WVEI-FM

Last updated
WVEI-FM
Broadcast area
Frequency 103.7 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding103.7 WEEI
Programming
Language(s) English
Format Sports radio
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
October 17, 1967 (1967-10-17) [1]
Former call signs
  • WERI-FM (1967-87)
  • WWRX (1987-92)
  • WWRX-FM (1992–2004)
  • WEEI-FM (2004-11)
Call sign meaning
similar to WEEI
Technical information [2]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 71720
Class B
ERP 37,000 watts
HAAT 173 meters (568 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 41°34′23.4″N71°37′56.2″W / 41.573167°N 71.632278°W / 41.573167; -71.632278
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live (via  Audacy)
Website www.audacy.com/weei/network/weei-1037fm-providence

WVEI-FM (103.7 MHz; "103.7 WEEI") is a radio station broadcasting a sports talk format, largely simulcasting Boston-based WEEI-FM. [3] The station is licensed to Westerly, Rhode Island, United States, and is owned by Audacy, Inc. [4] In addition to WEEI programming, WVEI-FM carries Providence Friars men's basketball, [5] Boston Bruins hockey, [6] and ESPN Radio. Its transmitter is in Exeter, Rhode Island; due to it being mostly a simulcast, its operations are run out of WEEI-FM's studios in Boston's Brighton neighborhood.

Contents

History

Former logo of the radio station WVEI-FM former logo.png
Former logo of the radio station

The station signed on October 17, 1967, [1] as WERI-FM. [7] At one time a simulcast of sister station WERI (1230 AM; now WBLQ), in the mid-1970s, WERI-FM became a separate station with an automated Drake-Chenault format called "Hit Parade". Eventually, in the early 1980s, the station switched to stereo with a live album rock format called "Number 1-04", consulted by Clark Smidt. By the mid-1980s, after a major power upgrade, it had become "RI 104", a top 40 station. [8] On March 9, 1987, the station changed its call sign to WWRX, [9] and the station shifted to an album rock format. [10] Though WWRX saw some success in the New London, Connecticut, market, management opted to focus on the larger Providence market, and the station moved its transmitter from West Greenwich to Exeter in 1989. [10] The call sign was modified to WWRX-FM on February 22, 1992, [9] concurrent with a brief period of time in which then-sister station WHIM (1110 AM; now WPMZ) discontinued its country format in favor of CNN Headline News under the WWRX call sign; however, the "-FM" suffix was not removed from 103.7 when the AM station reverted to WHIM and the country format in 1993.

Recent logo of the radio station WVEI-FM logo.png
Recent logo of the radio station

WWRX-FM was acquired by Radio Equity Partners in 1995; [11] Radio Equity Partners, in turn, was purchased by Clear Channel Communications the following year. [12] After Clear Channel's acquisition of AMFM Broadcasting, WWRX was divested to Stephen Mindich, owner of The Providence Phoenix , similar publications in Boston and Portland, Maine, and Boston modern rock station WFNX, in 2000. [13] Mindich switched the station to modern rock on September 7, initially as a simulcast of WFNX, [14] and later, starting in 2003, on its own. [15]

In March 2004, Mindich sold WWRX-FM to Entercom (the forerunner to Audacy, Inc.). As a result, the station canceled its local programming on March 22 and reverted to the WFNX simulcast on a temporary basis as Entercom prepared to relaunch WWRX with the WEEI simulcast. [16] The change of simulcast partners took effect on-air April 16, [17] and the station was renamed WEEI-FM. [9] The call letters were changed to WVEI-FM on September 14, 2011. [9]

WVEI-FM formerly maintained a local studio and sales office in Warwick, Rhode Island; this facility was closed by Audacy in April 2023. [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXKS (AM)</span> Radio station in Newton, Massachusetts

WXKS – branded Talk 1200 – is a commercial conservative talk radio station licensed to Newton, Massachusetts, serving the Greater Boston area. Owned by iHeartMedia, WXKS serves as the Boston affiliate for Fox News Radio, The Glenn Beck Program, The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, The Sean Hannity Show and The Mark Levin Show; and the home of syndicated personalities Bill Handel, Ron Wilson, Gary Sullivan and Leo Laporte. The WXKS studios are located in the Boston suburb of Medford, while the station transmitter resides in Newton. Besides its main analog transmission, WXKS streams online via iHeartRadio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKVB (FM)</span> Radio station in Westborough, Massachusetts

WKVB (107.3 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to serve Westborough, Massachusetts, United States, carrying a contemporary Christian format known as "K-Love". Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), WKVB does not broadcast any local programming but functions as the network affiliate for K-Love in Greater Boston and Worcester. With its transmitter located in Hudson, 20 miles west of Boston, its signal is supplemented by WNKC in Gloucester, which serves the North Shore and Merrimack Valley, and WLVO from Providence, Rhode Island, which covers Southeastern Massachusetts. The station also has boosters in Boston, Lexington, and Waltham. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKVB broadcasts in HD Radio and is available online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXRV</span> Radio station in Andover, Massachusetts, United States

WXRV is an adult album alternative radio station licensed to Andover, Massachusetts, and based in Haverhill, with a signal covering most of northeast Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire, and audible as far away as Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Portland, Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEEI-FM</span> Sports radio station in Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving Boston

WEEI-FM – branded SportsRadio 93.7 WEEI-FM – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Lawrence, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by Audacy, Inc., WEEI-FM is the Boston affiliate for Infinity Sports Network, the NFL on Westwood One Sports, the flagship station for the Boston Red Sox Radio Network; and the radio home of Greg Hill, Lou Merloni, Christian Fauria and Jermaine Wiggins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSNE-FM</span> Radio station in Massachusetts, United States

WSNE-FM is a commercial radio station, licensed to Taunton, Massachusetts, serving Southeastern Massachusetts and the Providence metropolitan area. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and broadcasts a hot adult contemporary radio format branded Now 93.3. Its studios and offices are on Oxford Street in Providence. The station carries the syndicated On Air with Ryan Seacrest in afternoons. Several of the other shifts are voicetracked by DJs working at other iHeart stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCRN</span> Radio station in Massachusetts, United States

WCRN is a radio station in Worcester, Massachusetts, owned by Carter Broadcasting. The station broadcasts with a transmitter power output of 50,000 watts and can be heard from Maine to Providence, Rhode Island, and from Boston to Springfield, Massachusetts. The signal is directional, pointed away from such other stations at 830 kHz as WCCO in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After sunset, WCRN's signal is made further directional towards the east; as a result, it is not clearly audible in Western Massachusetts after sunset.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEZE</span> Religious radio station in Boston

WEZE – branded 590 AM The Word – is a commercial Christian radio station licensed to Boston, Massachusetts, serving Greater Boston and much of surrounding New England. Owned by Salem Communications, WEZE is the Boston affiliate for the Salem Radio Network. The WEZE studios are located in the Boston suburb of North Quincy, and the station transmitter resides in neighboring Medford. Besides a standard analog transmission, WEZE is available online.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPRO (AM)</span> Radio station in Providence, Rhode Island

WPRO is a commercial AM radio station in Providence, Rhode Island. It is owned by Cumulus Media, broadcasting a news/talk radio format, which is simulcast in the Newport area on co-owned 99.7 WEAN-FM. The studios for WPRO and other Cumulus Providence stations are on Wampanoag Road in East Providence, at the Salty Brine Broadcast Center, named after WPRO's longtime morning host.

WXTP is a Catholic talk radio station licensed to North Windham, Maine, serving the Portland area from studios in Freeport. The station is an affiliate of Relevant Radio and is owned by Relevant Radio, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWRX (FM)</span> Radio station in Bradford, Rhode Island

WWRX is a rhythmic contemporary music formatted FM radio station licensed to Bradford, Rhode Island, and serving the New London, Connecticut, area. The station is owned by Full Power Radio and broadcasts with an ERP of 1.05 kW.

The Boston Bruins Radio Network is a 17-station network which carries live game broadcasts of the Boston Bruins. The network's flagship station is WBZ-FM (98.5) in Boston, Massachusetts. Judd Sirott announces play-by-play. Bob Beers provides color commentary.

WLAM is a radio station broadcasting an adult standards and oldies format. Licensed to Lewiston, Maine, United States, the station serves the Lewiston-Auburn area. Established in 1947, the station is owned by Robert Bittner through licensee Blue Jey Broadcasting Co. Its 5,000-watt signal can be heard at day throughout most of Southern Maine and portions of New Hampshire and Massachusetts, and at night throughout most of New England and portions of New York and Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPPI</span> Radio station in Topsham, Maine

WPPI is a sports radio station in the Portland, Maine, area. The station is owned by Atlantic Coast Radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBLQ (AM)</span> Radio station in Rhode Island, United States

WBLQ is a radio station licensed to serve Westerly, Rhode Island. The station is owned by DiPonti Communications. Its programming is also carried on FM translator W276DF (103.1).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSKP (AM)</span> Radio station in Rhode Island, United States

WSKP is an AM radio station licensed to Hope Valley, Rhode Island. The station is owned by John Fuller's Red Wolf Broadcasting Corporation and airs an oldies radio format. WSKP operates as part of the "Kool Radio" simulcast, along with 990 WNTY in Southington, Connecticut, and formerly with 1270 WACM in Springfield, Massachusetts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPMZ</span> Radio station in East Providence, Rhode Island, United States

WPMZ is a radio station licensed to serve East Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The station is owned by Video Mundo Broadcasting Co., LLC. It airs a Spanish tropical format. WPMZ is relayed on an FM translator: W271CR on 102.1 MHz. The station has been assigned the callsign WPMZ by the Federal Communications Commission since November 1, 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WEEY</span> Radio station in New Hampshire, United States

WEEY is a radio station licensed to serve Swanzey, New Hampshire. The station is owned by Great Eastern Radio, LLC and serves as the Keene affiliate for WEEI-FM.

WQVD is a radio station licensed to serve Orange–Athol, Massachusetts, United States. The station is owned by Kurt Jackson's Hampden Communications Co. It simulcasts the classic hits format of commonly-owned WQVR in Webster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WWEI</span> Radio station in Easthampton, Massachusetts

WWEI is a radio station in Easthampton, Massachusetts, serving Springfield with a sports radio format. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. Most programming is provided by Boston sister station WEEI-FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBWL (FM)</span> Country music radio station in Lynn–Boston, Massachusetts

WBWL is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Lynn, Massachusetts. Established in 1963, WBWL is owned by iHeartMedia and serves the Boston metropolitan area. The station broadcasts a country music format. The station's studios are located in Medford and the transmitter site is on Murray Hill, also in Medford. From 1983 to 2012, the station was known as WFNX, which was among the first stations to broadcast the modern rock format.

References

  1. 1 2 Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-391. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WVEI-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Fall 2009. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  4. ↑ "WVEI-FM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
  5. ↑ McNamara, Kevin (August 2, 2007). "Friars change radio stations". The Providence Journal . Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  6. ↑ "NERW 8/11/2014: A Big, Bullish Push for Country". 11 August 2014.
  7. ↑ "Of Interest". Connecticut Broadcasters Association. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  8. ↑ Slosberg, Steve (February 7, 1986). "This Band Doesn't Fit The Format" (reprint). The New London Day . Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "WVEI-FM Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  10. 1 2 Wollman, Garrett. "WEEI-FM/WSKO-FM tower". Rhode Island Towers, part II. The Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  11. ↑ Boehlert, Eric; Atwood, Brett (February 4, 1995). "Judge Stands Up For Free Radio Berkeley; KYCY's 'Steve Young Country' Promo Pulled". Billboard . p. 119. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  12. ↑ Fybush, Scott (May 21, 1996). "New England RadioWatch" . Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  13. ↑ Fybush, Scott (March 24, 2000). "WFAU Loses A Tower, WFNX Gains A State, NERW Visits California's Coast". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  14. ↑ Fybush, Scott (September 11, 2000). "Hearst-Argyle Gets WMUR". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  15. ↑ Fybush, Scott (March 31, 2003). ""The Duke of Portland" is Dead". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  16. ↑ Fybush, Scott (March 29, 2004). "WEEI Enters Rhode Island". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  17. ↑ Fybush, Scott (April 19, 2004). "Live from Las Vegas". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  18. ↑ Fenton, Josh (April 13, 2023). "WEEI Sports Radio Closing RI Office". GoLocalProv. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
  19. ↑ "Report: WEEI/Boston Closing Rhode Island Simulcast's Local Office". All Access. April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023.
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.