WNVU (FM)

Last updated

WNVU
Broadcast area New York metropolitan area
Frequency 93.5 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingVida Unida
Programming
Language(s) Spanish
Format Christian Radio
Ownership
Owner Hope Media Group
History
First air date
September 13, 1948;75 years ago (1948-09-13)
Former call signs
  • WGNR-FM (1948–1953)
  • WNRC-FM (1953–1958)
  • WWES-FM (1958–1959)
  • WVOX-FM (1959–1977)
  • WRTN (1977–2006)
  • WVIP-FM (2006)
  • WVIP (2006–2023)
Call sign meaning
New York Vida Unida
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 28023
Class A
ERP 1,750 watts
HAAT 132 meters (433 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 40°52′48″N73°52′39″W / 40.88000°N 73.87750°W / 40.88000; -73.87750 (WNVU)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live
Website vidaunida.com

WNVU (93.5 FM) is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station licensed to New Rochelle, New York, and serving the New York metropolitan area. WNVU is owned by the non-profit Hope Media Group based in Houston. [2] It broadcasts a Spanish-language Christian radio format known as Vida Unida. The network features Christian music along with Christian talk and teaching programs.

Contents

WNVU is a Class A station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,750 watts. WNVU's transmitter is in the Bronx, on the campus of Montefiore Medical Center. [3] It shares its tower with Fordham University's WFUV 90.7 FM. [4]

History

WGNR-FM, WNRC-FM, WWES-FM

For much of its history, 93.5 was the sister station to WVOX 1450 AM. FM 93.5 signed on the air on September 13, 1948;75 years ago. [5] Its original call sign was WGNR-FM, owned by the New Rochelle Broadcasting Service, Inc. [5] The FM station was followed two years later by the launch of WGNR on the AM dial.

New Rochelle Broadcasting Service, however, went bankrupt in 1952. The stations went dark on August 1. After the appointment of a receiver, Radio New Rochelle, Inc., owned by the Iodice Family, acquired the stations and changed 93.5 FM's call letters to WNRC-FM. [6] [7] FM 93.5 returned to the air in October 1953. It retained that call sign through a transfer of control to the Daniels family in 1955. [6]

WNRC-FM became WWES-FM on December 10, 1958, as both stations were sold to Radio Westchester for $225,000. The Radio Westchester sale made it a sister to the original WVIP (1310 AM, now WRVP) in Mount Kisco, in Northern Westchester County. [8]

WVOX-FM, WRTN and WVIP

On February 26, 1959, the station switched its call letters to WVOX-FM. WVOX-AM-FM joined a growing radio operation owned by the New York Herald-Tribune newspaper. By 1962, after John Hay Whitney bought the Herald-Tribune the year before, the paper's radio division included WVOX-AM-FM, WVIP, WGHQ in Kingston and WFYI (now WJDM) in Mineola. [9] With the shut down of the Herald-Tribune, Whitney Communications sold WVOX-AM-FM and WGHQ-AM-FM in 1968 to Hudson-Westchester Radio for $800,000. [10] Hudson-Westchester was led by William O'Shaughnessy, a former account executive with the Herald-Tribune Radio Network who had been WVOX's general manager since 1965. [11]

Under O'Shaughnessy's ownership, the WVOX stations simulcast a community-oriented talk format, inviting local civic leaders, elected officials and local volunteers to do shows on the staions. In 1973, WVOX-AM-FM moved into modern facilities in New Rochelle, known as One Broadcast Forum. [12] [13] WVOX-FM ended the simulcast with WVOX around 1977. It changed its call sign to WRTN, which stood for "Return Radio." It played adult standards and pop classics from the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Some evenings, it experimented with active rock and heavy metal music.

The station changed its call sign to WVIP in 2006 (flip-flopping with WRTN for a two-month period between August and October 2006). It ended the mix of adult standards by day and rock music at night. It began airing a brokered format primarily consisting of music and informational programming for the local Afro-Caribbean community.

Sale to Hope Media Group

Whitney Global Media (parent of Hudson-Westchester Radio) owner William O'Shaughnessy died in May 2023. On July 3, 2023, his estate announced that WVIP would be sold to the Houston-based Hope Media Group (formerly known as WAY-FM), a nonprofit Christian radio broadcaster. Hope Media later announced that it would install its Spanish-language music network Vida Unida on the station upon its takeover. [14]

The sale announcement was met with both shock and disappointment among WVIP's Caribbean programmers and audience. [15] Two months later, it was announced that WVOX would be divested in a donation sale. [16] The move ended the O'Shaughnessy family's involvement in radio after nearly six decades.

The sale of 93.5 FM was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in mid-August 2023. The deal was consummated on August 31, 2023. Hope Media began operating the station on September 1, 2023, carrying its Spanish Christian network. The call sign was change to WNVU to represent New York Vida Unida.

Related Research Articles

WQXR-FM is an American non-commercial classical radio station, licensed to Newark, New Jersey and serving the North Jersey and New York City area. It is owned by the nonprofit organization New York Public Radio, which also operates WNYC AM and FM and the four-station New Jersey Public Radio group. WQXR-FM broadcasts from studios and offices located in the Hudson Square neighborhood in lower Manhattan and its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNYE (FM)</span> Public radio station in New York City

WNYE is a non-commercial educational FM radio station licensed to New York City. The station is operated, along with WNYE-TV, by NYC Media, a division of the Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment. Studios are located at the City University of New York's Graduate Center at 365 Fifth Avenue, and the transmitter is at the former Condé Nast Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KARJ (FM)</span> Air 1 radio station in Escondido, California

KARJ is an FM radio station serving the North County of San Diego County, California, United States, airing a Worship music format from the Air1 network, and is owned by the Educational Media Foundation.

WNYZ-LD is a low-power television station in New York City, owned by K Media. It broadcasts on VHF channel 6, commonly known as an "FM6 operation" because the audio portion of the signal lies at 87.75 MHz, receivable by analog FM radios, tuned to the 87.75 frequency. Throughout its existence, the station has operated closer to a radio station than a television station. WNYZ-LD broadcasts video, usually silent films, which are repeated throughout the day to fulfill the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) requirement that video be broadcast on the licensed frequency. The station airs this programming without commercials, while viewers hear the audio of WWRU out of Jersey City, New Jersey.

WKXP is a commercial radio station licensed to Kingston, New York, and serving the Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and it broadcasts a soft adult contemporary radio format from its radio studios in Poughkeepsie, New York. Weekday evenings, WKXP carries the nationally syndicated show "Intelligence for Your Life" with John Tesh.

WGHQ is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Kingston, New York, and serving the Hudson Valley. WGHQ is owned by Pamal Broadcasting The station airs a mix of adult standards, oldies, and soft adult contemporary formats known as "Magic 92.5".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WARW (FM)</span> Air 1 radio station in Port Chester, New York

WARW is a Christian worship formatted radio station, licensed to Port Chester, New York and is the Air 1 radio affiliate for Westchester County, New York and the Connecticut Panhandle. The station is currently owned by Educational Media Foundation and its transmitter is located in New Rochelle, New York.

WDBY is an American country music radio station licensed to Patterson, New York. The station serves the eastern Hudson Valley and Greater Danbury, Connecticut listening areas. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts from a tower located in Patterson, New York near the Putnam/Dutchess county line. WDBY also operates a booster, WDBY-FM1 in Brookfield, Connecticut, which broadcasts with 1.2 kilowatts.

KMRO is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Camarillo, California and broadcasting to the areas of Ventura County and southern Santa Barbara County, California. The station is owned by The Association For Community Education, Inc. and airs a Spanish-language Christian talk and teaching format. It is the flagship station of the religious radio network Radio Nueva Vida. In addition to its extensive network of translator stations, KMRO is simulcast on two full-power repeaters in California: KEYQ in Fresno and KGZO in Shafter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLRX (FM)</span> Radio station in Vinton, Virginia

WLRX and WAWX are FM radio stations owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF). WLRX is licensed to Vinton, Virginia, serving the Roanoke metropolitan area. WAWX is licensed to Lynchburg, Virginia, serving the Lynchburg metropolitan area. WLRX plays a Contemporary Christian radio format from the "K-Love" national network, while WAWX airs a Contemporary Worship format as a network affiliate of "Air1."

WFAS is a commercial digital-only radio station licensed to serve White Plains, New York. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts with 1,000 watts from its transmitter site on Secor Road, in Hartsdale, New York. WFAS airs a conservative talk radio format with programming from Westwood One, which is itself owned by Cumulus Media. News updates are supplied by USA Radio News.

WNYH is a radio station licensed to Huntington, New York, it serves the Long Island area and broadcasts brokered programming. The station is owned by Win Radio Broadcasting Corporation.

WGNR is radio station licensed to Anderson, Indiana. It airs a Spanish language Christian format and is an owned and operated affiliate of Moody Radio.

WYMK is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station licensed to Mount Kisco, New York, and serving Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties. The station is owned and operated by Family Radio, based in Nashville, Tennessee. It broadcasts the Family Radio - East satellite feed, mostly contemporary worship music and some Christian talk and teaching programs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WVOX</span> Talk radio station in New Rochelle, New York, United States

WVOX is a radio station licensed to New Rochelle, New York and serving the New York metropolitan area. WVOX is owned by Beverly Hills, California-based Chang Media Group, and has its transmitter located at the site of its former studio location in New Rochelle.

Dennis Elsas is an American disc jockey in New York City, whose radio and voiceover career has spanned 50 years, most notably his more than 25 years at WNEW-FM in New York City, where he debuted on July 11, 1971. He also served as music director. He currently hosts an afternoon show on WFUV in New York and weekend shows on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's Classic Vinyl and a live weekly call-in roundtable show, The Fab Fourum, on Sirius XM Satellite Radio's The Beatles Channel.

WAMC is a public radio station licensed to Albany, New York. Along with WAMC-FM (90.3), the station serves as a flagship station of the Northeast Public Radio network, which carries a listener-supported, commercial-free radio format of news, talk and eclectic music. The WAMC stations are members of National Public Radio (NPR).

KHVU is a non-commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Hope Media Group, which owns Christian AC-formatted KSBJ, and airs a Spanish-language Christian adult contemporary radio format. The studios and offices are on Treble Drive in Humble, Texas, near Bush Intercontinental Airport, and the transmitter is located off Sorters McClellan Road in Porter.

KRGE is a radio station in Weslaco, Texas. It is owned by Christian Ministries of the Valley and carries a Spanish Christian format known as Radio Vida.

WVIP may refer to former radio stations:

References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WNVU". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ says, Maria Santiago (June 30, 2023). "Hope Media Group Acquires WVIP In New York's Suburbs - RadioInsight".
  3. ↑ "WVIP-FM 93.5 MHz". radio-locator.com.
  4. ↑ "WFUV-FM 90.7 MHz - New York, NY". radio-locator.com.
  5. 1 2 Gross, Ben (September 6, 1948). "Looking & Listening". Daily News. New York. p. 40. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  6. 1 2 FCC History Cards for WVOX
  7. ↑ "Call Letters Assigned" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 24, 1953. p. 102. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  8. ↑ "At Deadline" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 13, 1958. p. 9. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  9. ↑ "The 'Trib' uses tv to reverse a trend" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 14, 1962. pp. 30, 32. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 6, 1968. pp. 62–63. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Ex-Valleyite To Buy 4 Radio Stations". Star-Gazette. October 24, 1967. p. 13. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  12. ↑ "WVOX building new home". The Standard-Star. New Rochelle, NY. April 9, 1973. p. 13. Retrieved August 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Adams, Val (October 14, 1973). "Radio Roundup". Daily News. New York. p. 19. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  14. ↑ "Hope Media Group Buys William O'Shaughnessy's WVIP New Rochelle, NY". Insideradio.com. July 5, 2023.
  15. ↑ "Shock as NY radio station WVIP 93.5 FM is sold". jamaica-gleaner.com. July 4, 2023.
  16. ↑ Jacobson, Adam (August 26, 2023). "Following O'Shaughnessy's Death, WVOX Is Donated | Radio & Television Business Report".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.