WAEV

WAEV (97.3 FM, "97-3 KISS FM") is a Savannah, Georgia, radio station that plays Top 40 (CHR) music, including pop, rock and hip-hop. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc., which also owns WLVH-FM, WQBT-FM, WSOK, WTKS, and WYKZ-FM in the Savannah market. Its transmitter is located near Bloomingdale, Georgia, and shares studios with the aforementioned sister stations in Garden City.

History

During the early and mid 1970s, WXLM was an easy listening station. In September, 1977, the station flipped to Album Rock in response to WTOC starting a highly successful overnight album rock program in 1976. Before this, Savannah had been without a rock station since WEAS-FM flipped in the early 1970s. 97.3 went by the name 97 Rock with the call sign WXLM. In 1980, the station flipped to light pop music known as WAEV ("Wave 97"). When WXLM left the air, Savannah did not have a rock station until WIXV-FM picked up the format in 1986. The station evolved into a Hot AC station as Mix 97.3 in 1994. After several years of falling numbers and revenue in the early 2000s, the station rebranded to Clear Channel's Top 40 KISS format in December 2001. After several months of further format "tweaking", the station moved into a more mainstream mix of music than most other KISS stations.