Update 1/3: WNWV debuted its revamped Smooth AC format a little earlier than announced around 8:30pm this evening. In addition to the previously announced airstaff, local market veteran Dan Deely will host mornings and sister Country 94.9 WQMX Akron middayer Lynn Kelly will voicetrack nights.
Update 12/19: WNWV began stunting with Smooth Jazz Christmas music at 12am this morning.
WKYC-TV’s Frank Macek tweets that former Wave afternoon host Mark Ribbins will handle middays on the relaunched version of the station, Bobby Thomas (formerly of 102.1 WDOK) in afternoons, and someone from WKYC-TV in mornings.
Update 12/16: Rubber City has closed on its purchase of WNWV and has begun the process of restoring “107.3 The Wave“. The station’s new website at 1073TheWave.net is up and teasing a “Smooth Jazz Christmas” and “Smooth AC Coming Soon”. At some point this weekend the station will drop the remnants of the AAA format and begin stunting with for Smooth Christmas music before launching its new format on Wednesday, January 4.
INSTANT INSIGHT: Normally its out of the ordinary for a station to use an industry term like AC to describe their programming, but in this case it does make sense as the station needs to emphasize the differences between the new format and the previous incarnation of The Wave. Smooth Jazz in that form doesn’t exist anymore and they need to prevent an audience backlash from those expecting the station in its previous form.
Update 12/8: Cleveland Scene has a few more details on the return of The Wave. The current V107.3 airstaff will be departing on December 16.
Original Report 12/7: With Rubber City Radio about to take possession of AAA “V107.3” WNWV Elyria, OH/Cleveland following its acquisition in October, could a return to its previous “Wave” incarnation be on tap?
Rubber City has registered 1073TheWave.net for its new acquisition. The station had flipped from Smooth Jazz “The Wave” to AAA in December 2009. We’re assuming this will be a revised Smooth AC this time around much like the format has evolved in other markets should the move to the previous format take place.
The Smooth Jazz format has remained online and on HD2 since the primary signal flipped to AAA.
Smooth jazz?? Srsly?? That’s the worst! Finally get one good station and…wait, what? Just kidding. You can’t have anything nice. Radio is dead. But not before Smoooooth jazzzzz killed all the listeners.
So do we get OUR Wave back or not? read’g the prev posts makes that seem unlikely…
The station will be called 107.3 The Wave, but don’t expect a duplication of the failed station that died in 2009. There will be a greater emphasis on vocals. The station has a listing of their core artists on the website to give you an idea of what to expect http://1073thewave.net/artists