WNVZ (104.5 FM "Z104") is a commercial radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads. WNVZ is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc.[2] It airs a rhythmic contemporary radio format.

WNVZ
Broadcast areaHampton Roads
Frequency104.5 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingZ104
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatRhythmic contemporary
SubchannelsHD2: Channel Q
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
July 1967 (1967-07)
Former call signs
  • WTID-FM (1967–72)
  • WQRK (1973–81)
Call sign meaning
Norfolk, Virginia, Z
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID40755
ClassB
ERP49,000 watts
HAAT146 meters (479 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
37°2′18.0″N 76°18′29.0″W / 37.038333°N 76.308056°W / 37.038333; -76.308056
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live (via Audacy)
Websitewww.audacy.com/z104

The studios and offices are at Audacy's Hampton Roads headquarters on Clearfield Avenue in Virginia Beach.[3] The transmitter tower is off East Pembroke Avenue in Hampton.[4]

History

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The station first signed on in July 1967 as WTID-FM.[5] It was the FM sister station of WTID (1270 AM, now WPMH) in nearby Newport News. (The TID call letters stood for "TIDewater", another name for the Hampton Roads section of Virginia.) For much of its history, 104.5 was a Contemporary Hits/Top 40 radio station, picking up the format in 1973 as WQRK. In August 1982, it subscribed to noted programmer Mike Joseph's "Hot Hits" format, as WNVZ, playing only songs from the current Top 40 charts.[6] Through the 1990s and early 2000s, it leaned toward a more rhythmic contemporary direction. In 2015, it moved back to a more mainstream Top 40 approach. After failing to make impacts with the return to CHR, mostly staying below a 3 share, the station quietly returned to a rhythmic CHR format in the summer of 2023.

WNVZ's morning show originated the Unexpected John Cena meme, where a snippet of a popular film, TV series, song or other form of media is interrupted by John Cena's entrance video and song, often played loudly.[7][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WNVZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WNVZ Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ^ Z104.com
  4. ^ Radio-Locator.com
  5. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-221
  6. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1983/B-Radio-Neb-Terr-1983-YB.pdf [dead link]
  7. ^ "Hilarious WWE Prank Phone Calls Drives Woman Insane". Bleacher Report.
  8. ^ Feldman, Brian (December 18, 2015). "A Famous Man Responded to a Meme Involving Him — IT'S JOHN CENA". New York. Retrieved January 8, 2018.
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