WEZI (FM)
| Company type | Commercial radio station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Radio broadcasting |
| Founded | November 1, 1965 |
| Headquarters | Jacksonville, Florida , United States |
Area served | Jacksonville metropolitan area and surrounding regions |
| Products | Mainstream adult contemporary music programming |
| Owner | Cox Media Group |
WEZI (broadcasting at 102.9 MHz under the brand "Easy 102.9") is a commercial FM radio outlet based in Jacksonville, Florida. The station offers a mainstream adult contemporary playlist, featuring tracks from the 1980s up to the 2010s, alongside current popular songs. Owned by the Atlanta-based Cox Media Group, its studios and administrative offices are situated on Central Parkway within Jacksonville's Southside area.
The transmitter, located near Hogan Road in Arlington, functions as a Class C FM facility with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts and an antenna height above average terrain (HAAT) of 309 meters (1,014 feet). Its broadcast coverage extends from the Georgia coastline down past St. Augustine and southwest towards Gainesville.
WIVY-FM
The station began operations as WIVY-FM on November 1, 1965, initially transmitting at 28,900 watts. It served as the FM counterpart to AM 1050 WIVY, which was restricted to daytime broadcasting; this allowed for continuous programming via the FM band. Both stations were originally under the ownership of New York broadcaster Ed Bell Oberle before being acquired by Alumni Radio, Inc. in 1966.
In 1971, New York announcer Tom Kirby took ownership through Jacksonville Broadcasting and shifted both stations to an album-oriented rock (AOR) format featuring a youthful team of DJs. The AM station relocated to 1280 kHz but continued as a daytime-only broadcaster while simulcasting WIVY-FM content.
Kirby sold WIVY-FM in 1976 to Torrid Broadcasting, a division of Progressive Communications, which transitioned the format to Top 40 hits under the "Y-103" brand. In 1985, Gilmore Broadcasting purchased the station and boosted its power to 100,000 watts to better serve Jacksonville’s growing radio market. By 1988, J.J. Taylor Communications had taken over and steered the format towards hot adult contemporary while maintaining the Y-103 identity.
WMXQ
Capstar acquired the station in 1998, preserving its Hot AC style but changing the call sign to WMXQ and rebranding as "Mix 103." Two years later, Capstar sold WMXQ to Cox Radio, which shifted the format on November 1, 2000, to exclusively feature 1980s music, adopting the name "102.9 The Point."
WXXJ
On February 25, 2009, Cox transformed WMXQ into an alternative rock station called "X102.9," with the call letters changing to WXXJ on April 7, 2009. This repositioning was aimed at competing with established modern rock outlet WPLA (currently a mainstream rock station).
As WXXJ’s audience grew, it actively challenged WPLA through promotional campaigns that even drew police attention. On August 4, 2010, WPLA abandoned its alternative rock format in favor of classic hits, leaving WXXJ as Jacksonville’s only modern rock broadcaster until 2019.
WEZI
On November 20, 2017, WXXJ swapped its format and frequency with its sister station WEZI (106.5 FM), adopting WEZI’s soft adult contemporary programming and rebranding as "Easy 102.9." After initially airing exclusively Christmas music, the Soft AC format resumed on December 26, 2017. The two stations also exchanged call signs on November 26, 2017.
Since then, WEZI has developed into a mainstream adult contemporary outlet featuring hits spanning from the 1980s through the early 2020s. It regularly competes with AC rival WEJZ, owned by Renda Broadcasting, often achieving similar standings in Nielsen Audio Ratings.
Christmas Music
In late November 2017, WEZI transitioned to a full lineup of Christmas music as part of a frequency exchange with WXXJ, aiming to highlight its new broadcast position. Between 2018 and 2023, the station featured holiday tunes sporadically before the festive season but did not adopt a permanent Christmas music format.
At the beginning of November 2024, WEZI once more embraced an all-Christmas music format, promoting itself as "Jacksonville's Home for the Holidays" and positioning itself as a direct rival to 96.1 WEJZ, the long-standing leader in holiday music within the Jacksonville radio market.