107.3 THE WAVE RETURNS TO CLEVELAND

Cleveland is about to get a new radio station soon as a Rubber City Radio has begun the process of restoring “107.3 The Wave.” The station’s new website at 1073TheWave.net is up and teasing a “Smooth Jazz Christmas” and ‘Smooth AC Coming Soon,” The station has dropped the remnants of the Album Adult Alternative format and has begin stunting with Smooth Christmas music before actually launching its brand new format on Wednesday, January 4. It was back in October that WNWV owner Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting Co. announced plans to sell the station to the Akron, Ohio based Rubber City Radio Group, Inc.for $6.5 million. The deal was completed that December 16 at 5:00 p.m., with Rubber City Radio Group formally announcing a return to the station's prior "Wave" name[ but with an updated smooth adult contemporary format on January 4, 2012 (in a music style similar to San Diego outlet KIFM). The station serves the Cleveland radio market and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio.

For a bit of history…it was back in December 2009, that it was announced that "The Wave" would be changing formats after 22 years of bringing smooth jazz to Northeast Ohio. WNWV switched to an adult album alternative format featuring a mix of alternative and classic rock. The station at the time cited the nationwide downturn for the smooth jazz format as the reason for the change, despite "The Wave" being a perennially strong ratings performer in Cleveland. Now it appears that the station is comfortable in adopting the smooth jazz/smooth adult contemporary format, which features a hybrid of smooth jazz instrumentals (30%)with adult contemporary vocals (70%). In other words, a smooth jazz format with less smooth jazz thrown in.