WVEI-FM

WVEI-FM (103.7 FM, SportsRadio 103.7) is a radio station broadcasting a sports radio format, largely simulcasting Boston-based WEEI-FM. Licensed to Westerly, Rhode Island, USA. The station is currently owned by Entercom Communications. In addition to WEEI programming, WVEI-FM carries Providence Friars men's basketball,Boston Bruins hockey, and ESPN Radio (despite the presence of a full-time ESPN Radio affiliate in the market, WLKW). Its transmitter is in Exeter, Rhode Island but due to being a simulcast, its studios are located actually in the Brighton portion of Boston.

History

The station signed on October 17, 1967 as WERI-FM. At one time a simulcast of its sister AM station (1230 AM; now WBLQ), in the mid-1970s, WERI-FM became a totally separate station with an automated Drake/Chenault format called "Hit Parade". Eventually, in the early 1980s, the station switched to Stereo with a live album rock format called "Number 1-04", consulted by Clark Smidt. By the mid-1980s, after a major power upgrade, it had become "RI 104", a top 40 station. On March 9, 1987, the station changed its call sign to WWRX, and the station shifted to an album rock format. Though WWRX saw some success in the New London, Connecticut market, management opted to focus on the larger Providence market, and the station moved its transmitter from West Greenwich to Exeter in 1989. The call sign was modified to WWRX-FM on February 22, 1992, concurrent with a brief period of time in which then-sister station WHIM (1110 AM; now WPMZ) discontinued its country format in favor of CNN Headline News under the WWRX call sign; however, the "-FM" suffix was not removed from 103.7 when the AM station reverted to WHIM and the country format in 1993.

WVEI

WVEI may refer to:

WVEI (AM)

WVEI is an AM radio station in Worcester, Massachusetts, operating on 1440 kHz with 5,000 watts. The station is owned by Entercom Communications, and has an all-sports format. Most programming is provided by Boston sister station WEEI-FM.

History

The station that now operates as WVEI originated in Boston as WBET, the radio station of the Boston Evening Transcript, which was granted a license on December 18, 1926. The station was originally authorized with 100 watts on 780 kHz; however, when the station signed on February 27, 1927, it was operating with 500 watts on 1130 kHz. The inaugural broadcast was plagued by severe technical problems, leading to a front-page apology on the next day's paper, and the station went off-the-air until April 20, when WBET moved to 760 kHz and began operating from studios originally used by WGI. After moving to 1240 kHz and then back to 1130 kHz in June 1927, the station moved to 1040 kHz on August 15, sharing time with religious station WSSH; on November 11, 1928, the station moved to 1360 kHz, where it shared time with South Dartmouth station WMAF as well as WSSH. The city of license was changed to Medford in February 1928. However, WBET was plagued by continued technical issues and increasing expenses, leading the Transcript to sell the station; on February 15, 1929, it was purchased by the Lexington Air Stations, owner of Lexington radio station WLEX (now WLLH in Lowell and Lawrence) and experimental television station W1XAY. The new owners moved the station to Lexington and transferred the WLEX call letters from its new sister station (which became WLEY). On March 20, 1930 the station moved to 1410 kHz and was still time-share.