WEZR (defunct)
WEZR was an FM radio station licensed to Manassas, Virginia. Fairfax, Virginia. It broadcast on 106.7 MHz was owned by EZ Communications, a company founded by Art Kellar that pioneered "easy-listening" radio in major markets including this station in Washington, DC. The company had common ownership with WEEL an AM radio station licensed to Fairfax which was one of the Washington, DC area's major top 40 stations in the late 60s and early 70s.
In 1970, the company took the successful easy listening format to the Richmond market when it acquired classical music station WFMV (FM) and changed the call sign to WEZS. After a brief skirmish and with loyal WFMV listeners and assistance from the new owners in moving the classical format to WRFK, a non-profit station, the easy listening format was very successful in Richmond as it had been in the Washington, DC, metro market.
Other EZ Communications stations which used the easy listening format to find profitability in emerging FM markets were WEZC (FM) 104.7 MHz in Charlotte, North Carolina, and WEZB (FM) 97.1 MHz in New Orleans, Louisiana.
By 1982, the station had adjusted its format to Soft Adult Contemporary, featuring Soft Rock and Pop hits by such artists as Barry Manilow, The Carpenters, Kenny Rogers, Neil Diamond, Carly Simon, James Taylor, and Carole King.
On January 1, 1985, the station changed call letters to WBMW, and the format to Contemporary Hit Radio, what used to be known as Top 40. This format continued until Infinity Broadcasting purchased the station in 1988. On October 1, 1988, the station changed calls to WJFK, and switched to a Talk/Alternative Music Format, which eventually evolved into an all talk format (see WJFK-FM).
By 1995, EZ Communications was #12 in the Top 25 Radio Groups in the U.S. Listeners as of spring 1995, as measured by Arbitron. A few years later EZ Communications merged with ARS Broadcasting, which later was purchased by Infinity Broadcasting, which is now CBS Radio.
Sources
Internet
- Fisher, Mark D. (2005) A Brief History of WFMV: Virginia's first stereophonic good music station, Richmond Radio Group on Yahoo; Richmond, VA
- Washington, D.C. AM Station History by Thomas H. White