staff, a revolutionary move at the time.
In 1969, WNOR-FM began airing a progressive rock format from 9 p.m.-6 a.m.. Eventually, the rock music proved more popular than easy listening, with WNOR-FM abandoning the "split-format" approach in 1974 and began playing rock full-time. The station’s Arbitron ratings quickly took off, culminating in the station’s rise to #1 – the first time an FM station in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach market had achieved #1 status.
By the 1980s, the station had moved to an album rock format, based more on album sales than the previous progressive rock format. In 1986, WNOR-AM-FM were acquired by Saga Communications, the current owner.[7] Saga decided to simulcast the FM station's rock format on the AM station.
In 1994, Saga Communications acquired another FM station in the market, WAFX in Suffolk. With WAFX broadcasting a classic rock format, WNOR-FM moved to a current-based, harder-edged direction, bringing it into the active rock format. In 2001, the AM station went to an adult standards format as WJYI, no longer simulcast with WNOR-FM.[8] A short time later, the "-FM" suffix was dropped from WNOR's official call sign.
References
- ^ a b "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
- ^ "WNOR Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=40 2016-09-18 at the Wayback Machine HD Radio Guide for Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Newport News
- ^ "Contact Us". WNOR FM99. Retrieved 2020-11-20.
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WNOR-FM
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-191
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 page D-467
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2001 page D-474
External links
- FM99 WNOR Online
- WNOR in the FCC FM station database
- WNOR on Radio-Locator
- WNOR in Nielsen Audio's FM station database