WEZL
Radio station in Charleston, South Carolina From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Radio station in Charleston, South Carolina From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WEZL (103.5 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Charleston, South Carolina, and serving the Lowcountry. It broadcasts a country music radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. WEZL carries two nationally syndicated programs: The Bobby Bones Show on weekday mornings and After Midnite with Granger Smith, heard overnights. The radio studios and offices are on Houston Northcutt Boulevard in Mount Pleasant.
| |
| Broadcast area | Charleston metropolitan area and South Carolina Lowcountry |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 103.5 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 103.5 WEZL |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Subchannels | HD2: The Breeze (Soft adult contemporary) |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WRFQ, WSCC-FM, WXLY | |
| History | |
First air date | October 5, 1970 |
Call sign meaning | WEaZeL for weasel, its original mascot. |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 2441 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 201 meters (659 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 32°49′4.00″N 79°50′9.00″W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wezlfm.com |
WEZL has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for non-grandfathered FM stations. The transmitter is off Venning Road in Mount Pleasant, amid the towers for other Charleston-area FM and TV stations.[2] WEZL broadcasts using HD Radio technology. Its HD2 digital subchannel carries iHeartRadio's soft adult contemporary music service, known as "The Breeze."
On October 5, 1970, WEZL first signed on the air.[3] It was owned by the Fine Arts Broadcasting with studios on Church Street. In its early days, it had an effective radiated power of 25,900 watts. It started with an easy listening format, represented by the EZ in its call sign.[4] After a couple of years, it flipped to country music. But it kept the same call letters, now pronouncing them as "Weasel."
The Weasel Morning Show consisted of longtime radio personalities TJ Phillips, Gary Griffin and Ric Rush. TJ, Gary and Ric were consistently the top rated morning show in Charleston. Griffin retired in 2012.[5] Phillips and Rush continued as the morning hosts before being moved to afternoons to make way for the syndicated Bobby Bones Show airing weekday mornings from Nashville.[6]
WEZL has been a country station in the Charleston market since 1972. In 2007, it started competing with Citadel Broadcasting's country station, WIWF 96.9 FM. WIWF later switched to classic hits. Currently WEZL's country competition is 92.5 WCKN, owned by Saga Communications.
"The Weasel" had the number one morning show for years prior to the arrival of Mike Tyler in January 1999. Tyler, Griffin and Janet Walsh fell to number 5 but regained the top spot in Fall 1999.[7] In the 2000s, the station stopped calling itself "The Weasel" most of the time, instead simply using its dial position and call letters.
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