WRXL

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WRXL

Broadcast area	Richmond
Branding	102.1 The X
Slogan	New Rock 102.1 the X
First air date	1948
Frequency	102.1 (MHz)
Format	Modern Rock
ERP	20,000 watts
Class	B
Callsign meaning	Richmond's Radio XL-lence (from 1972)
Owner	Clear Channel Communications
Website	www.wrxl.com

WRXL is a commercial modern rock radio station in Richmond Virginia, broadcasting on 102.1 FM. The station is branded as "102.1 The X".

[edit] History

WRXL signed on in 1948 with the call letters, WRNL-FM. From 1948 until 1996, WRXL transmitted at an ERP of 140,000 watts. The FCC now limits FM radio stations to an ERP of 100,000 watts. This limit does not apply to radio stations who were previously allowed. WRNL-FM simulcasted its AM sister during the afternoon hours only, then signed off. By the end of the 1960s,WRNL-FM was an established Beautiful Music station, with a Big Band Show on Saturday night. The stations were owned for many years by the Richmond Times Dispatch, In the early seventies, to comply with new FCC cross-ownership regulations, the paper sold the stations to Rust Communications.

By 1972, the station had changed its call letters to WRXL, the calls standing for "Richmond's Radio Excellence" though the format was still Beautiful Music. During this time, the station did a brief flirtation with the then-hot Quadrophonic format by not only broadcasting in "Quad" but promoting use of the new "Quad" receivers. This campaign was abandoned shortly after it started. By the spring of 1974,the station switched to an automated Top 40 format as "XL102".This all music and no DJs sound proved to be an effective competitor for then current Top 40s WRVQ-FM and WLEE-AM (There was a rumour that WRVQ, at the time playing music recorded onto broadcast cartridges, would sometimes record songs off the air from WRXL that came off the cleaned up syndicated tapes when WRVQ's copy would have defects). Later in the mid seventies, seeing the need for an Album Rock station (the only station playing rock was WGOE, a daytime-only AM station),WRXL gradually started inserting rock album cuts in with the automated taped Top 40 music, and instituted a live Album Rock show on Saturday with local announcer Rod Holt, and very gradually started adding other DJs in certain dayparts in what is called "Live Assist" Mode. In 1978, under new General Manager John Lund, the automation and remaining taped Top 40 music was jettisoned, and WRXL flipped formats to full time Album Rock on February 18, 1978 as "XL-102". The station was extremely popular through the 1980s and 90's.IN 1982,Rust sold the station to Raleigh, North Carolina-based Capitol Broadcasting, who built a new larger building that would accommodate a live AM & FM, on Basie Rd, just around the corner from the old smaller building on Bethlehem Rd, and later demolished the original aging WRNL/WRXL building, which had been there since the late 50s to the delight of the station's staff, since reportly, the building was infested with insects, mice, and the occasional rat. (In a plan that had been five years in the making, The Basie Road building was expanded in 2000 and now houses all six of the local Richmond Clear Channel owned stations and is headquarters for all of the Richmond Clear Channel Radio operations)

XL-102's airstaff included David Bernstein, Rob Cherry, Paul Shugrue, Steve Forrest, Dal Hunter, Brian McFadden, and Rik Maybe. In 1982, they hired from WYSP in Philadelphia industry vet Dick Hungate, for middays. He was paired on mornings in Richmond with Dixie Alexander for the very popular "Dick and Dixie" show which ran until May of 1986. Then Hungate moved to middays, where he remained until September 1992 when he opted to move into sales.

In 1989, Jeff Beck, a fixture in Long Island radio, and Jeff McKee, one of Orlando's top morning personalities, were teamed. " Jeff and Jeff " became, perhaps the most popular contemporary Richmond morning show ever. Lark Logan, also became an integral member of the morning show in the capacity of both sidekick and news director.

Jeff and Jeff remained a Richmond institution until Jeff Beck was fired in 2000, (along with longtime WRXL air personality & Music Director Ric Maybee, and sister WRVQ PD Lisa McKay, all on the same day), due to what were termed as budget cuts. Jeff McKee continued to host mornings until health problems forced him to step down in October, 2001.Beck is now Morning Drive Host on crosstown Adult Hits formatted WWLB/ 98.9 Liberty, while McKee teaches rock and roll at the University of Richmond.

During their tenure at WRXL, The Virginia Association of Broadcasters (VAB) named the Jeff and Jeff show " Virginia's Best Morning Show, " 4 times. In May, 2006, The Jeffs were inducted into the Richmond Broadcasters Hall of Fame and were honored with the Frank Soden Lifetime Achievement award.

When Clear Channel bought the station in 1993, it tweaked the format, adding in more modern rock, and also replaced the 50 year old tower with a new 800-foot tower that currently holds radio stations WRXL, WCDX, and WWLB.

When McKee left, Clear Channel hired Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider to host their morning show. Less than a year later, on September 13, 2002, XL-102 flipped from 24 years of Album Rock to Modern Rock as "102.1 the X", replacing Snyder with the syndicated "Elliot in the Morning" program from WWDC in Washington, D.C..

Despite a rough start, 102.1 the X has become a popular choice for modern rock listenership in Richmond. It is also one of the few Modern Rock stations that carries NASCAR races every Sunday, a carryover from XL-102. Since 2004, some radio industry papers have classified WRXL as an Active Rock station, though it is still considered Modern Rock by Clear Channel. WRXL has also been the longtime home of Studio B, a local music show hosted by Jay Smack that started in 1995 on defunct Modern Rock station WBZU.

On October 27, 2006 the station launched an additional HD2 channel with a AAA format.

FM radio stations in the Richmond, Virginia market (Arbitron #55)

By frequency: 87.7 | 88.9 | 89.7 | 90.1 | 91.1 | 92.1 | 93.1 | 94.5 | 95.3 | 96.5 | 97.3 | 98.1 | 98.9 | 99.3 | 100.1 | 100.3 | 101.1 | 102.1 | 103.7 | 104.7 | 105.7 | 106.5 | 107.3