WLVE

Broadcast areaGreater MilwaukeeFrequency105.3 MHzBrandingK-LoveProgrammingFormatContemporary Christian Music (CCM)AffiliationsK-LoveOwnershipOwnerWPFF Sturgeon Bay/Green Bay WDKV Fond du Lac, WisconsinHistoryNovember 22, 2001; 22 years ago (2001-11-22)WFZH (2001–2008)
WKMZ (2008–2011)Wisconsin's K-LoVETechnical informationFacility ID88081ClassAERP1,650 wattsHAAT193 meters (633 ft)LinksWebsiteklove.com

WLVE (105.3 MHz) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Mukwonago, Wisconsin, and serving the Greater Milwaukee radio market. The station is owned by the Educational Media Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Franklin, Tennessee. WLVE began airing the "K-Love" network's Christian Contemporary radio format on February 15, 2008.

WLVE is a Class A FM station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 1,650 watts. The transmitter is off Beeheim Road in Waukesha.^[1]

History

The station signed on the air on November 22, 2001; 22 years ago (November 22, 2001). The original call sign was WFZH. After going on the air in late November, it began with a Christmas music format. Just after Christmas, the station switched to Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) as "105.3 The Fish." WFZH was owned by Salem Communications, the largest Christian broadcaster in the United States. It shared studio space and staff with its sister station, 540 WRRD-AM, a Christian talk and teaching outlet.

Danny Clayton was hired as the first (and only) program director for WFZH, having previously spent his Milwaukee radio career at Adult Contemporary-formatted WKTI 94.5. Other original staff members included Milwaukee radio veteran Andi Miller. Personalities who later joined "The Fish" included Jon Hemmer (currently WMBI, Chicago) and Rick Hall, host at SOS Radio Networks.

For a time, WFZH had a friendly rivalry with co-owned "WZFS 106.7 The Fish" in Chicago, which included a paintball game between the stations' employees. This rivalry lasted until the Chicago station was sold to Univision Communications in 2005 and WZFS became Spanish language AC station WPPN.

In February 2008, Salem sold both stations in separate deals.^[2] WRRD was purchased by Good Karma Broadcasting, which moved the ESPN Radio all-sports format from 1510 to 540 as WAUK. WFZH remained with Contemporary Christian Music. But its sale to the Educational Media Foundation led to a change from local programming to EMF's K-Love national network. This took effect after midnight on February 15, 2008, following 2 days of on-air farewells from the "Fish" staff. On May 30, the call letters changed to WKMZ.

On April 29, 2011, WKMZ changed its call sign to WLVE to go with the "K-Love" branding. The call letters, which had been warehoused at the current day WXVA in Winchester, Virginia, and had been used for their longest period on what is now WMIA-FM in Miami from 1984 until 2009.

Around October 12, 2020, the hourly station identification was given as "105.3 WLVE Mukwonago-Milwaukee and 97.9 WCKL Chicago."

References

External links

• WLVE in the FCC FM station database
• WLVE in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
• Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article on the last day of "The Fish," 2/14/2008

42°58′05″N 88°11′20″W / 42.968°N 88.189°W / 42.968; -88.189