WCHV-FM is a
news
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...
/
talk formatted
broadcast
Broadcasting is the data distribution, distribution of sound, audio audiovisual content to dispersed audiences via a electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio waves), ...
radio station
Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...
licensed to
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...
, serving Charlottesville and
Albemarle County, Virginia
Albemarle County is a United States county (United States), county located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, Piedmont region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is Charlottesville, Virginia, Charlottes ...
.
WCHV-FM is owned and operated by
Monticello Media.
History
The original permit for 107.5 FM in Charlottesville was applied for in 1992 by
Washington, D.C. resident Deborah M. Royster's Spectrum Broadcasting Corporation. This permit was assigned the callsign WLJL. After several extensions, the station went on air in January 1996, followed by a callsign change to WUMX. The station's initial format was
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 ...
under the branding "Mix 107.5". Soon afterwards, Royster sold the station to David G. Mitchell's Air Virginia, Inc. Mitchell was at the time part-owner of two AM stations in Pennsylvania, and is currently the general manager of
WCVL-FM (92.7 MHz).
In 2000,
Clear Channel tried to purchase the station from Air Virginia. The sale was held up by the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
on antitrust concerns; the company already owned
WCYK-FM (99.7 MHz),
WFFX (102.3 MHz),
WVSY (101.9 MHz),
WCHV (1260 kHz) and
WKAV (1400 kHz). Clear Channel and Charlottesville's second-largest owner, Eure Communications – then-owners of
WWWV (97.5 MHz),
WINA (1070 kHz), and
WQMZ (95.1 MHz) – would control nearly 95 per cent of the market's advertising revenue if the sale proceeded. In March 2002, the FCC announced its first public hearing on ownership concentration since 1960 to discuss the matter. The sale was ultimately approved. Ironically, the
Department of Justice forced Eure to divest WCHV and WKAV – ultimately to Clear Channel – under similar antitrust concerns several years earlier.
Positioned in the middle of Charlottesville radio ratings in 2004, WUMX went on an abortive format flip to
smooth jazz as "Smooth Jazz 107.5" WCJZ. This lasted eighteen months, as the station's ratings became even worse with the niche format. In October 2005, WCJZ flipped back to "Mix 107.5", but with
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 instead of the previous incarnation's gold-based adult contemporary.
Clear Channel sold its entire Charlottesville cluster to George Reed's Sistema 102 LLC, later renamed
Monticello Media, on June 27, 2007. The sale closed in October. On October 12, WCJZ flipped to
adult hits as "Tom @ 107.5" WWTJ, with a brand referencing
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
founder
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson (, 1743July 4, 1826) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was the primary author of the United States Declaration of Indepe ...
.
WWTJ flipped once again to a simulcast of WCHV's news/talk format on January 20, 2011, along with the new WCHV-FM callsign. The stations co-branded as "News Talk 107.5 and 1260 WCHV". WCHV had previously used a translator in downtown Charlottesville on 94.1 MHz, which switched to retransmitting
rimshot WZGN (102.3 MHz).
With the August 2015 flip of WKAV from sports to classic country, WCHV and WCHV-FM became the Charlottesville affiliates for the
Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals are an American professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. The Nationals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. They play their home games at Na ...
,
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...
,
Washington Wizards,
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
, and
Virginia Tech Hokies radio networks. Accordingly, the stations' branding adjusted to "C-Ville 107.5 and 1260".
References
External links
NewsTalk 1260 AM & 107.5 FM Online*
{{News/Talk Radio Stations in Virginia
1996 establishments in Virginia
News and talk radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1996
CHV
Mass media in Charlottesville, Virginia