WRVW
Encyclopedia
WRVW is a radio station
broadcasting on the FM band at 107.5 MHz, licensed to the city of Lebanon, Tennessee
, but serving the nearby Nashville
market. It is currently branded as 107.5 The River, broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR)
format, and has become something of a heritage station
for Top-40 music in middle Tennessee. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications
and operates out of studios in the world-famous "Music Row
" area. Its transmitter is located just north of downtown Nashville.
format, on March 31, 1980. It soon branded itself US107 and changed its callsign to WUSW. This station proved to be short-lived; its absentee owner shut it down along with its AM sister, WCOR, in mid-1981. It was sold, moved to Nashville, and had its frequency changed to 107.5 in order to accommodate a power increase (The FCC
ruled out a power increase for 107.3 because of its proximity to WQLT-FM
in Florence, Alabama
, which is also on 107.3).
The station received a complete overhaul when it moved to 107.5 FM in 1982, and went on to become one of Nashville's most successful radio stations. When the move was complete, the callsign was changed to WYHY. Those call letters and the station's nickname (Y107) lasted from 1982 until 1996.
Initially under its new incarnation, Y107 broadcast adult contemporary music. Within a few years, however, Y107 became a Top 40 station, competing with two other similar stations, "Kicks 104" (WWKX
-FM) and "96 Kiss" (WZKS
). Needing a dose of "attitude", Y107 hired Coyote McCloud
away from WWKX in 1984 and launched a "morning zoo
"-type morning show, called "Coyote McCloud and The Zoo Crew" (and sometimes "The Y Morning Zoo"). The station quickly became a more aggressive radio station and branded itself "Y107, The Outrageous FM". This format, very edgy for its time but tame by today's standards, was popular among teenagers and its targeted demographic, young adults. The antics of the station infuriated older, more conservative area residents, and the station even became the subject of a report on CBS
' 48 Hours about "shock radio". During this time, however, WYHY enjoyed enormous popularity across the board, and was regularly Nashville's highest-rated radio station.
By the early 1990s, the station's act wore thin (and teenage tastes began changing to harder rock as well), and its popularity began to decline. Ratings went down (as was the case for most Top 40 stations across America around that time), and the "outrageous" gimmick no longer impressed advertisers as a result. After a brief stint with a rock-leaning Top 40 format in 1993 failed to improve ratings, the station quickly reverted to mainstream contemporary hits. Around this time, the station entered a local marketing agreement
with SFX Broadcasting and became a sister station to WSIX-FM
. SFX eventually purchased WYHY outright, and made some wholesale changes to the station. The "outrageous" gimmick was abandoned and the station again took a more straightforward approach, to make it more popular with advertisers. Despite the changes, the "Y107" branding still carried a negative connotation in the advertising community, due to the sheer number of "stunts" the station pulled in order to get publicity earlier in its life. The station also had its lowest ratings in over ten years during the mid-1990s. Additionally, McCloud and most of the airstaff left the station in early 1995. These factors led management to completely overhaul and rebrand the radio station.
, and the station changed its nickname to "107.5 The River", and its format to Hot Adult Contemporary. A few days later, the callsign changed to WRVW. Over the next few years, the station's format gradually evolved back to Top 40. The station, to this day, still operates as "The River". After a series of ownership changes, WRVW was acquired by Clear Channel
. The station's flagship show is Woody and Jim in the Morning
, hosted by Woody Wood and Jim Chandler, who previously worked together at stations in Albany, New York
and San Diego. The staff has been remarkably consistent over the last six years as well. Rich Davis who joined from WZEE in Madison in 2000 is the OM/PD. Madison (who voice tracks out of WQEN) now handles 9a-11a but has been with the station since 2004 and tracked the whole midday show until mid 2008. Ryan Seacrest joined in August of '08 for 12n-3p but added an extra hour in June 2009 and now runs 11a-3p. Ryno holds down afternoons and has done so since early 2003. Butter - famous for his What's Down Butter's Britches game has been with the station on and off for years, but has been the full time night guy and Music Director since 2004. Scooter and Lunchbox work mostly on Weekends.
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...
broadcasting on the FM band at 107.5 MHz, licensed to the city of Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon, Tennessee
Lebanon is a city in Wilson County, Tennessee, in the United States. The population was 20,235 at the 2000 census. It serves as the county seat of Wilson County. Lebanon is located in middle Tennessee, approximately 25 miles east of downtown Nashville. Local residents have also called it...
, but serving the nearby Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
market. It is currently branded as 107.5 The River, broadcasting a Top 40 (CHR)
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
format, and has become something of a heritage station
Heritage station
In commercial radio, heritage station is the term for an AM radio station that has broadcast a specific format for a sustained period of time, since its beginning; usually since the 1930s or 1940s; in some cases the 1920s...
for Top-40 music in middle Tennessee. It is owned by 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...
and operates out of studios in the world-famous "Music Row
Music Row
Music Row is an area just to the southwest of Downtown Nashville, Tennessee that is home to hundreds of businesses related to the country music, gospel music, and Contemporary Christian music industries...
" area. Its transmitter is located just north of downtown Nashville.
WCOR-FM/WUSW (US107)
The station began its life on the 107.3 frequency as WCOR-FM in Lebanon, playing a country musicCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
format, on March 31, 1980. It soon branded itself US107 and changed its callsign to WUSW. This station proved to be short-lived; its absentee owner shut it down along with its AM sister, WCOR, in mid-1981. It was sold, moved to Nashville, and had its frequency changed to 107.5 in order to accommodate a power increase (The FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
ruled out a power increase for 107.3 because of its proximity to WQLT-FM
WQLT-FM
WQLT-FM is a radio station licensed to serve Florence, Alabama, USA. The station is owned by Big River Broadcasting Corporation...
in Florence, Alabama
Florence, Alabama
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721....
, which is also on 107.3).
WYHY (Y107)
Initially under its new incarnation, Y107 broadcast adult contemporary music. Within a few years, however, Y107 became a Top 40 station, competing with two other similar stations, "Kicks 104" (WWKX
WGFX
WGFX is a radio station broadcasting on the FM band at 104.5 MHz licensed to the city of Gallatin, Tennessee, but serving the Nashville market as a whole. It is currently branded as 104.5 The Zone, broadcasting a sports talk format. It is owned by Cumulus Media and operates out of studios on Second...
-FM) and "96 Kiss" (WZKS
WCJK
WCJK is an FM radio station broadcasting to the Nashville, Tennessee market on a frequency of 96.3 mHz. WCJK-FM is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast with a power of 39,000 watts to serve the community of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.- History :In the early and mid 1980s,...
). Needing a dose of "attitude", Y107 hired Coyote McCloud
Coyote McCloud
Coyote William McCloud was a popular radio disc jockey in Nashville, Tennessee. For over 30 years, he was a drive-time personality at several Nashville radio stations. He first became well-known in the early 1970s on WMAK-AM, then a market-dominant rock and roll station, as host of its 7...
away from WWKX in 1984 and launched a "morning zoo
Morning zoo
Morning zoo is a format of morning radio show common to English-language radio broadcasting. The name is derived from the "wackiness and zaniness" of the activities, bits, and overall personality of the show and its hosts...
"-type morning show, called "Coyote McCloud and The Zoo Crew" (and sometimes "The Y Morning Zoo"). The station quickly became a more aggressive radio station and branded itself "Y107, The Outrageous FM". This format, very edgy for its time but tame by today's standards, was popular among teenagers and its targeted demographic, young adults. The antics of the station infuriated older, more conservative area residents, and the station even became the subject of a report on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
' 48 Hours about "shock radio". During this time, however, WYHY enjoyed enormous popularity across the board, and was regularly Nashville's highest-rated radio station.
By the early 1990s, the station's act wore thin (and teenage tastes began changing to harder rock as well), and its popularity began to decline. Ratings went down (as was the case for most Top 40 stations across America around that time), and the "outrageous" gimmick no longer impressed advertisers as a result. After a brief stint with a rock-leaning Top 40 format in 1993 failed to improve ratings, the station quickly reverted to mainstream contemporary hits. Around this time, the station entered a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
with SFX Broadcasting and became a sister station to WSIX-FM
WSIX-FM
WSIX-FM is an FM radio station broadcasting in Nashville, Tennessee on a frequency of 97.9 MHz. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications...
. SFX eventually purchased WYHY outright, and made some wholesale changes to the station. The "outrageous" gimmick was abandoned and the station again took a more straightforward approach, to make it more popular with advertisers. Despite the changes, the "Y107" branding still carried a negative connotation in the advertising community, due to the sheer number of "stunts" the station pulled in order to get publicity earlier in its life. The station also had its lowest ratings in over ten years during the mid-1990s. Additionally, McCloud and most of the airstaff left the station in early 1995. These factors led management to completely overhaul and rebrand the radio station.
WRVW (107.5 The River)
On February 15, 1996, at 3 p.m. Central time, air personality Gator Harrison was joined in studio by pop artist Lisa LoebLisa Loeb
Lisa Anne Loeb is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She launched her career in 1994 with the song, "Stay ". She was the first artist to have a number one single in the United States while not signed to a recording contract.Loeb's efforts now include music, film, television, voice-over...
, and the station changed its nickname to "107.5 The River", and its format to Hot Adult Contemporary. A few days later, the callsign changed to WRVW. Over the next few years, the station's format gradually evolved back to Top 40. The station, to this day, still operates as "The River". After a series of ownership changes, WRVW was acquired by Clear Channel
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...
. The station's flagship show is Woody and Jim in the Morning
Woody and Jim in the Morning
Woody and Jim in the MorningWoody Wood and Jim Chandlder are hosts of The Woody & Jim Show, a morning show out of [WFRW-FM|WRVW] out of Lebanon, Tennessee for the Nashville, Tennessee audience....
, hosted by Woody Wood and Jim Chandler, who previously worked together at stations in Albany, New York
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
and San Diego. The staff has been remarkably consistent over the last six years as well. Rich Davis who joined from WZEE in Madison in 2000 is the OM/PD. Madison (who voice tracks out of WQEN) now handles 9a-11a but has been with the station since 2004 and tracked the whole midday show until mid 2008. Ryan Seacrest joined in August of '08 for 12n-3p but added an extra hour in June 2009 and now runs 11a-3p. Ryno holds down afternoons and has done so since early 2003. Butter - famous for his What's Down Butter's Britches game has been with the station on and off for years, but has been the full time night guy and Music Director since 2004. Scooter and Lunchbox work mostly on Weekends.
Former DJ's/Staff
- Tookie Bird (CEO)
- Mike Kenney (General Manager)
- Dan Swensson (LSM/GM)
- Coyote McCloudCoyote McCloudCoyote William McCloud was a popular radio disc jockey in Nashville, Tennessee. For over 30 years, he was a drive-time personality at several Nashville radio stations. He first became well-known in the early 1970s on WMAK-AM, then a market-dominant rock and roll station, as host of its 7...
(Morning Zoo/1942-2011) - Rhett Walker (Gary Burleigh/Morning Zoo)
- Marc ChaseMarc ChaseMarc Chase is an award-winning American radio executive currently working for Tribune Company as the President of Tribune Interactive.- History :...
(PD/OM/Morning Zoo) - Tony Galluzzo (Operations Manager)
- Louis Kaplan (PD/Music Director)
- Cameron Adkins (Chief Engineer)
- Bumper Morgan (Production Director/Imaging/Promos)
- Kim Greco (Traffic Director)
- Margaret Pennington (Business Manager)
- Teresa Birdsong (Promotions Director)
- Missy Whitaker (Promotions Director)
- Tom Peace (Now PD of 1510 WLACWLACWLAC is a clear channel radio station based in Nashville, Tennessee, operating at 1510 kHz on the AM dial.-Early history:Its first broadcast took place on November 24, 1926. The call letters were chosen to contain an acronym for the first owner of the station, the Life and Casualty Insurance...
) - J. Karen Thomas (Mid-days)
- Hollywood Hendrix (Nights)-then-(Mid-days/Production Director)now working at Clear Channel Communications, Nashville
- Christopher Holmes (Mid-days)
- Gary Jeff Walker (Afternoons)
- Downtown Billy Brown (Afternoons)
- Eric Page (Nights)
- Dianna Lynn (Overnights)
- Spyderman (Overnights)
- Tim & Tom (Overnights)
- Hawk Harrison (Overnights)
- Rick O'Shay (Cam Cornelius)
- Deacon Dave "The Breakfast Slave" (Dave Park/WTVFWTVFWTVF is the CBS-affiliated television station for Middle Tennessee that is licensed to Nashville. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 5 from a transmitter north of downtown along I-24. Owned by Landmark Media Enterprises, the station has studios on James Robertson Parkway...
Helicopter Traffic) - Buck Nayked (Y-107 Traffic)
- Gator Harrison (Tony Hawkins)
- John "Rock 'n Roll" Smelly (Weekends)
- Dale Doe (Weekends)
- Booger
- Mary "Proud Mary" Lassiter
- Brian Mack
- Jet Black
- Chris Mann
- Billy Breeze
- Boomer The Love Broker
- Temple Hancock
- Wes McCain
- Rich Davis
- Ashlee Fox
- KC Holiday
- Derry London
- Jack Evans (OM/PD)
- Kris Earl Phillips (OM/PD)
- Michael St. John
External links
- Official site
- The Y107 Museum
- Y107 station ID - MP3 file