WARJ
| Broadcast area | Roanoke, Virginia New River Valley |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.5 MHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian worship music |
| Network | Air1 |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Educational Media Foundation |
| History | |
First air date | 2013 |
Former call signs | WBZS (2012–2020) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 89133 |
| Class | A |
| Power | 150 Watts |
| HAAT | 591 meters (1,939 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°11′42.0″N 80°9′23.0″W / 37.195000°N 80.156389°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
WARJ is a radio station licensed to Shawsville, Virginia, broadcasting the Air1 network to Roanoke, Virginia and the New River Valley.[2] WARJ is owned by the Educational Media Foundation.
History
The station signed on in 2013 as WBZS. From its sign-on, the station was leased by owner George S. Flinn, Jr., to Three Daughters Media, which simulcast the talk format of WIQO-FM Lynchburg.[3]
WBZS entered into a three-year lease to Community Media Group, owner of adult album alternative WVMP, on December 1, 2016.[4][5]
On February 1, 2018, the AAA format moved exclusively to WBZS, which rebranded as "102.5 The Mountain".[6][7]
Upon the lease ending on December 1, 2019, the AAA programming moved back to WVMP.[8]
In April 2020, Flinn donated the station's signal to air a noncommercial news/talk format focusing specifically on coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic in the New River Valley. The station was led by WVMP's former general manager and a volunteer staff, with on-air hosts remote working from home studios.[9][10] Three months later, he sold the station and eight others to the Educational Media Foundation for $3.4 million.[11] Upon the sale being consummated on October 29, 2020, the call letters were changed to WARJ, as the station picked up EMF's Air1 network.
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WARJ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ^ Venta, Lance (November 11, 2013). "Lynchburg Talker Expands To Trimulcast". RadioInsight.
- ^ "WARJ Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
- ^ Venta, Lance (December 14, 2016). "WVMP Expands to Blacksburg". Radio Insight.
- ^ Venta, Lance (February 5, 2018). "Roanoke's Mountain Loses One Of Its Signals". RadioInsight.
- ^ "Time Brokerage Agreement" (PDF). FCC Public Inspection File.
- ^ Venta, Lance (December 2, 2019). "Roanoke's Mountain Returns to 101.5". RadioInsight.
- ^ "All-Volunteer COVID-19 News/Talk Station Launches In Roanoke". RadioInsight. April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ "Volunteers launch radio station to discuss COVID-19". WDBJ. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
- ^ Jacobson, Adam (July 8, 2020). "Flinn Sells Nine To EMF, Via Three Associated Entities". Radio & Television Business Report. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
External links
- Facility details for Facility ID 89133 (WARJ) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- WARJ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database