WAIO

"WQBW" redirects here. For the radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States known as WQBW from 2004 to 2010, see WRNW.

WAIO ^[1]
City	Honeoye Falls, New York
Broadcast area	Honeoye Falls/Rochester
Branding	Radio 95.1
Slogan	Brother Wease all morning, Kimberly and Beck in the afternoon
Frequency	95.1 MHz (also on HD Radio) 95.1-2 FM: "Deep Tracks"
First air date	June 6, 1948 (as WVBT at 101.9)
Format	Classic rock
ERP	50,000 watts
HAAT	146 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	24958
Callsign meaning	W RAdIO
Former callsigns	WVBT (101.9 Bristol Center, 1948–early 1950s) WRRE (early 1950s–1960) WMIV (1960–3/4/1982) WYLF (3/4/1982–1986) WZSH (1986–1991) WRQI (1991–1995) WNVE (1995–2004) WFXF (2004–2012) WQBW (2012–2014)
Former frequencies	101.9 MHz (1948-1950s)
Owner	iHeartMedia, Inc. (Citicasters Licenses, Inc.)
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	radio951.com

WAIO, also known as "Radio 95.1", is a Talk FM radio station in the Rochester region of upstate New York, that plays little to no music. Under ownership of iHeartMedia, Inc.. Its studios are located at the One Seneca Center building in downtown Rochester, and its transmitter site is in Victor, New York.

History

This article describes the history of the 95.1 frequency in the Rochester area. For the history of stations broadcasting from the Honeoye Falls site prior to 2004, see WNBL (FM).

Rural Radio Network/Ivy Network/CBN (1948-1981)

The station now known as WAIO signed on June 6, 1948 as WVBT, licensed to Bristol Center, New York and transmitting from Bristol Mountain on 101.9 MHz. It was the next-to-last link in the Rural Radio Network chain of FM stations broadcasting to farmers across upstate New York. WVBT changed call letters to WRRE and changed frequency to 95.1 in the early 1950s. When the Rural Radio Network became the Ivy Network under new owners in 1960, WRRE became WMIV. It would retain those calls under the network's next identity, the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN), broadcasting religious programming from studios in Ithaca between 1968 and 1981.

WYLF/WZSH (1981-1991)

With the breakup of the CBN radio operation, each of the former Rural Radio Network stations was sold to separate owners. WMIV was sold to Empire Broadcasting. In early 1982, it changed format to adult standards, becoming one of the first FM affiliates of Al Ham's Music of Your Life syndicated format. On March 4, 1982, WMIV changed calls to WYLF ("Life 95.1"), operating from studios in a converted house on Route 332 in Farmington, New York and later adding a sales office at 213 E. Commercial Street in East Rochester.

In 1985, Empire sold WYLF to Boston broadcasters Ron Frizzell and Arnold Lerner, operating as the "Finger Lakes Wireless Talking Machine Company." On July 28, 1986, WYLF became WZSH ("Wish 95"), moving from adult standards to soft adult contemporary with a format that mimicked Lerner's successful WSSH in the Boston market. WZSH moved its studios from Farmington to the Piano Works office complex in East Rochester and placed a translator, W288AR at 105.5 MHz, on the air from the East Rochester water tower.

Rock-It 95 (1991-1995)

On December 26, 1991, WZSH became WRQI ("Rock-It 95"), programming a rock format. In 1993, Rock-It 95 added the syndicated Howard Stern show to its lineup, bringing the station attention and ratings in the larger Rochester market.

During the WRQI era, the 105.5 translator in East Rochester was replaced with a more powerful 250-watt translator, W238AB at 95.5, operating from the centrally-located Pinnacle Hill transmitter site overlooking downtown Rochester. WRQI made several attempts to improve its main signal on 95.1 as well, briefly moving from its historic Bristol Mountain site to a tower in Farmington owned by Rochester Telephone, but was forced to return to Bristol after interference complaints from the tower's neighbors.

The Nerve: Beginning Years (1995-1998)

On April 21, 1995, WRQI became WNVE ("The Nerve"). Playing off the frequency similarity between the main 95.1 signal and the powerful 95.5 translator, the station frequently identified as "95.1, 95.5 the Nerve," usually spoken quickly by an announcer (an amusing promo bump was recorded featuring Howard Stern producer Gary Dell'Abate, where Gary expresses confusion at the dual-frequencies. "95.1/95.5...? Wait, that's two different stations!"). There was also a bump identifying the translator station ID W238AB that was played occasionally, spoken as quickly as possible. The Nerve's format was originally Modern Rock/Alternative, featuring music being played by well-known bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Soundgarden, Live, Stone Temple Pilots, as well as alternative music from lesser-remembered artists such as Poe, Veruca Salt, The Refreshments, The Toadies, and many others.

Howard Stern was broadcast on weekday mornings. Weekday evenings at 5 PM consisted of "The Drive at Five" which was an all-request, call-in hour. This segment was usually introduced by DJ 'E-Man' with The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's "Right Place Wrong Time" playing. There would also be a segment called "The Five at Nine", where the five most requested songs of the day would be played. Early mainstays at number one on this list were Poe's "Angry Johnny," The Toadies' "Possum Kingdom," Tracy Bonham's "Mother Mother," and others. In the fall of 1996, a shortly-lived segment was introduced where the DJ would play two very new songs, usually by relatively unknown artists, back to back. The listeners would then call in and vote on which of the two would be allowed to remain in rotation. The winner would then move on to the next night, although it would already be allowed to remain in rotation even if it lost a later round. An early streak winner on this segment was The Bloodhound Gang's "Fire Water Burn," long before it worked its way into the Five at Nine.

The Nerve would also frequently give out tickets to local concerts featuring artists that were played on the station. Listeners would have to listen for Rage Against the Machine's "Take the Power Back" accompanied by a strange voice instructing them to call in to win.

This format lasted until New Year's Day 1999, when The Nerve made their "Resolution to Rock." This essentially meant that Classic Rock songs were now entered into rotation. This was a very controversial move because the station used to play station ID's that would make fun of 'Dinosaur Rock.' Listeners that grew up listening to their favorite radio station tell them that 'in the Dinosaur age people used to listen to suck rock like Loverboy and Styx' were disenfranchised to hear these and similar bands now being played. It was at this point that WNVE lost a large portion of its listener base.

Meanwhile, WNVE had moved studios and changed owners. In 1996, it was sold to Jacor Communications (later absorbed by Clear Channel Communications, now known as iHeartMedia), which relocated the studios from East Rochester to the Euclid Building in Midtown Plaza in downtown Rochester, home to its cluster of stations that also included WHAM and WVOR.

The Nerve later would add brief local news reports during station breaks, usually as bumpers around breaks in the morning broadcast of Howard Stern. These news reports were often delivered by Bill Lowe from WHAM, the prominent news and talk AM station. Some degree of humor was derived by hearing the serious barritone voice of Bill Lowe give the station's sign off, "95.1/95.5 The Nerve, 'It Just Rocks.'" Of note, radio personality "JoLo" would host the Saturday Morning Show with e-Man. This was, of course, Joe Lomonaco, host of WHAM's popular "WHAM 5:00 News Hour." For an April Fool's Day joke in the late 1990s, WHAM and WNVE swapped DJ's for a few shifts. Mid-day WHAM talkshow host Bob Lonsberry came over to The Nerve and swapped shifts with e-Man, who went over to the newstalk station, much to the amused chagrin of local listeners.

The Fox (2004-2012)

Without its main ratings draw in the morning, WNVE's ratings fell precipitously. On July 4, 2004, Clear Channel moved WNVE from 95.1 to the lesser Bristol Mountain 107.3 signal. Replacing it on 95.1 was the former 107.3 classic rock format, "The Fox," with new calls WFXF.

While most airshifts were initially automated, "95.1 the Fox" gradually added air personalities, including a voicetracked afternoon shift from Clear Channel Boston DJ Ed McMann.

In 2006, WFXF began broadcasting in HD Radio, adding a subchannel of "Deep Rock" classic rock from the Format Lab.

On November 17, 2008, WFXF began airing the popular radio program hosted by Brother Wease, one of the city's most popular veteran radio personalities who had previously hosted the morning show at crosstown competitor WCMF. Also in 2008, WFXF became a Rochester affiliate (along with sister station WHAM) of the Buffalo Bills regional radio network.

The Brew (2012-2014)

On April 30, 2012, WFXF rebranded as "95.1 The Brew", with the intent of shifting its playlist to 1970s thru 1980s, and even early 1990s rock, dropping most of the 1960s from its rotation. Wease remained with the station.^[2] On May 10, 2012 the station also changed its call sign to WQBW, previously used by Clear Channel in Milwaukee on what is now WRNW.^[1]

Radio 95.1 (2014-present)

On September 11, 2014 WQBW rebranded as "Radio 95.1".^[3] The station made a massive DJ change bringing in Kimberly and Beck who were recently fired from WBZA to host from 2pm to 7pm weekdays after Brother Wease in the morning. These changes were on top of other changes made by Clear Channel to other stations it owned in the Rochester market the same day. The call letters were changed to WAIO on September 19, 2014.^[1]

References

External links

Query the FCC's FM station database for WAIO

Radio-Locator information on WAIO

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WAIO

Radio stations in the Rochester, New York region and western Finger Lakes

By AM frequency	850 950 990 1040 1140 1180 1280 1310 1370 1460 1490 1550 1590

By FM frequency	88.1 88.5 89.1 89.3 89.5 89.7 90.1 90.5 91.5 92.5 93.3 94.1 95.1 95.7 96.5 97.1 97.9 98.3 98.9 99.7 100.5 100.9 101.3 102.3 102.7 103.5 103.9 104.3 104.9 105.5 105.7 105.9 106.7 107.3 107.7

By callsign	W265BX W282BQ W288BZ WAIO WAYO-LP WBEE-FM WBER WBSU WBTA WBZA WCGR WCJW WCMF-FM WDCX WDKX WDVI WEOS WEPL-LP WFKL WGMC WGSU WHAM WHIC WHTK WHWS-LP WITR WKDL-FM WKEL WJZR WKGS WLGZ-FM WLKK WMHN WNBL WOKR WPXY-FM WRMM-FM WROC WRSB WRUR-FM WUUF WVOR WXXI WXXI-FM WYLF WYSL WZNE WZNY WZXV

Defunct	WDRE (1330 AM)

New York radio markets Albany–Schenectady–Troy Binghamton Buffalo–Niagara Falls Elmira–Corning Hudson Valley Nassau–Suffolk (Long Island) New York City Olean Plattsburgh Poughkeepsie Rochester Syracuse Utica–Rome Watertown Other New York radio regions Ithaca Jamestown–Dunkirk North Country Saratoga See also List of radio stations in New York

Classic rock radio stations in the state of New York

By frequency	92.7 93.3 95.1 95.3 96.5 96.9 96.9 99.1 99.3 99.5 99.9 101.5 102.1 102.3 104.3 104.9 105.5 105.5 105.9 106.5 107.1

By callsign	WAAL WAIO WAXQ WBAB WBWZ WBZX WCMF WGRF WHFM WIII WLLW WLPW WNGZ WOUR WPYX WRCD WRGR WTKV WTKW WXTL WXUR

By city	Albany Babylon Binghamton Bridgeport Buffalo Canton Cortland Hancock Herkimer Honeoye Falls Lake Placid Montour Falls New Paltz New York Oswego Rochester Seneca Falls Southampton Syracuse Tupper Lake

See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in New York See also active rock classic rock mainstream rock modern rock

iHeartMedia

Corporate officers	Bob Pittman (Chairman/CEO)

Board of directors	Lowry Mays Irving Azoff B. J. "Red" McCombs J. C. Watts John H. Williams

Radio stations	List of radio stations owned by iHeartMedia

Radio networks	Fox Sports Radio Premiere Networks Premium Choice Total Traffic and Weather Network

Miscellaneous	Clear Channel Outdoor Clear Channel UK iHeartRadio List of programming syndicated by iHeartMedia Mediabase Radio Computing Services

Coordinates: 43°02′02″N 77°25′16″W / 43.034°N 77.421°W / 43.034; -77.421

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