WKVV (101.7 FM) is a

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

Searsport, Maine Searsport is an incorporated town and deep water seaport located at the confluence of the Penobscot River estuary and the Penobscot Bay immediately northwest of Sears Island and Cape Jellison in Waldo County, Maine, United States. The populat ...

, United States. Established in 1994 as WBYA, the station serves the Bangor area. The station is owned by the

Educational Media Foundation Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, a suburb of Nashville. EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest contempor ...

. The station carries

K-Love K-Love (stylized as K-LOVE) is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry, it primarily broadcasts contemporary Christian music. As of June 2019, the network's progr ...

Christian music format, simulcasting co-owned

WKVZ WKVZ (102.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station broadcasting a contemporary Christian format. Licensed to Dexter, Maine, United States, the station serves the Bangor, Maine, Bangor area. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundati ...

History

During the 1990s, the station was known as "The Wave" with the call letters WBYA (no relation to the current

WBYA WBYA (105.5 FM; "The Wolf") is a radio station licensed to Islesboro, Maine, United States. The station serves the Mid Coast area with a country music format. The station is owned by Binnie Media, and broadcasts from a transmitter on U.S. 1 so ...

105.5 in

Camden, Maine Camden is a town in Knox County, Maine, United States. The population was 5,232 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The population of the town more than triples during the summer months, due to tourists and summer residents. Camden is ...

) simulcasting the

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

of WAVX in Thomaston. Later, the station was owned by Moonsong Communications, owners of

WVOM WVOM-FM (103.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Howland, Maine, and serving Central and Downeast Maine, including Bangor. It airs a talk radio format and is owned by Maine-based Blueberry Broadcasting which is headed by Lou ...

where it was an

adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, ...

station and simulcast WVOM for a time. After being sold to

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

and becoming WFZX "The Fox", from January 2001 to August 2006 the station primarily focused on

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

artists such as

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in ...

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

and

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...

. In September 2006, a shift in programming occurred, playing newer acts such as

Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian Rock music, rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta, Hanna, Alberta. Throughout its history, it has consisted of lead guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, rhythm guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan ...

Three Doors Down 3 Doors Down is an American rock band from Escatawpa, Mississippi that formed in 1996. The band's music is described as post-grunge, alternative rock, and hard rock. The band's 2000 debut single "Kryptonite" became their breakthrough hit, pea ...

Buckcherry Buckcherry is an American hard rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1995. The band released two albums, ''Buckcherry (album), Buckcherry'' (1999) and ''Time Bomb (Buckcherry album), Time Bomb'' (2001), before dissolving in 2002. Buckche ...

and

Red Hot Chili Peppers The Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1982, consisting of Anthony Kiedis (vocals), Flea (musician), Flea (bass), John Frusciante (guitar), and Chad Smith (drums). Their music incorporates elements of a ...

and still playing harder edged classic rock artists like

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...

. A year later, the station would dump the general rock format for Bangor's first modern rock station since the demise of

97X 97X might refer to: * 97X Kelowna RapidBus, a Kelowna BC bus route * Saab 9-7X, a car model * WOXY.com, an Internet radio station known as ''97X: The Future of Rock and Roll'' * WOXY (FM), a radio station (97.7 FM) licensed to Mason, Ohio, United S ...

in the 1990s. From 2001 to 2003 and 2004 to 2006 WFZX was simulcast on 97.7

WNSX WNSX (97.7 MHz Star 97.7) is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting a classic hits radio format. The station signed on in 1999 as WNSX. Licensed to Winter Harbor, Maine, the station's studios and offices are on Maine State Route 3 (Hi ...

in Winter Harbor. The station also carried

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

football from 2002 to 2005 and

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

racing from

Motor Racing Network Motor Racing Network (MRN) is an American radio network that syndicates broadcasts of auto racing events, particularly NASCAR. MRN was founded in 1970 by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. and broadcaster Ken Squier, and is a wholly owned subsidiary ...

. Over Clear Channel's nearly seven years of ownership, amidst its format shifts, WFZX's morning show was the syndicated ''

Bob & Tom Show ''The Bob & Tom Show'' is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995. Originally syndicated by Premi ...

''. The station would carry the modern rock format until Clear Channel sold their entire Maine group to Blueberry Broadcasting. Because of ownership limits in the Bangor market,

WGUY WGUY (1230 AM) is a radio station licensed to Veazie, Maine, United States. It is owned by Port Broadcasting, LLC, and operated by Mix Maine Media as a simulcast of WCTB, its classic country station in Fairfield. History The station sig ...

and WFZX were to be sold off, carrying an

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...

format from September 2008 to February 2009 before adopting the current

format.

References

External links

* * Contemporary Christian radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1995 K-Love radio stations Searsport, Maine 1995 establishments in Maine Educational Media Foundation radio stations KVV {{Maine-radio-station-stub