WAVA

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WAVA-FM is a radio station located at 105.1 FM that serves the Washington, D.C. area and is licensed to Arlington, Virginia. The station airs Christian-oriented talk and music. Prior to obtaining this format, the station played Top 40 music.

WAVA-FM is owned by Salem Communications.

The station played a role in the history of all-news radio in America. In the late 1960s, when all-news radio began on XETRA Tijuana, broadcasting to audiences in San Diego and Los Angeles, personnel from that stations fanned out to launch similar formats in other cities. One of the first of these was WARL Arlington, Va., which dropped a bluegrass format to become WAVA News (pro. "WAY-vah"). It ran network newscast at the top and bottom of the hour, followed by local wire service reports read by announcers "at the all-news anchor desk," followed by sports, business news and features.

A large number of U.S. radio network anchors worked first at WAVA, which was also one of the first stations in the country to broadcast live traffic reports from a fixed-wing aircraft. The original dawn-to-dusk AM station eventually simulcast with an FM station, making WAVA the first FM all-news station in the country.

Presidents Johnson and Kennedy reportedly had a radio in the Oval Office permanently tuned to WAVA. But by the 1970s a second all-news station, WTOP, had overtaken WAVA in the ratings, and when NBC launched its News & Information Service, an all-news radio network, its Washington, D.C., affiliate WRC also outdrew WAVA.

The station was sold in 1977, laid off the news staff, and became a popular AOR (Album-Oriented Rock) station. On October, 28 1983 the station switched to a CHR (Top 40). In 1985 Don Geronimo was hired as an afternoon DJ/personality. A few months later another WAVA DJ Mike O'Meara joined Don Geronimo as new hosts of "The Morning zoo" (later renamed the Don and Mike show). This wildly successful show was syndicated after the pair moved to WJFK-FM in 1992. "Truckin" Tom Kent, who now hosts a nationally sydicated Oldies radio show out of Cleveland, also did a stint at WAVA in the 80s.

In late 1991 the station was sold to Salem Broadcasting. On February 12, 1992 switched from the CHR format to christian music and teaching. This change was due to the educational mission of it's new owners and not a reflection of the station's performance. The station was otherwise still getting excellent Arbitron ratings at the time. As would be expected this change was shocking to the station's loyal listeners, many of whom had grown up in the 1980s listening to Top 40 WAVA.