WBZV (AM)

WBZV
Adrian, Michigan;
Broadcast area	Lenawee County, Michigan
Frequency	1490 kHz
Branding	WBZV AM 1490
Programming
Format	Talk radio
Ownership
Owner	Bud Walters; (Southeast Michigan Media, Inc.);
Sister stations	WQTE
History
First air date	November 1946; 78 years ago
Former call signs	WABJ (1946 - 2023)
Call sign meaning	Adrian Business Journal
Technical information
Class	C
Power	1,000 watts
Links
Website	https://www.facebook.com/WABJ1490/

WBZV (1490 AM, "NewsTalk 1490") is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. Licensed to Adrian, Michigan, it is owned by Bud Walters, with the license held by Southeast Michigan Media, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on West Maumee Avenue in Adrian, shared with sister station 95.3 WQTE "Q-95 Country."

WABJ's power is 1,000 watts non-directional. The transmitter is on East Siena Heights Drive in Adrian, near Race Track Road and the Lenawee County Fairgrounds.^[1]

History

The station signed on in November 1946; 78 years ago (1946-11). In January 1948, the Federal Communications Commission approved the sale of WABJ by Adrian Broadcasting Company to James Gerity Jr.^[2]

WABJ has functioned as a full-service station for Adrian and Lenawee County since its founding. Music, adult contemporary or Middle of the Road (MOR), was phased out in the early 1990s in favor of the station's current talk format.

WABJ is noted as a "springboard station" for some of the most well-known names in broadcasting. It has launched the careers of such notables as Phil Donahue, Jerry Keil, Rich Hoffer, Gary Fullhart, Mickey Morgret, Aimee Faycosh, Pyke, Andy Stuart, Fred LeFebvre and Joe Elardo.

On July 21, 2021, it was announced the station's broadcast signal would be suspended effective August 1, 2021, largely due to insufficient financial sustainability.^[3] WABJ 1490 was heard back on the air on December 30, 2022.