WATO (106.1
MHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...
) is a
commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services
** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money
* a dose of advertising ...
FM radio
FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...
station
licensed to
Oliver Springs, Tennessee, and serving the
Knoxville metropolitan area
The Knoxville metropolitan area, commonly known as Greater Knoxville, is a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) centered on Knoxville, Tennessee, the third largest city in Tennessee and the largest city in East Tennessee. It is the third larges ...
. It is owned by Loud Media and broadcasts an alternative rock format branded as "Atomic 106".
WATO is a
Class A station, with an
effective radiated power
Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...
of 190 watts. The studios are on the fifth floor of the
Sunsphere
The Sunsphere is a tall hexagonal steel truss structure located in World's Fair Park in downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States. It is topped with the gold-colored glass sphere that served as the symbol of the 1982 World's Fair. Directly ...
in
Knoxville
Knoxville is a city in Knox County, Tennessee, United States, and its county seat. It is located on the Tennessee River and had a population of 190,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division ...
.
History
The station
signed on
A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...
the air in 2009 as WJRV. The station aired a
hot adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
music format branded as "106.1 The River".
On May 27, 2020, it was announced that the station was to be acquired by Loud Media. On June 26, 2020, Loud Media launched "106.1 VLZ" with an
active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
format. The station changed its
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
on July 1, 2020, to WVLZ.
On October 21, 2024, WVLZ dropped its active rock format, which moved to
WSMM (850 AM), and began stunting towards a new format to be launched on October 25, 2024, under new WATO call letters. At 1:06pm that day, WATO launched an alternative rock format branded as "Atomic 106".
An Atomic Explosion in Knoxville
Radioinsight - October 24, 2024
References
External links
*
ATO (FM)
Radio stations established in 2009
2009 establishments in Tennessee
Anderson County, Tennessee
Morgan County, Tennessee
Roane County, Tennessee
Alternative rock radio stations in the United States
{{Tennessee-radio-station-stub