WVKF
Encyclopedia
WVKF is a radio station
broadcasting a contemporary hit radio
format. Licensed to Shadyside, Ohio
, USA, the station serves the Wheeling, West Virginia
, area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications
. Its competitor is WPHP
.
Once WVKF eclipsed WOMP in the ratings, some of the image promotions that ran on the station began to get more cocky about its position, at times running promos wanting for their listeners to call WOMP's phone number and tell them that their ratings were dropping. This tactic only lasted about a month, but despite that, WVKF's ratings surge continued. It was also during this time that Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, which was on WOMP before, switched to WVKF.
Once WOMP-FM folded and changed formats and call letters, WVKF became the only Top 40 station in the market. However, about three months after the victory, the station's frequency was changed suddenly to 95.7 (the former frequency of WEEL-FM), while oldies radio format WUKL took over the 105.5 frequency.
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 a contemporary hit radio
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. Licensed to Shadyside, Ohio
Shadyside, Ohio
Shadyside is a village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, USA, the station serves the Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling, West Virginia
Wheeling is a city in Ohio and Marshall counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia; it is the county seat of Ohio County. Wheeling is the principal city of the Wheeling Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, area. The station is currently 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...
. Its competitor is WPHP
WPHP
WPHP is a high school radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Hit Radio music format. Licensed to Wheeling, West Virginia, USA, it serves the greater Wheeling area. The station is currently owned by the Ohio County Board Of Education and is operated by the students of Wheeling Park High...
.
History
WVKF began its life on 105.5 as "The Zone" in 2000 under the calls of WZNW, with a similar format but without the hip-hop music that had become dominate once the banner was changed to "Kiss-Fm". Once Clear Channel took over the station, its format shifted to play, in addition to the current format, the R&B and hip-hop tracks. This, along with its main competitor in the market at the time, 100.5 WOMP-FM (now WYJK under the Jack-FM format), being reluctant to play the Top 40 hits that Kiss was willing to play (due to WOMP's demographic being slightly older than WVKF's was), KISS developed the moniker "All of today's best music, not just some of it", which it still uses today.Once WVKF eclipsed WOMP in the ratings, some of the image promotions that ran on the station began to get more cocky about its position, at times running promos wanting for their listeners to call WOMP's phone number and tell them that their ratings were dropping. This tactic only lasted about a month, but despite that, WVKF's ratings surge continued. It was also during this time that Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, which was on WOMP before, switched to WVKF.
Once WOMP-FM folded and changed formats and call letters, WVKF became the only Top 40 station in the market. However, about three months after the victory, the station's frequency was changed suddenly to 95.7 (the former frequency of WEEL-FM), while oldies radio format WUKL took over the 105.5 frequency.