Editing WKVB (FM) (section)

==="Untamed Radio"===
{{Quote box
| quote = It's important to remember that WAAF has a 20-year heritage as a New England rock station, I don't want any mixed signals from this thing... it's not that dramatic a change.
| author = [[John Gorman (radio executive)|John Gorman]]
| source = on consulting WAAF's 1989 switch to "Rock 40", an antecedent of their future [[active rock]] format<ref name=":3"/>
| align = right
| width = 250px
| qalign = left
| salign = left
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On March 10, 1989, NewCity Broadcasting traded WAAF and WFTQ to Zapis Communications in exchange for [[WALR-FM|WEKS-FM (104.1)]] in Atlanta in what was a tax-free asset swap; each half of the transaction was valued at $15 million.<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 17, 1989 |title=NewCity/Zapis Swap Could Spell Simulcast Superstation For Atlanta |pages=1, 34 |work=[[Radio & Records]] |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-03-17.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200709/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-03-17.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref> Zapis Communications was headed by Xenophon Zapis and his son Lee Zapis, who also owned [[WZAK]] in [[Cleveland]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=March 17, 1989 |title=NewCity, Zapis Score Big In $30 Million Tax-Free Swap |page=9 |work=[[Radio & Records]] |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-03-17.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200709/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-03-17.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Niesel |first=Jeff |date=June 19, 2019 |title=93.1 FM's Former Owner Lee Zapis Tells the Story of How WZAK Went to No. 1 |url=https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/931-fms-former-owner-lee-zapis-tells-the-story-of-how-wzak-went-to-no-1/Content?oid=30730153 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716113037/https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/931-fms-former-owner-lee-zapis-tells-the-story-of-how-wzak-went-to-no-1/Content?oid=30730153 |archive-date=July 16, 2019 |access-date=February 21, 2020 |website=Cleveland Scene |language=en}}</ref> NewCity already owned [[WAKL (FM)|WYAY (106.7 FM)]], and agreed to keep it in the [[Gainesville, Georgia]], market as a condition of the asset swap.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=March 25, 1989 |title=newsline...|id={{ProQuest|1438690851}} |page=15 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1989/BB-1989-03-25.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200714/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1989/BB-1989-03-25.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref>

When Zapis took over operations in the summer, John Sutherland took over as general manager, promotions director Ron Valeri was promoted to operations manager, Nance Grimes was promoted to acting program director (Grimes left that October, with Valeri assuming the programming role outright)<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ross |first=Sean |date=October 21, 1989 |title=Vox Jox |page=12 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|id={{ProQuest|1438696052}} |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1989/BB-1989-10-21.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200722/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1989/BB-1989-10-21.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref> and [[John Gorman (radio executive)|John Gorman]]—a Boston native best known for programming [[WMMS]] in Cleveland from 1973 to 1986—was hired as a consultant.<ref name=":3">{{Cite news |date=September 8, 1989 |title=Valeri Upped To OM As WAAF Goes Rock 40 |pages=3, 48 |work=[[Radio & Records]] |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-09-08.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200721/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-09-08.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref> As a sign of things to come, [[Aerosmith]] was in-studio to play their upcoming album [[Pump (album)|''Pump'']] two weeks in advance of the album's release.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Perry |first=Dave |date=September 1, 1989 |title=Maria McKee's doing just fine on her own |page=26 |work=[[Lowell Sun]] |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/entertainment-clipping-sep-01-1989-1563444/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200223192535/https://newspaperarchive.com/entertainment-clipping-sep-01-1989-1563444/ |archive-date=February 23, 2020}}</ref>

Owing in part to Gorman's consultancy, WAAF hired Ruby Cheeks for morning drive that October.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 28, 1989 |title=Vox Jox |pages=12–13, 112 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |id={{ProQuest|1438695688}}|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1989/BB-1989-10-28.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331004908/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1989/BB-1989-10-28.pdf |archive-date=March 31, 2021}}</ref> Cheeks was formerly a part of WMMS's morning show and had also hosted evenings and afternoons, and had left the station in a contract dispute.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Olszewski |first=Mike |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jlozhlCZFGIC |title=Radio Daze: Stories from the Front in Cleveland's FM Air Wars |publisher=Kent State University Press |year=2003 |isbn=9780873387736 |location=Kent, Ohio |pages=347 |ref=Olszewski |access-date=February 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161209111044/https://books.google.com/books?id=jlozhlCZFGIC |archive-date=December 9, 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> WAAF's musical direction was shifted to what was called "[[Rock 40]]", featuring harder songs by core artists while increasing the amount of new and current music played. Gorman publicly called it a "fine-tuning" of the playlist instead of a format shift, while the move was also made to improve WAAF's ratings in Boston as opposed to Worcester.<ref name=":3" /> With the relaunch, the station was re-branded as "Untamed Radio", a slogan also used on [[WRQK-FM]] in [[Canton, Ohio]], another station Gorman oversaw.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Mire |first=Beverly |date=July 14, 1989 |title=News |pages=2, 4 |work=The Gavin Report |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Gavin-Report/80/89/Gavin-Report-1989-07-14.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200745/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Gavin-Report/80/89/Gavin-Report-1989-07-14.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref>

[[Greg Hill (radio)|Greg Hill]], who had joined the station's promotions department in 1986,<ref>{{Cite news |date=April 11, 1986 |title=AOR: Segues |page=84 |work=[[Radio & Records]] |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1986/RR-1986-04-11.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=February 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200745/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1986/RR-1986-04-11.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref> was promoted to overnights in June,<ref>{{Cite news |date=June 16, 1989 |title=AOR: Segues |page=52 |work=[[Radio & Records]]|id={{ProQuest|1017222859}} |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-06-16.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=February 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200745/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-06-16.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref> then named as Ruby Cheeks's co-host that November. While John Gorman's consultancy over WAAF eventually ended after he took over as program director for [[WMJI]] in Cleveland<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 25, 1991|id={{ProQuest|1017239324}} |title=WMJI Names New Execs: Legacy Takes Over, Appoints Thacker GM; Gorman OM/PD; Feighan GSM |page=3 |work=[[Radio & Records]] |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1991/RR-1991-01-25.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=December 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200747/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1991/RR-1991-01-25.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref> and subsequently returned to WMMS and [[WHK (AM)|WHK (1420 AM)]] in 1994,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Alexander |first=Shawn |date=December 2, 1994|id={{ProQuest|1017269477}} |title=WMMS Becomes 'The Hext Generation': Heritage Rocker's step-by-step evolution to Alternative |page=20 |work=[[Radio & Records]] |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1994/RR-1994-12-02.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=December 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200746/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1994/RR-1994-12-02.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref> Gorman held high praise for Valeri's work as programmer for WAAF, telling ''Hitmakers'' magazine, "could you imagine what (Ron) would do with a full Boston Metro signal?"<ref>{{Cite news |last=Carter |first=Kevin |date=January 13, 1995 |title=An exclusive interview with John Gorman: OM/PD, WMMS-WMJI; OM, WHK/Cleveland |pages=21–24 |work=Hitmakers |issue=871 |url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Hitmakers/95/Hitmakers-1995-01-13.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=February 22, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210313200812/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Hitmaker/95/Hitmakers-1995-01-13.pdf |archive-date=March 13, 2021}}</ref>

Starting on January 9, 1991, WAAF's programming was simulcast over WFTQ due to what John Sutherland called "substantial losses" for the AM station's prior format;<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 4, 1991 |title=Station to cut staff, format; WFTQ-AM plagued by 'losses' |work=[[Worcester Telegram & Gazette]]}}
*{{Cite news|title=Celtics and HC may be seeking new stations|date=January 10, 1991|work=[[Worcester Telegram & Gazette]]}}</ref> among the people dismissed was Steve LeVeille.<ref>{{Cite web |last=LeVeille |first=Steve |date=August 15, 2014 |title=Chronology of My So-Called Career |url=https://radiofreesteve.wordpress.com/more-stuff/chronology-of-my-so-called-career/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226212957/https://radiofreesteve.wordpress.com/more-stuff/chronology-of-my-so-called-career/ |archive-date=February 26, 2020 |access-date=February 26, 2020 |website=Radio Free Steve |language=en}}</ref> This simulcast ended on September 8 when Zapis Communications entered into an agreement with the [[Boston Celtics]], then the owners of [[WEZE|WEEI (590 AM)]], to simulcast the newly converted [[sports radio]] outlet under the WVEI call sign.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bickelhaupt |first=Susan |date=August 6, 1991 |title=McKenna, Peruzzi leave KISS-108 |page=24 |work=[[Boston Globe]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45681806/mckenna-peruzzi-leave-kiss-108/ |url-status=live |access-date=February 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226212955/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45681806/mckenna-peruzzi-leave-kiss-108/ |archive-date=February 26, 2020}}
*{{Cite news|title=A Sporting Change: WFTQ to pick up WEEI programming|date=August 6, 1991|work=[[Worcester Telegram & Gazette]]}}
*{{Cite news|title=WVEI gets the new call: name change for station WFTQ|date=August 31, 1991|work=[[Worcester Telegram & Gazette]]}}</ref>