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WVBW-FM
WVBW-FM (100.5 MHz, "100.5 The Vibe") is a commercial radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, and broadcasting to the Hampton Roads area. WVBW-FM airs an urban adult hits radio format and is owned and operated by Max Media. The studios and offices are on Greenwich Road in Virginia Beach.
WVBW-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts. The transmitter is off Gammon Road, also in Virginia Beach.
WVBW-FM traces its roots back to July 1, 1954, when WCMS (1050 AM) first went on the air. It replaced a legendary African American-oriented radio station, WRAP, which moved to 850 AM. In 1961, WCMS was purchased by George A. and Marjorie Crump of Suffolk. The Crumps took the unprecedented step of playing only country music on WCMS when other Norfolk-area radio stations carried different musical styles, as country music was still looked down on in that era. Critics at the time assured the Crumps that their bold decision would fail quickly.
WCMS was originally a daytimer, broadcasting on a clear-channel frequency reserved for XEG in Monterrey, Mexico. WCMS had to go off the air between sunset and sunrise to avoid interfering with XEG. On October 1, 1962, WCMS-FM signed on the air. The FM station allowed WCMS's country music to be heard around the clock, even though only a small number of radios were equipped at that time to pick up FM broadcasts.
During the Crump family's ownership, WCMS-AM-FM received a number of awards from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music for its dedication to music and contribution to the industry. Because there are many recreational boat owners in the Tidewater region of Virginia, WCMS-AM-FM maintained a boat to assist sailors who ran into trouble while on Chesapeake Bay and the rivers that flow into it.
George A. Crump died in 2005, but up until the 1990s, he was occasionally heard on WCMS-AM-FM giving editorials. His famous line at the end of every commentary was "And that, in our opinion, is that."
In 1999, Marjorie Crump sold WCMS-AM-FM for $15.5 million to Barnstable Broadcasting. The deal included the corporate office building and studios at 900 Commonwealth Place in Virginia Beach. Barnstable began firing longtime employees, such as Eric Stevens, who had worked at the station for nearly 20 years. As longtime staffers were being let go, the station began using DJs from new sister station WGH-FM.
With co-owned WGH-FM airing a mainstream country format, at 3:00 p.m. on April 10, 2003, after playing "Goodbye Says It All" by Blackhawk, WCMS-FM shifted to classic country music. The new format lasted only seven months. After more than 40 years of country music, the format was dropped entirely at 11:30 p.m. on November 28, 2003, with "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson as its final song. WCMS-FM then began stunting with a loop of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long."
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WVBW-FM
WVBW-FM (100.5 MHz, "100.5 The Vibe") is a commercial radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, and broadcasting to the Hampton Roads area. WVBW-FM airs an urban adult hits radio format and is owned and operated by Max Media. The studios and offices are on Greenwich Road in Virginia Beach.
WVBW-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts. The transmitter is off Gammon Road, also in Virginia Beach.
WVBW-FM traces its roots back to July 1, 1954, when WCMS (1050 AM) first went on the air. It replaced a legendary African American-oriented radio station, WRAP, which moved to 850 AM. In 1961, WCMS was purchased by George A. and Marjorie Crump of Suffolk. The Crumps took the unprecedented step of playing only country music on WCMS when other Norfolk-area radio stations carried different musical styles, as country music was still looked down on in that era. Critics at the time assured the Crumps that their bold decision would fail quickly.
WCMS was originally a daytimer, broadcasting on a clear-channel frequency reserved for XEG in Monterrey, Mexico. WCMS had to go off the air between sunset and sunrise to avoid interfering with XEG. On October 1, 1962, WCMS-FM signed on the air. The FM station allowed WCMS's country music to be heard around the clock, even though only a small number of radios were equipped at that time to pick up FM broadcasts.
During the Crump family's ownership, WCMS-AM-FM received a number of awards from the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music for its dedication to music and contribution to the industry. Because there are many recreational boat owners in the Tidewater region of Virginia, WCMS-AM-FM maintained a boat to assist sailors who ran into trouble while on Chesapeake Bay and the rivers that flow into it.
George A. Crump died in 2005, but up until the 1990s, he was occasionally heard on WCMS-AM-FM giving editorials. His famous line at the end of every commentary was "And that, in our opinion, is that."
In 1999, Marjorie Crump sold WCMS-AM-FM for $15.5 million to Barnstable Broadcasting. The deal included the corporate office building and studios at 900 Commonwealth Place in Virginia Beach. Barnstable began firing longtime employees, such as Eric Stevens, who had worked at the station for nearly 20 years. As longtime staffers were being let go, the station began using DJs from new sister station WGH-FM.
With co-owned WGH-FM airing a mainstream country format, at 3:00 p.m. on April 10, 2003, after playing "Goodbye Says It All" by Blackhawk, WCMS-FM shifted to classic country music. The new format lasted only seven months. After more than 40 years of country music, the format was dropped entirely at 11:30 p.m. on November 28, 2003, with "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson as its final song. WCMS-FM then began stunting with a loop of AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long."