WAYV

WAYV
City Atlantic City, New Jersey
Broadcast area Atlantic City, New Jersey
Branding 95.1 WAYV FM
Slogan "South Jersey's #1 Hit Music Station"
Frequency 95.1 MHz
First air date 1961 (as WRNJ)
Format Top 40
ERP 50,000 watts
HAAT 101 meters
Class B
Facility ID 3125
Callsign meaning "Wave"
Former callsigns WRNJ (1961-1974)
Affiliations Dial Global
Owner Equity Communications
Sister stations WAIV, WCMC, WEZW, WMID, WGBZ, WTTH, WZBZ, WZXL
Webcast Listen Live
Website 951wayv.com

WAYV (95.1 FM) is a commercial radio station located in Atlantic City, New Jersey. WAYV airs a contemporary hit radio format. It has been among the top rated and billing stations in the Atlantic City market since 1980. Its studios are located at the Bayport One complex in West Atlantic City, and its transmitter is located north of Atlantic City. The on-air personalities are Mike & Diane (mornings), Nikki (middays), Phil Rossi (afternoons), and Jackson Blue (weeknights). WAYV is simulcast on 105.5 WAIV in Cape May.

History

95.1 started broadcasting in April 1961, with calls of WRNJ. Mel Gollub, owner of WIFI (now WXTU) in Philadelphia, built WRNJ on top of the Ritz Carlton Hotel on the Boardwalk in Atlantic City. He owned and operated it for its first two years.

In 1963, Mel Gollub sold WRNJ to Eddie Newman, a nighttime talk host at WPEN, Philadelphia.

On July 1, 1974, Eddie Newman sold the station to Radio WAYV, Inc., and calls were changed to WAYV. The station featured a "Beautiful Music" format that lasted until 1977. The music was provided by Jim Schulke's Stereo Radio Productions.

In 1978, under Program Director Bob Everland, the format evolved into "The Music People", a soft-rock format similar to "Magic" stations, such as WMGK in Philadelphia.

In January 1979, with the arrival of Kingsley Smith as Program Director, the format was made more contemporary and disco was added at night. The response to the "Disco nights at the Jersey shore" was large enough so that in late '79 WAYV became the "Rhythm of South Jersey" with full-time disco and had its first time as #1 in the Spring 1980 Atlantic City Arbitron.

With the wane of Disco in 1981, the format again evolved into Hot Adult Contemporary (Hot AC) daytime / Contemporary Hit Radio(CHR) nighttime with the arrival of John Barab as Program Director. That combination remained into the early '90s through a number of Program Directors. In April 1990, WAYV started calling itself "Hot 95", which lasted for a short period of time. With some updates and adjustments over the last twenty years, the Hot AC format still existed until 2011. Despite the disco and Hot AC formats, WAYV also provided the first Atlantic City broadcast home for Jerry Blavat and his live broadcasts from Memories in Margate.

During the 1980s, WAYV's studios were located on the Atlantic City boardwalk at Chelsea Ave., and before that, the broadcast studio was located on the rooftop of the Ritz Apartments (formerly the Ritz Carlton Hotel.)-- in 1980 through 1981 the business office was located in a rowhouse on the beach block of California Avenue. The General Manager at this time was Vi Trofa, a former school administrator who was hired by then Radio WAYV, Inc. owners Bob McMurtrie, Carl Monk and Tom Donatucci to run the business operation. Trofa was married to the former mayor of Ocean City, Nick Trofa, and would remain as General Manager through 1993.

In 1986, Radio WAYV Inc. was purchased by Robert Forrest. In 1991, WAYV moved from its Boardwalk location to its present studio site at the Bayport One building in West Atlantic City. In the fall of 1993, Atlantic City Broadcasting Corp., a subsidiary of Frank Osborn's Osborn Communications, began operating WAYV and purchased it in March 1994.

In June 1996, WAYV was purchased by Equity Communications. It remains in the Bayport One building, and has been joined by Equity's other acquisitions, which include 100.7 WZXL, 99.3 Kiss FM, 96.1 WTTH "The Touch" and Classic Oldies WMID 1340 and Easy 93.1. In 2003, WAYV began simulcasting on 102.3 WAIV, giving the station better coverage in the southern portion of the market as well as some penetration into Lewes, Delaware and coastal Sussex County.

By July 4, 2011, following their flashback weekend, the station changed to contemporary hit radio with Mediabase & Nielsen BDS moving the station to that panel later on.

Programing

Some notable alumni

  • Bob Everland, Program Director in the mid-1970s
  • Doug Allen, Operations Manager in the mid-1970s
  • Kingsley Smith, Program Director in the late 1970s to early 1980s
  • Diane Prior, evening, then midday, then morning host in the late 1970s to early 1980s
  • Allison Wing, midday host in the early to mid-1980s
  • Johnny B.(John Barab), evening host and Program Director in the early to mid 80s
  • Jackson T. Chase, various shifts in the early to mid-1980s
  • Christopher Caldwell, various shifts in the early to mid-1980s
  • Christy Springfield (under a different name), evening host in the early 1980s
  • Eric Johnson, overnight host in the early 1980s
  • Bobby Sharpe, afternoon host in the mid-1980s
  • Spider McGuire, morning host (with multiple cohosts) through the 1980s and 1990s
  • Mike Boyle, afternoon host and Program Director in the mid-1980s
  • Russ Monroe, morning host and Program Director in the mid-1980s
  • John Rizzo, afternoon host in the mid to late-1980s
  • Glen Stewart, midday host in the late 1980s
  • Sean Jones Weekend host late 1980s - early 1990s
  • Sab Cupelli, midday host and Program Director in the early 1990s
  • Dave Lavender evening host in early 1990s
  • Tim Marshall evening host & weekends in early 1990s
  • Rick Derringer, evening host in the early 1990s
  • Charlie Maxx (under a different name), afternoon host in the early 1990s
  • Walt B (aka. Alan Fox), Overnight host early 1990s
  • Jimi Bruce, overnight host of "The Pajama Bar" 1992 - 1993
  • Jeff Knight (Jeff Davis), Night Host and APD, 1993
  • J. Patrick, middays and PD, 1993
  • Mark Hunter, afternoon host and Program Director in the mid-1990s
  • Jay Towers, midday host in the mid-1990s
  • Mike Rivers, weekend host in the early to mid-1990s
  • Tommy Frank, Program Director in the mid to late 1990s
  • Bobby D, Assistant Program Director late night host in mid 1990's
  • Christina Joyce, midday host in the late 1990s to early 2000s
  • Michael J (aka. Hitman). Nights mid-1990s - 2000
  • Scott Stephens, overnight host mid-1990s
  • Paul Kelly, afternoon host and Program Director in the late 1990s to 2008
  • Heather DeLuca, night/midday host in the early 2000s to 2009
  • Karin Pietruszka Richman Morning Show Side Kick 1998 - 2008
  • Bob Costello weekend host mid 90's
  • Al Horner evenings and weekends host of The Saturday Night House Party mid to late 80s

See also

Coordinates: 39°22′52″N 74°27′00″W / 39.381°N 74.450°W / 39.381; -74.450

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