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WWL-FM

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Coordinates: 29°58′57.7″N 89°57′9.2″W / 29.982694°N 89.952556°W / 29.982694; -89.952556
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WWL-FM
Simulcast of WWL, New Orleans
Broadcast areaNew Orleans metropolitan area
Frequency105.3 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding105.3 WWL-FM
Programming
FormatNews - Talk - Sports
SubchannelsHD2: Sports–food–lifestyle
NetworkCBS News Radio
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
September 8, 1970; 53 years ago (1970-09-08)
Former call signs
  • WVSL-FM (1970–1975)
  • WXEL (1975–1981)
  • WAIL (1981–1984)
  • WLTS (1984)
  • WLTS-FM (1984–2000)
  • WKZN (2000–2005)
  • WKBU (2005)
  • WTKL (2005–2006)
Call sign meaning
Taken from WWL
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID52435
ClassC1
ERP96,000 watts
HAAT306 meters (1,004 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
29°58′57.7″N 89°57′9.2″W / 29.982694°N 89.952556°W / 29.982694; -89.952556
Links
Public license information
Webcast
Websitewww.audacy.com/wwl

WWL-FM (105.3 MHz) is a commercial radio radio station licensed to Kenner, Louisiana, and serving the New Orleans metropolitan area. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. WWL-FM and sister station WWL 870 AM simulcast a News - Talk - Sports radio format. The studios and offices are in the 400 Poydras Tower in the New Orleans Central Business District.

WWL-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 96,000 watts. Its transmitter site is off Paris Road in Chalmette, Louisiana. WWL-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format, with its HD2 digital subchannel carrying both Infinity Sports Network and shows on food and lifestyles.

Programming[edit]

News - Talk[edit]

The weekday schedule features news and talk programming mornings and early afternoons, shifting to sports talk and live play-by-play after 4 pm. All weekday programming from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. is hosted by local WWL personalities and reporters. The only nationally syndicated programs are Infinity Sports Network shows at 8 pm, family finances expert Dave Ramsey at 1 a.m. and This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal, at 4 am.

Weekend programming includes shows on money, law, gardening, home improvement and the outdoors before sports takes over the schedule. WWL is a long-time affiliate of the CBS Radio Network. Most hours on weekdays begin with local newscasts branded as WWL First News, while CBS News begins most hours nights and weekends.

Sports[edit]

Sports shows begin during afternoon drive time, hosted by former NFL quarterback Bobby Herbert. WWL-AM-FM are part-time Infinity Sports Network affiliates. Programming from that network is heard in late evenings, and in several blocks during the day on weekends. When two live sporting events occur at the same time, one of the games moves to sister station WWWL 1350 AM, which airs a mostly sports format.

For many years, WWL has been the flagship station for broadcasts of New Orleans Saints football games, continuously since the 1995 season.[2] WWL-AM-FM continue to be the lead stations on the New Orleans Saints Radio Network, with affiliates in Louisiana, Mississippi and three other states.

WWL-AM-FM are also the flagships for New Orleans Pelicans basketball broadcasts. The team had been with 100.3 KLRZ Larose for five years leading up to 2024. With the 2024-25 season, team broadcasts return to WWL-AM-FM.[3]

WWL-AM-FM serve as the New Orleans outlets of the LSU Tigers, simulcasting all football games, while some men's basketball and baseball games are also heard. WWL-AM-FM share flagship status with WDGL 98.1 FM in Baton Rouge. WWL was previously the radio home of the Tulane Green Wave.

History[edit]

WVSL, WXEL, WAIL, WLTS, WKZN[edit]

On September 8, 1970, the station signed on the air as WVSL-FM in Slidell, Louisiana.[4] It was owned by Bill Garrett Broadcasting, which also owned WBGS (1560 AM). In the late 1970s, the call sign for 105.3 was WXEL. In 1981, the station switched formats to rhythmic contemporary as WAIL.

The station was acquired in 1984 by Phase Two Broadcasting, which changed the call sign to WLTS, and flipped to a soft adult contemporary format.[5] "Lite 105" spent 16 years in this format, although over time, the playlist shifted to a more uptempo, mainstream direction.

In 1999, the station was acquired by Entercom, its current owner.[6] The city of license was changed from Slidell to Kenner, where Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is located. During this time, the station evolved to a hot adult contemporary format as WKZN "105.3 The Zone".

Switch to WWL-FM[edit]

On August 29, 2005, the station's transmitter was severely damaged during Hurricane Katrina, knocking it off the air. It returned to broadcasting with low power as a temporary simulcast of co-owned WWL 870. Other FM stations in New Orleans suspended their music formats during the storm's aftermath to rebroadcast news from local TV stations.

In early October 2005, Entercom decided to switch two of its New Orleans FM station dial positions, with WTKL and WKBU exchanging frequencies. FM 105.3 became WTKL with a classic hits format and the "Kool" name, formerly "Kool 95.7". However, only three weeks later, it was decided by Entercom to scrap the classic hits format and return 105.3 to the WWL simulcast. Entercom cited positive listener response to WWL being heard on FM and complaints about its removal from the FM dial. Some listeners said they wanted WWL programming to remain on FM due to issues receiving the AM station in the New Orleans Central Business District. The "Kool 105.3" format continued as an Internet-only webcast for a short time after it was discontinued on FM.[7]

With 105.3 simulcasting WWL, Entercom asked the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to switch the call letters to WWL-FM. Sister station WLMG was the original home of the WWL-FM call sign, from 1970 to 1980, airing beautiful music at first, and then Top 40 hits.

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WWL-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Saints Radio Network Stations". New Orleans Saints. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  3. ^ RadioInsight.com "WWL Extends Rights Deal, Adds NBA Pelicans" June 5, 2024
  4. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1972 page B-92
  5. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1992 page A-153
  6. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2003-2004 page D-206
  7. ^ Tucker, Ken (April 14, 2006). "Oldies Come And Go In New Orleans". Billboard Radio Monitor. Archived from the original on May 5, 2006. Retrieved January 14, 2019.

External links[edit]

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