WEZL explained

WEZL
City:Charleston, South Carolina
Country:US
Branding:103.5 WEZL
Format:Country
Erp:95,000 watts
100,000 with beam tilt
Haat:201m (659feet)
Class:C1
Facility Id:2441
Coordinates:32.8178°N -79.8358°W
Callsign Meaning:"Weasel"
Affiliations:Premiere Networks
Sister Stations:WRFQ, WSCC-FM, WXLY
Owner:iHeartMedia, Inc.
Licensee:iHM Licenses, LLC
Website:wezlfm.com
Licensing Authority:FCC

WEZL (103.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Charleston, South Carolina, United States, serving the Lowcountry. It features a country music format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios are located on Houston Northcutt Boulevard in Mount Pleasant.

The transmitter is sited off Venning Road in Mount Pleasant. WEZL also broadcasts in HD Radio.

History

On October 5, 1970, WEZL first signed on the air.[1] It was owned by the Fine Arts Broadcasting with studios on Church Street. In its early days, it had an effective radiated power of 25,900 watts. It started with an easy listening format, represented by the EZ in its call sign.[2] After a couple of years, it flipped to country music. But it kept the same call letters, now pronouncing them as "Weasel."

The Weasel Morning Show consisted of longtime radio personalities TJ Phillips, Gary Griffin and Ric Rush. TJ, Gary and Ric were consistently the top rated morning show in Charleston. Griffin retired in 2012.[3] Phillips and Rush continued as the morning hosts before being moved to afternoons to make way for the syndicated Bobby Bones Show airing weekday mornings from Nashville.[4]

WEZL has been a country station in the Charleston market since . In 2007, it started competing with Citadel Broadcasting's country station, WIWF 96.9 FM. WIWF later switched to classic hits. Currently WEZL's country competition is 92.5 WCKN, owned by Saga Communications.

"The Weasel" had the number one morning show for years prior to the arrival of Mike Tyler in January 1999. Tyler, Griffin and Janet Walsh fell to number 5 but regained the top spot in Fall 1999.[5] In the 2000s, the station stopped calling itself "The Weasel" most of the time, instead simply using its dial position and call letters.

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1971/Section-B-Radio-Broadcasting-Yearbook-1971-11.pdf Information
  2. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1972/B%20Radio%20YB%201972%20All-10.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1972 page B-187. Retrieved March 15, 2024
  3. Web site: WEZL-FM co-host signs off after nearly 38 years on air in Charleston area - Post and Courier . www.postandcourier.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150622023501/http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20120918/PC05/120919228 . 2015-06-22.
  4. Web site: Find 103.5 WEZL's Friday Live On-Air Schedule.
  5. News: The Weasel, Z 93 back on top in ratings. Post and Courier. 2000-03-02. 2010-07-08.