As the clock struck midnight on the new year, First Media Services ended its “Christmas 98.7” programming on 1240 WKEZ/98.7 W254CV Bluefield WV and relaunched the station as Soft AC “98.7 EZ-FM“.
In a market without a mainstream AC formatted station, the new format creates a flanker to co-owned Hot AC “Mix 102.9” WKQB Pocahontas VA. The new format has also picked up a simulcast on 1150 WELC Welch WV covering areas west of Bluefield. WELC had been simulcasting Classic Country “Willie 94.5” WAMN Green Valley/W233CL Bluefield.
Original Report 12/13: First Media Services Classic Hip-Hop “Z98.7” 1240 WKEZ/98.7 W254CV Bluefield WV dropped its format last month for Christmas Music “Christmas 98.7” and will debut a new format after the holidays.
WKEZ has given away its future identity online as its Facebook page address has been changed to @MyEZRadio and the corresponding MyEZRadio.com was registered by First Media Services in October.
When First Media Services closed on its purchase of WKEZ and the remainder of the former Alpha Media Bluefield cluster in December 2018, its first move was to rebrand WKEZ from “G98.7” to “Z98.7“.