WXZO

WXZO
City Willsboro, New York
Broadcast area Champlain Valley
Branding Planet 96.7
Slogan All The Hits
Frequency 96.7 MHz
Translator(s) W242BK 96.3 Colchester, Vermont
First air date July 1996
Format Rhythmic-leaning contemporary hit radio
ERP 1,000 watts
HAAT 243 meters (797 ft)
Class A
Facility ID 36422
Callsign meaning W X ZOne (previous format)
Former callsigns WWGT (1992-1996)
WXPS (1996-2001)
Affiliations Premiere Radio Networks
Owner Vox AM/FM, LLC
Sister stations WEZF, WCPV, WEAV, WVTK
Webcast Listen Live
Website theplanet967.com

WXZO (96.7 FM; "Planet 96.7") is an English-language American radio station broadcasting a contemporary hit radio format with a rhythmic contemporary lean, located in Burlington, Vermont. (The station's city of license is actually Willsboro, New York, but its studios are in Colchester.)

Owned and operated by Vox AM/FM, it broadcasts on the FM band on 96.7 MHz with an effective radiated power of 1,000 watts (class A) using an omnidirectional antenna.

History

WXZO signed on in July 1996 with a modern rock format;[1] although the station conducted intermittent test operations in late June with this format under the call letters WWGT,[2][3] the station ultimately went with the call letters WXPS on July 5, upon formally beginning operations;[4] the callsign reflected its "Pulse" branding.[2] Initially licensed to Vergennes, Vermont, WXPS's signal had trouble reaching Burlington,[3] forcing the station to apply for a translator on 97.3 FM in late 1996;[5] after only a year, however, the station decided to drop the format, and following a brief silent period WXPS switched to sports talk.[6][7] Soon afterward, WXPS leased out WEAV (960 AM) as a simulcast.[8]

Capstar Broadcasting purchased WXPS in 1998.[9] On December 14, the sports talk format, which by then also incorporated some hot talk programs, was abandoned in favor of country music; around the same time, WXPS moved its city of license and transmitter to Willsboro.[10] This move improved the station's Burlington signal,[10] and the plans for the 97.3 translator were abandoned and the construction permit canceled two months earlier.[11] The following April, WEAV left the simulcast and implemented a separate talk format.[12] A year later, WXPS itself changed formats again, this time to smooth jazz.[13]

In April 2001, Clear Channel Communications, who acquired the station after a series of mergers, migrated the smooth jazz format to sister station WLCQ (92.1 FM; now WVTK); upon the completion of this move, WXPS resumed simulcasting with WEAV, this time airing its talk format under the "Zone" branding and the current WXZO call letters.[14][15]

Logo as "96.7 DOT-FM", used from September 17, 2008 until September 17, 2010.

Clear Channel announced on November 16, 2006 that it would sell its Champlain Valley stations after being bought by private equity firms,[16] resulting in a sale to Vox Communications in 2008.[17] On September 17, Vox again dissolved the simulcast with WEAV (except for First Light and Imus in the Morning), and WXZO adopted an oldies format, branding itself "96.7 DOT-FM" in reference to former local top 40 station WDOT (1390 AM; now WCAT); much of the station's on-air staff under this format had once worked for WDOT. (Despite this branding, the call letters were not changed, as a relay of The Point uses the WDOT call letters.) The oldies format was previously heard on WVTK.[18] This was replaced with the current rhythmic-leaning top 40 format on September 17, 2010; at that time, the remaining simulcasts with WEAV ceased, and gave competition up against WXXX and adult top 40 rival WYZY. Mediabase & Nielsen BDS don't report the station on the contemporary hit radio panel, although its sister AC station WEZF does so on Mediabase AC & BDS hot AC.

Programming

WXZO began airing the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show on September 20, 2010, after switching from an oldies format to a new contemporary hits format.[19]

On Saturday, WXZO airs the "Best of Elvis Duran & The Planet Morning Show", "iTunes Download", and "Saturday Night Show With Romeo" syndicated through Premiere Radio Networks.

On Sunday, WXZO airs "The Fab 30 with Perez Hilton" from Westwood One and "Club Kane" from Premiere Radio Networks.

Translators

Call sign Frequency
(MHz) 		City of license Facility
ID 		ERP
W 		Class FCC info
W242BK 96.3 Colchester, Vermont 140407 25 D FCC

References

  1. ↑ Fybush, Scott (July 31, 1996). "WXTK On the Move...". New England RadioWatch. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  2. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (June 27, 1996). "KF2XBF Solved, etc.". New England RadioWatch. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  3. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (July 5, 1996). "WRKO Fun, and San Juan too!". New England RadioWatch. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  5. ↑ Fybush, Scott (December 9, 1996). "New England RadioWatch". Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  6. ↑ Fybush, Scott (July 10, 1997). "On and Off the Air". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
  7. ↑ Fybush, Scott (July 17, 1997). "Another Nail in Radio News' Coffin". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  8. ↑ Fybush, Scott (July 24, 1997). "Remembering Walt Dibble". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved January 31, 2010.
  9. ↑ Fybush, Scott (April 2, 1998). "The Big Get...Smaller". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  10. 1 2 Fybush, Scott (December 18, 1998). "Vermont Heats Up". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Station Search Details (DW247AG)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  12. ↑ Fybush, Scott (April 23, 1999). "WABY Goes All-News". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  13. ↑ Fybush, Scott (April 7, 2000). ""Quick," What's On 93.5/93.9?". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
  14. ↑ Fybush, Scott (April 4, 2001). "Take Me Out to the Ban Game". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  15. ↑ Fybush, Scott (April 9, 2001). "WWZN Stole the Celtics!". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  16. ↑ Fybush, Scott (November 20, 2006). "Dark Days All Around". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  17. ↑ Fybush, Scott (January 7, 2008). "Entercom/Nassau WEEI Deal is Dead". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  18. ↑ Fybush, Scott (September 22, 2008). "Lobel's Radio Days". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  19. ↑ "Elvis Duran and the Morning Show Launched in Burlington Today". Premiere Radio Networks. Retrieved November 29, 2010.

Coordinates: 44°24′11″N 73°25′59″W / 44.403°N 73.433°W / 44.403; -73.433

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