WAVA - History

History

The station was originally licensed as WARL and by the early 1960s was operating with a country music format. In the 1960s the call signs were changed to WAVA and WAVA-FM and the operation became one of the first all-news radio stations in the US, operating with that format from the early 1960s to about 1977. The AM and FM licenses were sold separately in the 1970s. The AM became WABS with a brokered Christian format. The FM was sold to Doubleday Broadcasting and became an album-oriented rock station playing a mix of rock hits and album cuts. By 1983 WAVA had evolved into a top 40/CHR station. In 1986, WAVA and the rest of the Doubleday stations were sold to Emmis Broadcasting. The CHR format continued on the station. In 1991, WAVA was sold to Salem Media and on February 11, 1992, the sale became final. At that point, the CHR format was ended in favor of a Contemporary Christian music format, initially. By the end of 1992, the station evolved to include Christian teaching programs. The station eventually evolved by 1994 to its current Christian Talk/Teaching/Music format. Currently, WAVA has Christian talk weekdays in morning and afternoon drive; Christian teaching programs middays, evenings, and overnights; and Contemporary Christian Music all day Saturday and on Sunday Afternoons and evenings.

Salem acquired WABS 780 in the 1990s, changed its call sign back to WAVA and returned it to its former role as a simulcast of WAVA-FM.