WERZ is a radio station located in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, located at 107.1 on the FM dial. On air it is presented as 107.1 WERZ.
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The station was formerly known as WKXR-FM. In March 1982 the call letters were changed to WERZ, with the slogan "Z107...the continuous music FM". The format also changed to CHR. The first program director was Jack O'Brien. The studios were located at 11 Downing Court in Exeter.
WERZ continued through the mid 80s as a Top 40 radio station with great ratings success. Boston-area concert promoter Don Law's Precision Media purchased the station in 1986 and modified the format to a hybrid Adult Contemporary/Top 40 format, during which time the on-air slogan was "107FM WERZ...today's hits, yesterday's classics". Due to the gold-based music product, ratings dropped precipitously until around 1990, when the tempo of the music was picked up, the older Adult Contemporary music was dropped, and more current music was added to the rotation. The slogan was modified to "107.1 FM WERZ...more music, more variety". Specialty weekend programs helped to boost ratings, including American Top 40 with Shadoe Stevens, Rick Dees Weekly Top 40, and "Party Saturday Night" featuring uptempo party songs and "megamixes" of popular dance music, as well as frequent prize giveaways and heavy listener interaction and requests.
WERZ was a Hot AC through most of the 2000s and known on air as Hits of the 80s, 90s and Today 107.1 WERZ. For the first time in December 2008 WERZ went all Christmas. After the holiday season WERZ became an Adult Contemporary station playing an even bigger mix of the 80s, 90s and Today. Then in December 2009 WERZ went Christmas again and this time returned as Hot AC with the on air slogan of The 80s, 90s and Now on Today's Mix.
In February 2010 WSKX and WERZ announced that Matty in the Morning, syndicated by WXKS-FM out of Boston, would be moving from Kiss 95.3 to WERZ.
WERZ broadcasts from studios located on Lafayette Road in Portsmouth and from a transmitter located on Long Hill in Stratham, New Hampshire. WERZ's signal serves southeastern New Hampshire (more commonly known as the New Hampshire Seacoast Region), York County, Maine, and northeastern Massachusetts. WERZ's legal identification is WERZ-Exeter/Portsmouth, with Exeter being the actual city of license
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