WEZF
Encyclopedia
WEZF is an English-language
American
radio station
located in Burlington, Vermont
. The station, while primarily adult contemporary, plays mostly hot adult contemporary/adult top 40 music from the late 1970s
through now.
Owned and operated by Vox Communications (it was a Clear Channel Communications
station until 2008
), it broadcasts with an effective radiated power
of 46,000 watt
s (class C) using an omnidirectional antenna
. WEZF is the only full commercial class C radio station in Vermont. The advantage of having both the effective radiated power ERP
and a transmitting antenna location on top of Vermont
's highest mountaintop, Mount Mansfield
, affords WEZF a tremendous reach throughout Vermont, New Hampshire
, New York
, Quebec
(including Montreal
), and some parts of western Maine
, as well as extreme southeastern Ontario. No other commercial radio station licensed in Vermont has a coverage area as large. This is roughly higher in terms of the ERP than Montreal
adult contemporary station CKBE-FM, owned by Cogeco
.
WEZF has usually switched to an all-Christmas music
format in the weeks preceding December 25. WEZF went on the air on July 19, 1969 and was originally known as WVNY-FM; that call sign
is now used by a local television station
previously co-owned and known as WVNY-TV, which signed on the air before its FM counterpart. http://www.fybush.com/site-020814.html. WEZF was unique in that the station was originally launched as an offshoot of WVNY-TV, and never had a companion AM station. This unique situation made WEZF the first stand-alone FM station in Vermont. Traditionally, most FM stations were originally launched by a companion AM station. The station originally had a beautiful music
format, changing to soft adult contemporary in the 1980s
, and retained the 93 WEZF branding. In 1995
, the station became more of a mainstream AC and rebranded as 92.9 WEZF. In 1999
, when 103.3 The Lake (now adult hits
as WWMP since 2005
) the station changed formats to hot AC and was rebranded as Star 92.9. By 2003
, the station reverted to AC after 103.3 The Lake flipped formats.
WEZF still broadcasts where once WEZF and WVNY
originated from in historic Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester, Vermont
. In 2007, Clear Channel had announced they were selling off hundreds of radio stations to cut costs. WEZF, along with sibling stations WCPV
, WXZO
, WEAV
, WVTK
, WXZO
, WCVR-FM, and WTSJ
, were all involved with a pending sale from Clear Channel Communications to locally owned Vox Communications. One of the current principal owners in Vox Communications originally launched both WCPV in late 1994, and after that the radio station now known as WXZO.
In July 2008, Vox Communications took control of WEZF and its sister stations.
By September 2010
, a few months after its adult hits
-formatted Feel Good Flashback Weekend show was dropped and regarding sister station WXZO
going to top 40 as Planet 96.7, WEZF moved towards a hot AC direction. Reasons why the Feel Good Flashback Weekend show disappeared from the station is because of rival WWMP going back to adult hits
while Star 92.9 phased in more hot AC content, putting its AC format in a more 24/7 status.
By September 2011
, WEZF was moved to the Nielsen BDS hot adult contemporary panel, but the station is still adult contemporary per Mediabase
reports. Sister station WVTK
airs an adult contemporary format.
In Fall 2011, WEZF began pursuing the Montreal radio market, taking advantage of CFQR-FM's change in staff and format tweaking to CKBE-FM, "92-5 The Beat". Martz Communications Group
, a broadcaster that also handles advertising sales for WEZF, is orchestrating the effort.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
located in Burlington, Vermont
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
. The station, while primarily adult contemporary, plays mostly hot adult contemporary/adult top 40 music from the late 1970s
1970s in music
For music from a year in the 1970s, go to 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1970s....
through now.
Owned and operated by Vox Communications (it was a Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
station until 2008
2008 in radio
Several events occurred in radio in 2008.- Events :* January 2: WWFT finished Christmas music stunting, rolling out the red carpet for Adult contemporary music branded as "Warm."...
), it broadcasts with an effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 46,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s (class C) using an omnidirectional antenna
Omnidirectional antenna
In radio communication, an omnidirectional antenna is an antenna which radiates radio wave power uniformly in all directions in one plane, with the radiated power decreasing with elevation angle above or below the plane, dropping to zero on the antenna's axis. This radiation pattern is often...
. WEZF is the only full commercial class C radio station in Vermont. The advantage of having both the effective radiated power ERP
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
and a transmitting antenna location on top of Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
's highest mountaintop, Mount Mansfield
Mount Mansfield
Mount Mansfield is the highest mountain in Vermont with a summit that peaks at above sea level. The summit is in Underhill; the ridgeline, including some secondary peaks, extends into the town of Stowe, and the mountain's flanks also reach into the town of Cambridge.When viewed from the east or...
, affords WEZF a tremendous reach throughout Vermont, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
(including Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
), and some parts of western Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, as well as extreme southeastern Ontario. No other commercial radio station licensed in Vermont has a coverage area as large. This is roughly higher in terms of the ERP than Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
adult contemporary station CKBE-FM, owned by Cogeco
Cogeco
Cogeco Inc. is a Canadian media and communications company. The name is an acronym for Compagnie Générale de Communication .-History:...
.
WEZF has usually switched to an all-Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
format in the weeks preceding December 25. WEZF went on the air on July 19, 1969 and was originally known as WVNY-FM; that call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
is now used by a local television station
WVNY
WVNY is the ABC-affiliated television station for Vermont's Champlain Valley and Upstate New York's North Country. Licensed to Burlington, Vermont, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter on Vermont's highest peak Mount Mansfield. The station can also be...
previously co-owned and known as WVNY-TV, which signed on the air before its FM counterpart. http://www.fybush.com/site-020814.html. WEZF was unique in that the station was originally launched as an offshoot of WVNY-TV, and never had a companion AM station. This unique situation made WEZF the first stand-alone FM station in Vermont. Traditionally, most FM stations were originally launched by a companion AM station. The station originally had a beautiful music
Beautiful music
Beautiful music is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in American radio from the 1960s through the 1980s...
format, changing to soft adult contemporary in the 1980s
1980s in music
For music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89For a history of music in all times, see Timeline of musical events....
, and retained the 93 WEZF branding. In 1995
1995 in radio
The year 1995 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:* January 1- KAEV in Lake Arrowhead, California changes to KCXX with an alternative rock format.* April - KJJO in Minneapolis, Minnesota flips to smooth jazz as KMJZ....
, the station became more of a mainstream AC and rebranded as 92.9 WEZF. In 1999
1999 in radio
The year 1999 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - 102.1 The Zone stopped played at 6AM and 102.1 FM played a stunt of waves and announcement voice over of our newest radio station....
, when 103.3 The Lake (now adult hits
Adult hits
Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
as WWMP since 2005
2005 in radio
The year 2005 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*April 29 - KFRC 610 AM in San Francisco, switches formats as a result of ownership change. KFRC becomes KEAR, the "Sound of the New Life", a listener-supported, gospel/religious only station. It had been previously KFRC from...
) the station changed formats to hot AC and was rebranded as Star 92.9. By 2003
2003 in radio
The year 2003 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* October 10 - Facing an investigation surrounding allegations of illegal drug use, American right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh publicly admits that he is addicted to prescription pain killers, and will seek treatment.-Debuts:*March...
, the station reverted to AC after 103.3 The Lake flipped formats.
WEZF still broadcasts where once WEZF and WVNY
WVNY
WVNY is the ABC-affiliated television station for Vermont's Champlain Valley and Upstate New York's North Country. Licensed to Burlington, Vermont, it broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter on Vermont's highest peak Mount Mansfield. The station can also be...
originated from in historic Fort Ethan Allen in Colchester, Vermont
Colchester, Vermont
Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 17,067 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest town in Vermont by population.-Geography:...
. In 2007, Clear Channel had announced they were selling off hundreds of radio stations to cut costs. WEZF, along with sibling stations WCPV
WCPV
WCPV is an English-language American radio station broadcasting a sports radio format. Licensed to Essex, New York, USA, the station serves the Champlain Valley of New York and Vermont...
, WXZO
WXZO
-External links:...
, WEAV
WEAV
WEAV is an English-language American radio station in Plattsburgh, New York, with studios in Colchester, Vermont. The station broadcasts a talk format....
, WVTK
WVTK
WVTK is a radio station that transmits a signal from a broadcast tower located in Port Henry, New York, which is near to Middlebury, Vermont. WVTK's power output is almost the equivalent of a 25,000 watt signal, most of which radiates a very potent north / south signal into Vermont's Champlain...
, WXZO
WXZO
-External links:...
, WCVR-FM, and WTSJ
WTSJ
WCVR is a radio station broadcasting a country music format to Randolph, Vermont, United States.-History:WCVR signed on November 26, 1968. The station was initially a daytimer with a middle-of-the road music format that leaned country. The original owners were Frank Gilman and Nelson Crawford,...
, were all involved with a pending sale from Clear Channel Communications to locally owned Vox Communications. One of the current principal owners in Vox Communications originally launched both WCPV in late 1994, and after that the radio station now known as WXZO.
In July 2008, Vox Communications took control of WEZF and its sister stations.
By September 2010
2010 in radio
The following events occurred in radio in 2010.-Events:*Date Unknown: CHOI/Quebec City flips from Alternative Rock to News/Talk.*January 4: KJCS/Lufkin, Texas goes silent....
, a few months after its adult hits
Adult hits
Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
-formatted Feel Good Flashback Weekend show was dropped and regarding sister station WXZO
WXZO
-External links:...
going to top 40 as Planet 96.7, WEZF moved towards a hot AC direction. Reasons why the Feel Good Flashback Weekend show disappeared from the station is because of rival WWMP going back to adult hits
Adult hits
Adult hits is a radio format, popular in the early 2000s, that does not adhere to a specific music genre, but instead draws from a wider playlist...
while Star 92.9 phased in more hot AC content, putting its AC format in a more 24/7 status.
By September 2011
2011 in radio
The following events occurred in radio broadcasting in 2011.-Events:*January 1: 2 Knoxville stations change formats as WDLF and WYLV flip to K-LOVE and Air 1 , and a few Pittsburgh station change formats, as ESPN Radio moves from WEAE to WBGG, and Radio Disney moves from WWCS to the renamed WDDZ,...
, WEZF was moved to the Nielsen BDS hot adult contemporary panel, but the station is still adult contemporary per Mediabase
Mediabase
Mediabase is a music industry service that monitors radio station airplay in 180 US and Canadian markets. Mediabase publishes music charts and data based on the most played songs on terrestrial and satellite radio, and provides in-depth analytical tools for radio and record industry professionals...
reports. Sister station WVTK
WVTK
WVTK is a radio station that transmits a signal from a broadcast tower located in Port Henry, New York, which is near to Middlebury, Vermont. WVTK's power output is almost the equivalent of a 25,000 watt signal, most of which radiates a very potent north / south signal into Vermont's Champlain...
airs an adult contemporary format.
In Fall 2011, WEZF began pursuing the Montreal radio market, taking advantage of CFQR-FM's change in staff and format tweaking to CKBE-FM, "92-5 The Beat". Martz Communications Group
Martz Communications Group
Martz Communications Group is an American radio broadcasting company, which operates three radio stations in the St. Lawrence River area of New York; one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and two in Detroit, Michigan...
, a broadcaster that also handles advertising sales for WEZF, is orchestrating the effort.