Branding "1450 ESPN" First air date January 20, 2006 | Frequency 1450 kHz Format Sports | |
City Charlottesville, Virginia Broadcast area Charlottesville, Virginia
Albemarle County, Virginia | ||
WVAX is a Sports formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Charlottesville, Virginia, serving Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. WVAX is owned and operated by Saga Communications.
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History
WVAX is Charlottesville's newest AM station. The initial construction permit was applied for in January 2004 by Anderson Communications LLC, owned by Charles M. Anderson of Bowling Green, Kentucky, who holds separate interests in several FM stations in that state. The construction permit was granted in September 2005, and by the end of the month Anderson sold it to Saga Communications for $150,000.
Saga put the station on the air on January 20, 2006 with a progressive talk format from Air America. Air America ceased national programming in January 2010, precipitating format changes at many of its affiliates. WVAX continued with the talk format until April 1, 2011, when it flipped to national sports radio programming from ESPN Radio.
In May 2016, WVAX gained a 100-watt FM translator on 103.1 MHz from the Charlottesville antenna farm on Carter Mountain. This translator is currently in operation, but under opposition from Piedmont Communications, as several listeners of WJMA Culpeper have filed interference complaints. Saga lowered the transmitter's power to 80 watts in an attempt to resolve the complaints.
Translator
In addition to the main station, WVAX is relayed by an FM translator to widen its broadcast area.