WLAT-FM in Conway, South Carolina played beautiful music at one time. The station then changed its call sign to WYAV and changed the format to a CHR/Top 40 format, under their new name as "The New Wave 104 FM". In the mid-1980s WYAV became the market's first 100,000-watt station and made another format change to AC. At the height of the station's popularity, WYAV bought an ad in the Myrtle Beach Sun-News to congratulate the listeners on making it the number-one station in the market. The format later changed to Adult Top 40, and eventually Classic Rock in November 1993.
In the 1990s, WYAV added Howard Stern.[citation needed] Eventually, Stern became too controversial and was dropped because the station couldn't sell advertising for him, according to program director Brian Rickman.[2]
Mike Gagliano of WWBRDetroit became afternoon DJ and music director in 1999.[3] Less than a year later he was back in Detroit at WRIF.[4]
Until January 22, 2010, the station aired the syndicated morning show The Free Beer and Hot Wings Show. On January 25, 2010, Wave 104.1 and is sister station WKZQ-FM swapped morning shows.
In September 2017, Dick Broadcasting announced the purchase of Alpha Media stations in three markets — 18 stations and two translators in total, at a purchase price of $19.5 million.[5] The acquisition of WYAV by Dick Broadcasting was consummated on December 20, 2017.
