City Tybee Island, Georgia Frequency 102.1 MHz | Branding 102.1 The Sound First air date 1971 | |
Broadcast area Savannah, Georgia
Hilton Head, South Carolina Slogan The New Sound Of Savannah | ||
WZAT (102.1 FM) is a radio station licensed to Tybee Island, Georgia. The station is owned by Cumulus Media, and serves Savannah, Georgia. Its studios are located on Television Circle in Savannah and utilizes a transmitter located west of the city in unincorporated Chatham County.
History
102.1 FM, known as WZAT, signed on in 1971 as a completely automated Top 40 station with the locally popular "Breakfast With Burl" program as the only exception. Airstaff was gradually added, and between a strong AM station (WSGA), and a slightly lighter top 40 station in the late-1970s as WSGF 95.5, a real format war ensued. By 1986, 95SGF had become modern-day rocker WIXV, and AM 1400 had quickly moved out of the format during the death of AM top 40 in 1982. In the 1980s to early-1990s, "Z102" was the dominant (and often only) Top 40 station in Savannah. Stations like 99.7 WHTK, Kiss 98.7, Wave 97, and Blu 92 all tried and (mostly) failed in taking on the popular Z102.
In 1992, the station was sold and flipped to modern rock as "WZAT (or later, Z102) - Savannah's Rock and Roll Radio" and, alternately, "Z102" and was a very popular Alternative rock station. Phoenix Media Partners sold the station to Cumulus in 1997. Upon the sale to Cumulus, the station repositioned as Top 40. The station has since been Top 40 and Top 40/Hot AC hybrid twice since then; it flipped to Hot AC on March 11, 2008. The next day, the station revealed its new name and positioner, which was "Mix 102-1 - The Best Mix of Music." On October 1, 2010 WZAT began stunting in preparation of a new format. On October 4, 2010, 102.1 became a sports talk station carrying ESPN Radio. On January 2, 2013, 102.1 began carrying CBS Sports Radio.
On August 15th, 2014, WZAT flipped to a country music format branded as Nash Icon 102.1. As a spin-off of the company's Nash FM brand, the Nash Icons format is designed to be a country equivalent to the older-skewing adult top 40 format, with an emphasis on music by veteran country acts alongside newer hit songs. WZAT was, alongside Atlanta sister W255CJ, one of the first two stations to adopt the format.
On March 24th, 2017, after stunting with songs with the word "sound" in their names, WZAT flipped to Hot AC as "102.1 The Sound". Positioning itself between WAEV and WYKZ, the move brings the frequency close to its longtime heritage as Z102. The syndicated "Bert Show" will be added for mornings.