W228CA
| Company type | Commercial radio station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Radio broadcasting |
| Founded | November 1, 1965 in Gainesville, Georgia, United States |
| Founder | Hall County Broadcasting Company |
| Headquarters | Atlanta, Georgia , United States |
Area served | Metro Atlanta area and Northeast Georgia |
Key people | Lexie Kaye (morning host), Chris Miller (program director) |
| Products | Classic rock music programming |
| Owner | Cox Media Group |
| Parent | Cox Media Group |
| Website | 971theriver |
WSRV (97.1 FM) – known on-air as 97.1 The River – is a commercial radio station licensed in Gainesville, Georgia and serving the Metro Atlanta area. Owned by Cox Media Group, WSRV features a classic rock music format. Its studios and administrative offices are located within the Cox Television and Radio Facility on West Peachtree Street, near the Brookwood neighborhood of Atlanta.
Operating with an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts, WSRV’s transmitter is situated off Eagle Ranch Road in Braselton, Georgia, positioned at the northeastern boundary of Metro Atlanta. The station utilizes HD Radio technology; its HD2 subchannel broadcasts an alternative rock format titled "The Other Side of The River," HD3 simulcasts talk programming from WSB, and HD4 simulcasts the Latin Pop programming of WCHK.
Initial period
The station began operations on November 1, 1965, under the call sign WWQT as the FM sister station to AM 1580 WLBA Gainesville (currently WPGY Ellijay), owned by Hall County Broadcasting Company. Despite transmitting at 100,000 watts, its 440-foot tower restricted its coverage within the Metro Atlanta market.
In 1972, ownership transferred to Radio Athens, Inc., which changed the call letters to WFOX and implemented a Top 40 format aimed at listeners in Northeastern Georgia. Shamrock Broadcasting acquired WFOX in 1983 with intentions to develop it into a prominent station within a larger market.
Relocation to Atlanta metro
By 1985, Shamrock relocated WFOX’s transmitter tower closer to Atlanta’s more lucrative media market, transitioned to an adult contemporary format, and increased tower height to 1,550 feet. Chancellor Media acquired Shamrock in 1989. Between 1989 and 2003, the station broadcast an oldies format under the brand "Fox 97."
In 2000, AMFM (formerly Chancellor Media) was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, which already held several stations in Atlanta. To comply with FCC ownership regulations, Cox Radio purchased this particular station.
Under Cox Radio
On January 31, 2003, WFOX began a period of stunting, simulcasting various sister stations across the country including those in Miami, Jacksonville, Honolulu, Houston, Long Island, South Carolina, and Richmond.
On February 3, 2003, WFOX launched an upbeat Urban AC format branded as "97.1 Jamz." Initially without on-air DJs, it concentrated on '80s and '90s R&B, hip-hop, and current hits targeting adults aged 25–39. The main competition was with stations like WVEE and WHTA, focusing on the key demographic of 18-34-year-olds and overlapping with rhythmic contemporary sister station WBTS.
Transition to classic hits
Beginning January 1, 2006, the station rebranded as "97.1 The River," featuring a blend of classic hits and classic rock aimed at listeners aged 25–54. The playlist emphasized rock music from the late 1960s through the 1980s while deliberately excluding pop and dance tracks.
On April 17, 2006, WFOX changed its call letters to WSRV to better reflect its "River" branding—a nod to the nearby Chattahoochee River. The WFOX calls were reassigned to Cox Radio’s former WEFX in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Classic rock era
WSRV evolved toward a more traditional classic rock playlist while retaining its "Classic Hits" branding. It incorporated some selections from the 1990s but excluded music from the 2000s. The station features "Rock Blocks," which are sets of three consecutive songs by the same artist—including lesser-known album tracks and live recordings—airing during daytime hours and weekends.
On June 19, 2006, Lexie Kaye became WSRV’s first solo female morning host with weekday shows from 5:30 am to 8:30 am. She served as the station’s only live on-air talent at that time and managed remote broadcasts along with concert promotions. Chris Miller held the role of program director.
In October 2011, rock vocalist Eddie Money briefly hosted “Money in the Morning,” a short-lived program lasting approximately three months.
By September 2013, WSRV introduced an interactive format enabling listeners to express preferences by liking or disliking songs and submit recordings for potential airplay. The song receiving the most likes was queued immediately following the current track.
WSRV also broadcasts digitally through HD Radio, with its HD2 channel delivering an adult alternative rock format branded as "The Other Side of The River." Both primary and HD2 streams are available live via WSRV’s website.
Signal
WSRV holds its license in Gainesville, Georgia, with its transmitter positioned near the southern boundary of Hall County, close to Braselton. While the transmitter was initially dedicated to serving Gainesville, it was later relocated nearer to Atlanta to access the broader metropolitan audience.
The station's broadcast reaches almost all of Northeast Georgia, including cities such as Athens, Cartersville, Roswell, and Toccoa. Under optimal atmospheric conditions, the signal extends as far as Knoxville, Tennessee and occasionally reaches Greenville, South Carolina. However, due to the transmitter’s placement, reception may be inconsistent in Atlanta’s southern and western suburban areas. To address this, WSRV has filed a request with the FCC to downgrade its classification to Class C0 and relocate its transmitter closer to Atlanta.
Broadcast translators
The HD-2 channel of WSRV, known as "The Other Side of the River," supplies programming to two FM translators: W249CK 97.7 FM in Duluth operating at 75 watts and W228CA 93.5 FM in Suwanee broadcasting at 230 watts. These translators primarily cover Gwinnett County and adjacent northeastern metropolitan counties.
In the past, WSRV was the primary source for W243CE 96.5 FM in Winder, Georgia, a low-power translator transmitting at 5 watts and owned by Davis Broadcasting of Atlanta. Authorized in 2004 and launched in 2007 by Radio Assist Ministry with speculative intent, there were plans to relocate this translator to the WSRV/WSBB tower and enhance its power and antenna height to achieve coverage comparable to a Class A station. Following changes in FCC regulations, however, W243CE moved to Columbus, Georgia to offer an FM signal for AM station WOKS (1340 AM).
On April 16, 2018, WSRV-HD3 began simulcasting urban contemporary content branded as "Power 92.3 Jamz" on translator W222AF 92.3 FM in Marietta. This programming was discontinued by Cox in December 2018 following a disagreement with the programmer leasing the translator.
External links
- Official website
- FM station data for WSRV
- FCC Facility W228CA
- FCC Facility W243CE
- FCC Facility W249CK