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The many homes of WKAZ Radio ...
210 Dickinson Street
(1957-1968)
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95 WKAZ'S ORIGINAL HOME
WKAZ Radio used the upstairs of
this structure for their business offices and studios. The 210 Dickinson Street
property is known as the "Professional Building", and appears to have been
recently remodeled (this photo taken September 2000), as all the windows and the
tan facade on the second floor seem to be new.
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Heart
O'Town Motor Inn
(1968-1982)
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'BROADCASTING FROM THE TOP OF THE HEART!'
In 1968, 95 WKAZ relocated from
Dickinson Street to the rooftop penthouse suites of the Heart o'Town Motor Inn
on Washington Street. The radio station remained here through their glory days
of the late 60's and 70's, until moving next to the transmitter site on State
Route 62 in 1982. This motel is now the Downtown Marriott.
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State Route 62
(1982-1984)
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THE FINAL HOME OF 95 WKAZ
In what was probably a cost-savings
move, 95 WKAZ moved to a building just down the hill from their 4 tower antenna
array on State Route 62. AM Radio's popularity all across the U.S. was on the
decline, with FM Stereo powerhouses grabbing most of the radio audience and
advertising revenue. 95 WKAZ was completely automated by 1982, and began
simulcasting WQBE-FM's country format in late '83.
It was the end of an era.
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SALES AND BUSINESS OFFICES
The building that once housed the
WKAZ studios now serves as the sales and business office for Charleston's
Bristol Broadcasting Company, Inc. Bristol operates FM outlets on 94.5 MHz,
97.5 MHz and 102.7 MHz; and AM stations on 950 kHz and 1240 kHz.
In a day of radio consolidation
and stations often changing hands once a year, AM 950 has been owned by BRISTOL
BROADCASTING COMPANY, INC. of Bristol, Virginia continuously since 1964
... (a note from RC)
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The AM 1300 days ...
| WKAZ shared studios and offices
with legendary FM rocker WKLC. The WKAZ AM 1300 studios, pictured here, were
located at 100 Kanawha Terrace in St. Albans (a Charleston suburb). The WKAZ
master control room was located near the two white satellite dishes in the front
of the building. WKAZ AM 1300 operated daytime only with 1000 watts, playing a
hybrid urban/dance music mix. AM 1300 is now part of a religious
trimulcast that includes AM 1340 in Montgomery and AM 1410 in South
Charleston. |
Oldies 107.3 / WKAZ-FM ...
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WKAZ's current home
is the West Virginia Radio Corporation building at 1111 Virginia Street East,
the former location of WCHS Radio and Television. WCHS-TV 8, along with WVAH-TV
11, moved to a new combined studio on Piedmont Road, but WCHS Radio is still at
this location. Radio stations operating from this building include WKAZ FM
107.3, WCAW
AM 680, WSWW AM 1490, WKWS FM 96.1, WRVZ FM 98.7, and WVAF FM 99.9.
In January 2006, WV Radio Corporation switched the Oldies format to AM 680
WCAW, but still calls the station 'Sixty Eight K-A-Z'. |
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