WVEZ

The station signed on the air in April 1967 as WKRX in Louisville, airing the automated "Young Sound" format, a blend of soft adult contemporary and easy listening music from CBS Radio.[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1970/B%20Radio%20All%20BC%20YB%201970%20All-3.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1970 page B-84] It switched to a Schulke-produced Beautiful Music format in 1970. In 1974, it was acquired by Stoner Broadcasting and its call sign changed from WKRX to WVEZ.{{Cite web|url=http://lkyradio.com/WVEZ.htm|title=Welcome to LKYRadio - Classic Louisville, Kentucky Radio - WVEZ Page|website=lkyradio.com|access-date=2020-02-14}} The EZ in the call letters represented the easy listening format.

The station continued to play the Schulke format until 1984, but remained Beautiful Music until 1986. In April 1986, the station switched to a satellite-delivered Soft Adult Contemporary format, before going with live disc jockeys and local programming in 1989. The station rebranded from "EZ107" to "Lite 106.9" in 1993. In 1999, the station was acquired by the Atlanta-based Cox Radio, Inc.[https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2005/Radio-All-2005-BC-YB.pdf Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2005 page D-230]

WVEZ's call letters were changed to WVEZ-FM in 1988. Its AM sister station at 790 kHz, now WKRD, changed its call sign to WVEZ. 106.9 remained WVEZ-FM until December 7, 1999.{{cite web|url=http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=53595&Callsign=WVEZ |title=WVEZ Call Sign History |work=United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division }}

WVEZ began a tradition in 1999 in which it flipped to exclusively Christmas music during the holiday season. The tradition continues to this day.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wave3.com/story/33670480/louisville-radio-station-playing-holiday-music-now-through-christmas-night/|title=Louisville radio station playing holiday music now through Christmas night|date=2016-11-09|website=Wave 3 News|language=en-US|access-date=2020-11-25}}

On July 20, 2012, Cox Radio, Inc. announced the sale of WVEZ and 22 other stations to SummitMedia LLC for $66.25 million. The sale was consummated on May 3, 2013.{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/59007/cox-puts-clusters-up-for-sale/|title=Cox Puts Clusters Up For Sale|date=2012-07-20|website=RadioInsight|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-14}}{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/80882/cox-sells-stations-in-six-markets-to-two-groups/|title=Cox Sells Stations In Six Markets To Two Groups|date=2013-05-06|website=RadioInsight|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-14}} SummitMedia moved WVEZ's city of license from Louisville to St. Matthews, Kentucky, although the studios and transmitter remained in place.

On January 4, 2016, WVEZ rebranded from "Lite 106.9" to "106.9 Play."{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/95763/play-time-in-louisville/|title=Play Time In Louisville|date=2016-01-04|website=RadioInsight|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-14}}

On October 5, 2020, WVEZ flipped to Christmas music. While WVEZ has typically been one of the nation's earliest flippers (occasionally flipping in late October), the unusually early change to Christmas music is in part to provide a diversion during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. WVEZ was the third station to change that year, with two other early changing stations also citing COVID-19 for the exceptionally early holiday music.{{Cite web|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/199054/wvez-louisville-makes-early-move-to-christmas-music/|title = WVEZ Louisville Makes Early Move to Christmas Music}}

At midnight on March 8, 2021, WVEZ shifted to Hot AC under the name “Mix 106.9”. The shift eliminated all music from before 2000 in their playlist.{{Cite web|title=SummitMedia Mixes Up Louisville|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/205871/summitmedia-mixes-up-louisville/|access-date=2021-03-08|website=RadioInsight|language=en-US}}

File:WVEZ logo.png

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• {{FM station data|743150|WVEZ}}
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{{Louisville Radio}}

{{Adult Contemporary Radio Stations in Kentucky}}

VEZ

Category:Radio stations established in 1966

Category:1966 establishments in Kentucky

Category:Hot adult contemporary radio stations in the United States

Category:St. Matthews, Kentucky