WLVZ

WLVZ

Collins, Mississippi
Broadcast area	Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Frequency	103.7 MHz
Branding	K-Love
Programming
Network	K-Love
Ownership
Owner	Educational Media Foundation
History
First air date	August 15, 1978; 46 years ago (1978-08-15)
Former call signs	WKNZ (1978–2007)
Former frequencies	101.7 MHz (1978–1994) 107.1 MHz (1994-2024)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	63847
Class	C3
ERP	6,000 watts
HAAT	113 meters
Transmitter coordinates	31°30′4.50″N 89°28′32.80″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS

WLVZ (103.7 FM) is a radio station in Collins, Mississippi, US serving the Hattiesburg, Mississippi, area. The station serves as the Hattiesburg-area transmitter for the K-Love Christian radio network.[2]

History

On January 10, 1977, Covington County Broadcasters, Inc., filed for a new FM radio station on 101.7 MHz in Collins. The Federal Communications Commission granted the construction permit on February 13, 1978.[3] The station went on air that August 15[4] and immediately adopted a format including country music during the day and adult contemporary in the afternoon and at night.[4] Covington County Broadcasters was owned by Ottis Wolverton and operated by the Blakeney brothers.[4] By 1984, however, WKNZ had gone all-country.[5] Wolverton acquired WBKH in Hattiesburg in 1988.[6] Both stations were sold the next year to Southern Air Communications, owned by Bruce Easterling, in a $648,000 transaction;[7] the new owners flipped WKNZ to oldies.^[clarification needed][8]

Financial problems grounded Southern Air in 1993. The Associated Press sued Southern Air that year for unpaid wire service bills in 1990.[9] By that time, however, WKNZ's ownership was already in the process of changing, as Wolverton repurchased the FM outlet.[10] Southern Air owed Covington County Broadcasters, the former licensee, $423,000.[11]

As part of a reassignment of FM allotments in several Mississippi communities approved in 1991, WKNZ had been relocated to 107.1 MHz;[12] the frequency change came into effect on August 26, 1994, by which time WKNZ was again a country music outlet.[13]

After being purchased by Thomas F. McDaniels under the name Sunbelt Broadcasting Corporation, WKNZ switched to classic rock "Zoo 107" on December 29, 1994.[14] The station became a partner of the Hattiesburg Zoo, which was its new namesake;[14] it sponsored the zoo's name-a-zebra contest in 1996.[15]

Radio Broadcasters, controlled by Ken Rainey and owners of WMXI, acquired WKNZ and WXHB in 2000 for $690,000.[16] The station's format remained unchanged until the station was sold in 2005 to the Educational Media Foundation and converted into a K-Love transmitter. The station immediately dropped its programming, including sports programming, on April 1, 2005.[17] The station's call sign was changed to WLVZ in 2007.

WLVZ moved from 107.1 MHz to 103.7 MHz in November 2024 with no change in ERP or HAAT.

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for WLVZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. "WLVZ Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
3. "History Cards for WLVZ". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
4. Hilliard, Laurence (June 20, 1982). "Brothers' love for radio shows in work". Hattiesburg American. p. 4A. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
5. "South Mississippi's 24 Hour Country FM 101.7". Magee Courier. October 18, 1984. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
6. "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 15, 1988. p. 146. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
7. "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 30, 1989. p. 56. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
8. "WHER-FM going country in November". Hattiesburg American. October 21, 1990. p. 6B. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
9. "AP sues Southern Air over contract dispute". Hattiesburg American. June 18, 1993. p. 7A. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
10. "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. May 31, 1993. pp. 51–52. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
11. "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. May 28, 1993. p. 6. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
12. "Allocations" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 21, 1991. p. 66. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
13. "Country radio station to change frequency". Hattiesburg American. August 25, 1994. p. 2B. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
14. Travis, Scott (January 5, 1995). "Radio station retunes country format to classic rock". Hattiesburg American. p. 3B. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
15. Brooks, Courtney (July 11, 1996). "A name for true beauty". Hattiesburg American. p. 5A. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
16. "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. October 16, 2000. p. 35. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
17. "Eagles return to C-USA play". Hattiesburg American. April 1, 2005. p. 1B. Retrieved November 23, 2019.