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'{{Infobox radio station | name = WSRV| image = [[Image:WFOXriver.png]]| city = [[Gainesville, Georgia]]| area = [[Atlanta metropolitan area]]| branding = ''"97.1 The River"''| slogan = Atlanta's Classic Hits Station| frequency = 97.1 [[Megahertz|MHz]] {{HD Radio}}<br>97.1 HD-2 for [[Alternative rock]] "The Other Side of the River" | translator = 96.5 W243CE ([[Winder, Georgia|Winder]])| airdate = 1972 (as WFOX)| format = [[Classic hits]]/[[Classic rock]]| erp = 100,000 [[watt]]s| haat = {{convert|483|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}| class = C| facility_id = 59970| callsign_meaning ='''W S''' '''R'''i'''V'''er| former_callsigns = WFOX (1972-2006) | affiliations = [[Atlanta Gladiators]] Radio Network | owner = [[Cox Enterprises|Cox Media Group]]| licensee = Cox Radio, Inc. | sister_stations = [[WALR-FM]], [[WSB (AM)|WSB]], [[WSB-FM]], [[WSBB-FM]], [[WTSH-FM]], [[WSB-TV]]| webcast = [http://www.971theriver.com/stream/ Listen Live]| website = [http://971theriver.com/ 971theriver.com]| }} '''WSRV''' (97.1 [[FM broadcasting|FM]]; "97.1 The River") is a [[classic rock|rock]]-leaning [[classic hits|classic-hits]]&ndash;[[radio format|format]]ted [[radio station]] that plays music from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. It is broadcast from the [[Cox Media Group]] facility on West [[Peachtree Street]] near the [[Brookwood Hills|Brookwood]] area (between [[midtown Atlanta|Midtown]] and [[Buckhead (Atlanta)|Buckhead]]) of [[Atlanta]] in the United States. It transmits from a [[broadcast tower]] at the northeastern edge of [[metro Atlanta]], which it now shares with sister station [[WSBB-FM]], and a permit for a [[broadcast translator]] for WSB-TV on physical ([[Radio frequency|RF]]) [[TV channel]] 46. In September 2013, it was upgraded into an interactive radio station. Listeners can control the music by like/dislike the songs, and record themselves then send it to be played on the air. Whatever song has the most likes when the previous one finishes is next to play. ==History== The station took the '''WFOX''' [[broadcast callsign]] in 1972. It was a [[top-40]] station targeting [[Gainesville, Georgia]] (its [[city of license]]) until 1985, when it moved into the Atlanta [[media market]] and switched to [[adult contemporary]]. From January 1989 to January 2003, the station was [[oldies]] "'''Fox 97'''".<ref>http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-01-06.pdf</ref> In 2000, [[Cox Radio]] acquired the station from AMFM, which [[divest]]ed it in order to complete the [[merger]] between AMFM and [[Clear Channel Communications]]. On January 31, 2003, the station began [[stunting (radio)|stunting]] by simulcasting its sister stations from across the country (including [[WFEZ|WPYM]], [[WAPE (FM)|WAPE]], [[KCCN-FM|KCCN]], [[KKBQ]], [[KHPT]], [[WBLI]], [[WHZT]], [[KINE-FM|KINE]] and [[WJSR|WDYL]]). On February 3, WFOX switched formats to "[[Urban AC|Hot Urban AC]]" as "'''97.1 Jamz'''".<ref>http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2003/RR-2003-02-07.pdf</ref> The station ran with no [[disc jockey|DJs]] as a supplement for another Cox Radio property, [[WALR-FM]] (Kiss 104.1) which played older-skewing R&B, while Jamz was a mix of '80s/'90s R&B/[[hip-hop]] and current songs, targeting primarily 25- to 39-year-olds. The station's main competitors were [[WVEE (FM)|WVEE]] and [[WHTA (FM)|WHTA]], with whom it competed for the coveted 18 to 34 [[demographic]], which is the same demo that WFOX's [[rhythmic contemporary]] [[sister station]] WBTS targeted. On January 1, 2006, the station flipped to "97.1 The River", a classic hits station targeting people ages 25–54.<ref>http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2006/RR-2006-01-06.pdf</ref> The playlist is currently a mixture of the [[classic rock]] from stations [[WWPW|WKLS]] and [[WZGC (FM)|WZGC]], as well as some of the progressive/new wave music on Cox Radio's own [[WSB-FM]]. On April 17, 2006, the WFOX call sign was changed to WSRV. The [[WFOX (FM)|WFOX]] calls moved to another Cox Radio station, 95.9 the Fox (formerly WEFX), in [[Norwalk, Connecticut]]. The "River" branding is a local reference to the [[Chattahoochee River]]. It is now full-fledged [[classic rock]], from the late [[#1960s|1960s]], [[#1970s|1970s]], and [[#1980s|1980s]], but with little [[1990s in music|1990s]] rock and without [[2000s in music|2000s]] music. "Rock Blocks", which feature 3 songs in a row from the same artist/group, often including former play list, deep cut, and live material, are played at regular day time intervals and on week ends. On June 19, 2006, Lexie Kaye became the River's first on-air personality doing mornings weekdays from 5:30 am–8:30 am. Kaedy Kiely, previously of 96Rock and WZGC during its "Z93" days, became morning host on September 18, 2008. In 2011, Afternoon host Dave Clapper was named Program Director. Veteran Atlanta radio personality Steve Craig joined in early 2012 as Music Director and can be heard on weekends along with longtime Atlanta hosts English Nick and Deborah Reece. On October 5, 2011, it was announced that rocker [[Eddie Money]] would become the new morning host, effective October 10.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2011/10/06/eddie-money-new-morning-show-host-for-the-river/|title=Eddie Money is new morning show host for The River|date=October 6, 2011|work=AJC.com|accessdate=October 8, 2011}}</ref> Money would be released from the station in late December 2011. WSRV is currently broadcasting digital radio using the [[HD Radio]] system, and features [[Adult album alternative|adult alternative rock]] on its HD-2 [[digital subchannel|channel]] branded as "The Other Side of The River". Steve Craig, formerly of [[99X (Atlanta)|99X]], is featured as the host of "The Other Side...". Both stations stream live via WSRV's website. ==Signal== Its [[city of license]] is [[Gainesville, Georgia]] in [[Hall County, Georgia|Hall County]], although as one of [[metro Atlanta]]'s first [[FCC MM docket 80-90|move-in]]s, it now [[transmission (telecommunications)|transmits]] from the southern tip of Hall County, just across the line from [[Braselton, Georgia|Braselton]]. Its [[broadcast range]] covers almost all of [[northeast Georgia]], from just southwest of Atlanta, and a tiny portion of [[upstate South Carolina]]. This includes Atlanta, Athens, Cartersville, Roswell, and Toccoa. Weaker portions of the signal include Rome and Dalton in [[northwest Georgia]], [[Peachtree City]] south of Atlanta, and [[Anderson, South Carolina]]. Depending on [[radio propagation]] conditions, with no other stations located on 97.1 FM, and with a good [[radio antenna]], the station can be clearly heard as far away as [[Knoxville, Tennessee]] and at times, [[Greenville, South Carolina]]. The station has volunteered to downgrade to class C0 in exchange for moving its transmitter closer to the Atlanta metro area. ===Broadcast translators=== WSRV's [[HD Radio|HD]]3 [[digital subchannel]] carries "The Other Side of the River", providing a [[legal fiction]] for it to be broadcast on '''W249CK''' FM 97.7 in [[Duluth, Georgia|Duluth]], despite the prohibition on such [[broadcast translator]] stations carrying their own programming. Previously located between [[Braselton]] and [[Buford, Georgia]] along with WSRV itself (which would obviously not require a translator station where its signal is already extremely high), it is now heard mainly in [[Gwinnett]] and other adjacent northeast metro counties. WSRV HD2 is also the supposed primary station for '''W228CA''' FM 93.5 [[Suwanee, Georgia|Suwanee]] on the same WSRV tower, which allows it to circumvent the prohibition on any [[commercial radio]] translator airing a station outside of its range by [[simulcasting]] [[sister station]] [[WALR (FM)|WALR]] FM 104.1, which is located at the opposite extremity of the southwest metro area. WSRV was previously the primary station for '''W243CE''' (96.5 FM), a "translator" having [[Winder, Georgia]] as its city of license, and transmitting from west-northwest of Winder, about halfway to [[Auburn, Georgia]]. [[Broadcast license|License]]d for just five watts of [[effective radiated power]], it is owned by [[Davis Broadcasting]] of Atlanta. It was originally permitted in 2004 and started in 2007 by [[Radio Assist Ministry]], a company that speculatively [[Great Translator Invasion|filed for thousands of translator stations]] and then [[local marketing agreement|rented]] or [[flipping|resold them for profit]]. The station had a [[construction permit]] to move to the WSRV/WSBB [[radio tower]], increase to the maximum translator power of 250 watts, and exponentially increase its [[HAAT|height]] from 4 to {{convert|392|m|ft|0|sp=us}}. This would give it the [[broadcast range]] of a class-A station, while allowing Cox to circumvent U.S. [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC) caps that prevent the excessive [[concentration of media ownership]] in a market, if the station relays a digital channel from WSRV (or is reassigned to retransmit another station). The translator was and would still be entirely within the main station's range, making it redundant if were to retransmit the main [[analog audio]] of WSRV. Following a change in rules by the FCC, W243CE was instead moved all the way to [[Columbus, Georgia]] in the west central part of the state to become the FM side of [[WOKS (AM)|WOKS]] AM 1340. Davis actually owns a different station in the area: [[WLKQ-FM]], which ironically has a translator station ([[W264AR]]) owned by a different company. That station transmits from near W243CE's current location, and is also upgrading and moving. ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://971theriver.com/ 97.1 The River] *{{FM station data|WSRV}} *{{FMQ|W243CE}} *{{FXL|W243CE}} {{Atlanta Radio}} {{Classic Hits Radio Stations in Georgia}} {{COX}} {{coord|34.1257|N|83.8588|W|type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC|display=title}} [[Category:Cox Radio]] [[Category:Radio stations in Georgia (U.S. state)|SRV]] [[Category:Radio stations established in 1972]]'