Brandon, Mississippi
Brandon is a city in and the county seat of Rankin County, Mississippi, United States. It was incorporated on December 19, 1831. The population was 25,138 as of the 2020 census. A suburb of Jackson, Brandon is part of the Jackson Metropolitan Area, and is located east of the state capital.
History.
The city is named for Gerard Brandon, Governor of Mississippi during the early 1800s. A newspaper, "The News", was established in 1892. The Brandon Bank was established in 1900, and The Rankin County Bank was established in 1906. In 1900, Brandon had a school, a telephone and telegraph office, a saw mill, two livery stables, two cotton gins, two hotels, six churches, and fifteen or twenty stores. The population was 775.
Geography.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 21.3 square miles (55.3 km2), of which 21.3 square miles (55.1 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km2) (0.37%) is water.
Demographics.
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2020 census.
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 25,138 people, 8,780 households, and 6,593 families residing in the city.
2000 census.
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,436 people, 6,295 households, and 4,595 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 6,540 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 86.61% White, 11.89% Black, 0.10% Native American, 0.58% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.30% of the population.
There were 6,295 households, out of which 36.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.0% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 23.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 24.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $53,246, and the median income for a family was $63,098. Males had a median income of $42,414 versus $28,128 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,020. About 4.1% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
Economy.
The Mississippi Department of Corrections operates the Brandon Probation & Parole Office in Brandon. The Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, located in unincorporated Rankin County, is in proximity to Brandon.
Arts and culture.
The Downtown Brandon Historic District is located within the city. Brandon is the location of the Black Rose Theatre Company.
Buildings on the National Register of Historic Places, including:
Government.
The City of Brandon has a city mayor as the chief executive officer and a board of aldermen, with six elected from single-member districts and one elected at-large. The current city officials are Mayor Butch Lee; Alderman, At-Large member Sharon Womack; Alderman, Ward 1 Jarrad Craine; Alderman, Ward 2 Cris Vinson; Alderman, Ward 3 Harry Williams; Alderman, Ward 4 Lu Coker; Alderman, Ward 5 Dwight Middleton; and Alderman, Ward 6 David Farris. The city's attorney is Mark C. Baker.
Education.
The City of Brandon is served by the Rankin County School District.
Infrastructure.
The city of Brandon is served by five fire stations and one administrative central station under the direction of Fire Chief Terry Wages. In 2015, the city established an independent EMS district that provides ambulance services through a private provider, Pafford EMS. The city has one police station under the direction of Police Chief Wayne Dearman.
In popular culture.
The town was mentioned in the 1986 film Platoon by Chris Taylor, a character played by Charlie Sheen.
References.
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WFQY
WFQY is an urban gospel radio station, licensed to Brandon, Mississippi and serving the Jackson, Mississippi area.
From July 2019 to June 2020, WFQY has been simulcasting WJMF-LP (87-7 The Bridge), one of many Franken FMs the FCC had ordered to cease broadcasting by July 2021.
The station began as WRKN in the late 1960s as a country station. Longtime owners were Roy and June Harris. For a short time the station had a 1950s-based oldies format and also had a country gospel format for while. In later years it simulcast its sister station WRJH 97.7 FM with a Southern Gospel format. After WRJH was sold, WRKN AM continued to operate with a Southern Gospel format. After the retirement of the owner the station emerged as an affiliate of the "Real Country" network with classic country with callsign WZQK.
On May 19, 2008, WZQK (Real Country 970) switched from classic country to all-sports. The station's callsign became WJFN.
WJFN also operates a 99-watt translator on 99.1 FM (W256BL) located in Jackson, but is licensed to Ridgeland, Mississippi.
On April 5, 2012, WJFN changed its callsign to WFQY and on April 20, 2012, WFQY changed its format to classic hip hop, branded as "BDay 99-1".
In July 2019 (after brief period of silence), WFQY resumed broadcasting, but was actually simulcasting WJMF-LP.
In June 2020, classic hip-hop returned to WFQY.
In August 2023, WFQY dropped classic hip-hop to simulcast WZQK. The classic hip-hop format (still branded "BDay 99-1") has since moved online.
On April 19, 2024, WFQY ended its simulcast with WZQK and relaunched with urban gospel.

WSCQ-LP
WSCQ-LP (96.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to serve the community of Sun City Center, Florida. The station is owned by Sun City Center Radio, Inc. It airs a community radio format.
The station was assigned the call sign WYYE-LP by the Federal Communications Commission on April 8, 2014. A week later, on April 15, the station changed its call sign to WSCQ-LP
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WFQX (FM)
WFQX (99.3 MHz) is a classic rock formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Front Royal, Virginia, serving the Northern Shenandoah Valley. WFQX is owned and operated by iHeartMedia.
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WFLQ
WFLQ 100.1 FM is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to French Lick, Indiana, the station is owned by Willtronics Broadcasting.
WFLQ-FM, Q-100, signed on at 12:55pm on April 12, 1983, with Satellite Music Network's Country Coast-To-Coast. Q-100 broadcasts on 100.1Mhz with 6,000 watts of modern country, hourly national news and local news six times a day. As of 2015 Q-100 broadcasts Westwood One's Country Format with Westwood One news on the hour. Also broadcast is Springs Valley High School Football, Basketball, Baseball and Volleyball games. Three times a week "Tradio" is heard on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with host Tradio Joe. On Sunday mornings, the popular broadcast "Sunday Morning Gospel Show" with Randall Hamm is heard from 8am – noon. The program is one of the first programs that began on Q-100, that is still heard today. The host Randall Hamm has DJ'd the program since 1995 and was nominated as a Top 10 Small Market DJ, 2012-2015, by the Singing News, the nations leading Gospel Christian Magazine. WFLQ has won Station of the year, in 2020 and 2021, in the Gospel Fan Awards, presented by Christian Voice Magazine, also Randall has also won DJ Of The Year Fan Award, in 2020, as well as part of the Fan Awards. WFLQ is also home to IU Football and Basketball broadcasts in season
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WQFB-LP
WQFB-LP (97.3 FM, "Surf 97.3") is an American low power FM radio station licensed to serve the community of Flagler Beach, Florida, United States. The non-commercial radio station programs an oldies format mixed with Carolina Beach Music. The station is locally owned by Save the Surf, Inc., and managed & operated by Vern Shank of Pyramid Music Productions, Inc.
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WOCQ (AM)
Radio station in Salem, New Jersey, serving Wilmington, Delaware
WOCQ (1510 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Salem, New Jersey, and serving the southern part of Greater Philadelphia, including Wilmington, Delaware. It broadcasts a Spanish contemporary hit radio format. WOCQ is owned by Voice Radio Network.
The station is heard around the clock on its FM translator in Millville, New Jersey, W281CM, broadcasting at 104.1 FM.
History.
The station signed on in 1966 as WJIC ("Jersey Information Center") airing middle of the road (MOR) music and information. From 1981 to the early 1990s, WJIC featured a country music format as "Just Country WJIC", then changed to a talk radio and information format, calling itself "News/Talk 1510".
On October 1, 1997, WJIC, which was co-owned with WNNN on 101.7 FM, took over the FM station's religious format as "Faith 1510" and adopted the WNNN call sign. On May 3, 2001, the call sign was changed to WFAI. The FM call letters were later switched to WJKS.
In December 2014, QC Communications sold WFAI and WJKS for $3.2 million to Delmarva Broadcasting Company, a subsidiary of Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Steinman Enterprises. In February 2019, Delmarva Broadcasting Company was acquired by Forever Media. On October 24, 2019, WFAI flipped to urban adult contemporary, branded as "Jammin' 96.9", which was simulcast on translator W245CJ. It also changed its call sign to WVJJ. WVJJ was also heard on the HD3 channel of WSTW in Wilmington.
On January 1, 2021, WVJJ changed its format from urban adult contemporary to a simulcast of country-formatted WXCY-FM (103.7) from Havre de Grace, Maryland, under a new WXCY call sign.
Starting October 6, 2023, Forever Media leased WXCY to Voice Radio Network, who began using it to carry the "" Spanish CHR programming of its FM translator in Millville, New Jersey, W281CM (104.1); the lease came ahead of a sale of the station to Voice. The "" programming had previously been originated on the HD2 channel of WJBR-FM, an arrangement that was terminated following that station's acquisition by VCY America. On October 19, 2023, WXCY changed its call sign to WOCQ.
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WFYY
WFYY (103.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Windermere, Florida, and serving Greater Orlando. The station is owned by Norsan Media, and airs a tropical music format.
The studios and offices are on Lucien Way in Maitland. The transmitter is on West Story Road in Winter Garden, at Veterans Memorial Park.
WFYY broadcasts in the HD Radio format; its HD2 subchannel simulcasts sister station WDYZ, which carries a regional Mexican format, while their HD3 subchannel carries a Spanish adult contemporary format, which is rebroadcast on FM translator W288CJ, at 105.5 MHz.
History.
Smooth jazz as WLOQ.
In February 1966, the station first signed on as WLOQ. Its original city of license was Winter Park. The station's effective radiated power was 3,000 watts, a fraction of its current output. It was housed in the Langford Hotel. For its first couple of decades, WLOQ aired a middle of the road and easy listening format. In 1977, Gross Communications, headed by Herbert P. Gross, bought WLOQ. Herbert Gross later passed control of the station onto his son, John.
Through the 1990s and 2000s, WLOQ was a smooth jazz station. As the large national radio companies bought most of the major stations in the region, WLOQ was the last independently owned FM radio station in Greater Orlando; in 2011, CEO John Gross decided to retire for medical reasons and put WLOQ up for sale.
Spanish CHR as WHKQ.
In 2011, WLOQ was sold to the TTB Media Corporation. At midnight on August 1 that year, WLOQ signed off after 35 years with "What a Wonderful World" by Louis Armstrong, and WLOQ's smooth jazz format moved exclusively online. The station then began stunting with an all-Elvis Presley format as "Elvis 103.1". On August 3, at 9pm, the station flipped to Spanish contemporary hit radio as "KQ103", launching with 20,000 songs in a row.
On August 1, 2011, WLOQ changed its call sign to WHKQ. The WLOQ branding and smooth jazz format continued as an internet radio station, at WLOQRadio.com. The WLOQ branding was revived in August 2011, on an FM translator, W273CA (102.5 FM) in Orlando, simulcast from the HD Radio signal of WMGF, owned by iHeartMedia. Eventually, iHeart ended the smooth jazz format on the translator, although it continues on WMGF's HD2 signal and online.
Country as WOTW.
On September 5, 2014, JVC Media, a New York-based broadcasting company that has been expanding its portfolio of radio properties in Florida, acquired WHKQ from TTB. That same month, two websites were registered possibly showing JVC, upon closing the sale, may flip WHKQ to country music as "My Country 103.1" to go up against longtime country leader WWKA, owned by Cox Radio. Other websites registered showed WHKQ possibly flipping to dance music as "Party 103.1". JVC also requested to change the station's call letters to WOTW.
JVC's purchase of WHKQ was consummated on December 15, at a price of $10 million. That night, at midnight, after on-air staff members bid farewell and began redirecting listeners to tropical music-formatted WRUM, WHKQ began stunting with simulcasts of other stations owned by JVC. The new WOTW call letters took effect on December 16. On December 19, at noon, the stunting switched to sounds of a radio static, a heartbeat, and wolves howling. At 1:03 pm that day, the station officially flipped to country as "103.1 The Wolf". The first song on WOTW was "My Kinda Party" by Jason Aldean, the first of 10,000 songs in a row to launch the format.
In May 2017, JVC announced that WOTW would activate its HD Radio signal, signing on an HD2 sub-channel to air a mainstream rock format, branded as "Bud 94.1" (in reference to recently acquired translator W231CT, which had previously simulcast WRSO). The sub-channel/translator signed on at 5:15 pm on July 13. On September 30, 2019, W231CT was acquired by iHeartMedia and began to simulcast WFLF. "Bud 94.1" was rebranded "Bud FM" and still continued to be available on the HD2 subchannel until 2022.
Rhythmic contemporary as WFYY.
On July 25, 2022, it was reported that JVC applied to change WOTW's call letters to WFYY effective August 1, signaling a possible format change coming for the station. Multiple domains were registered for the station back in late June, including some with the branding of "Fly 103.1", suggesting a rhythmic-based format under that name, especially as new JVC Florida Director of Programming Stevie DeMann had spent much of his career in the format, previously programming WPYO and WJHM in Orlando. On July 29, at midnight, after playing "The Cowboy Rides Away" by George Strait, WOTW dropped the country format and began stunting with a loop of "Jam on It" by Newcleus, the song choice most likely a tribute to the longtime branding of WJHM, while promoting a change to come on August 1, at noon. On July 30, the stunting shifted to a loop of songs containing the word "Party" in their titles, and on July 31, it shifted to a loop of songs with the word "Power" in their titles; both were similarly a tribute to the previous brands of WPYO. On August 1, at midnight, the playlist shifted to songs with the word "Fly" in their titles, and the new WFYY callsign went into effect. At the promised time, the station flipped to a rhythmic-leaning Top 40/CHR format as "Fly 103.1", with "First Class" by Jack Harlow being the first song played. WFYY competed with WXXL in their format. In September 2022, the country format and "The Wolf" branding returned on the station's HD2 subchannel and on streaming, replacing "Bud FM".
Florida Man Radio.
Despite its efforts, WFYY ultimately failed to capture the former listeners of WJHM or WPYO, carrying just a 1.3 rating in the January 2024 Nielsen Audio market ratings; while it tied with translator-fed rival W283AN/WTKS-HD2, it would ultimately be too little, too late for the format.
On February 28, 2024, JVC announced that WFYY would assume the hot talk format heard on its HD3 subchannel and on translator W288CJ (105.5 FM) as "Florida Man Radio" beginning the following Monday, March 4. The "Fly" airstaff would be released with the move.
Sale to Norsan Media.
Just three months after the flip to "Florida Man", JVC announced on June 13, that it would sell their Orlando stations, including WFYY, to Norsan Media for an undisclosed amount, which was later revealed to be $6 million. The station will flip to a Spanish-language format upon the sale closure, as Norsan focuses on such formats on their stations nationwide. The following day at 6 pm, after airing "The Shannon Burke Show", WFYY and its sister station WDYZ began airing programming from the new owners 3 days before the LMA deal was supposed to start the following Monday, the 17th. The station was rumored to launch its new radio format under the "Latina 103.1" branding. The sale was finalized on August 30. The station did not officially launch its new Spanish tropical radio format as "Kaliente 103.1" until October 1.
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WOKQ
WOKQ (97.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. The station serves the Merrimack Valley, the New Hampshire Seacoast, and York County, Maine, including the cities of Manchester and Portsmouth.
The transmitter is located in Barrington, New Hampshire, with the station's city of license being Dover, New Hampshire. The studios are located in Dover. WOKQ also operates a simulcast on W250AB on 97.9, a translator that fills in signal holes in downtown Manchester. It brands itself as "The Big 97.5".
WOKQ is owned by Townsquare Media. At 50,000 watts of power, its broadcast signal can reach most of southern and central New Hampshire, southern Maine and northeastern Massachusetts clearly.
History.
WOKQ was put on the air in August 1970 by Eastminster Broadcasting Company under the call letters WDNH. Its country format was in place by 1972. Eastminster sold WDNH to Fuller-Jeffrey Broadcasting in 1977, at which point it became WOKQ. Fuller-Jeffrey was sold to Citadel Broadcasting in 1999. Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus stations, including WOKQ and WPKQ, for $238 million. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition of Dial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global were both controlled by Oaktree Capital Management. The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.
Translator.
WOKQ also broadcasts on the following translator:
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WBCQ-FM
WBCQ-FM (94.7 FM) is a radio station licensed to Monticello, Maine, United States. The station currently broadcasts a locally originated classic country format with news and weather at the top of the hour. WBCQ-FM resumed full-time as of October 7, 2013.
WBCQ-FM is owned by Barbara Weiner and Allan Weiner, who also owns the shortwave station WBCQ and AM station WXME. For 5 years, County Communications, Inc. (and later Northern Maine Media) the owner of radio station WHOU-FM, operated WBCQ-FM under a local marketing agreement. That relationship ended April 2, 2013.
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WFQX-TV
TV station in Cadillac, Michigan
WFQX-TV (channel 32) is a television station licensed to Cadillac, Michigan, United States, serving the northern Lower and eastern Upper peninsulas of Michigan as an affiliate of Fox and The CW Plus. It is owned by Cadillac Telecasting Company, which maintains a shared services agreement (SSA) with 910 Media Group, owner of Cadillac-licensed CBS affiliate WWTV, channel 9 (and its Sault Ste. Marie–licensed full-time satellite, WWUP-TV, channel 10), for the provision of certain services. Both stations share studios on Broadcast Way (near US 131) in Cadillac, while WFQX-TV's transmitter is located on 130th Avenue in unincorporated Osceola County, just northeast of Tustin.
As with other network affiliates in this vast and mainly rural area, WFQX-TV operates a full-time, full-power satellite in Vanderbilt, WFUP (channel 45), whose transmitter is located on Hudson Lookout in southeastern Charlevoix County. Unlike other network affiliates in Northern Michigan, the WFQX and WFUP combination does not incorporate the satellite station's channel number in its branding; the stations are simply referred to as Local 32. Except for required hourly legal identification, there is no on-air mention that WFUP exists, and aside from the transmitter, WFUP does not maintain any physical presence locally in Vanderbilt. Unlike its parent station, WFUP does not carry any of WFQX-TV's subchannels and has a different subchannel lineup.
History.
The station first signed on the air as WGKI on UHF channel 33 on October 6, 1989. Its transmitter was just north of the current location in northern Osceola County. The original call letters referred to founder Gary Knapp, a former DJ and television personality. Despite its limited reach, WGKI was available on local cable systems. Prior to WGKI, Northern Michigan received Fox programming on cable from WKBD in Detroit.
In the station's early years, the channel was extremely low-budget. This was evident in the station's use of 1970s-era electronic graphics for the first few years of broadcasting. Due to the growing popularity of the Fox network and shows such as "The Simpsons" and "Married... with Children", the station quickly grew. The on-screen graphics were modernized and it started to use higher-quality video equipment.
In the early 1990s, WGKI launched several repeaters in the Eastern Upper Peninsula unreached by the station's analog signal. By the mid-1990s, the station moved into permanent studios southeast of Cadillac along US 131. On January 11, 1993, the station launched WGKU in Vanderbilt on channel 40 as a full-time satellite of WGKI reaching the Gaylord and Petoskey areas. (As mentioned above, unlike the other network affiliates in the market, the station was simply known as "Fox 33" and didn't include any of the other satellites and repeaters used in the branding; they were simply listed under the graphic on the legal ID.)
When CBS affiliate WJBK-TV in Detroit switched its affiliation to Fox in December 1994 (which caused WGPR-TV to become the new CBS affiliate for Detroit), WGKI started using that station's resources. The move also disallowed rival WKBD from distributing Detroit Red Wings and Tigers games to WGKI. Knapp made a station promo explaining the situation between the three stations. When the Fox affiliation switch in Detroit was made, WGKI replaced WKBD on cable systems in Mid-Michigan and the Eastern Upper Peninsula. This was done so viewers without a local Fox station would maintain access to the network's programming. As a consequence, WGKI also expanded into parts of the Flint, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Detroit markets via cable carriage. As a result, some cable viewers (especially in Bay City, Saginaw, and Michigan's Thumb area) found out that most of WGKI's programming, especially those from Fox, were being blacked out by request of the local affiliate. Soon after, many systems outside Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula dropped WGKI and/or brought back WKBD.
On January 16, 1995, WGKI became a secondary affiliate of UPN. It aired the network's shows outside of prime time. WGKI continued to air UPN programming until 2006, when UPN merged with The WB to form The CW, which had no intentions of maintaining secondary affiliations on existing network affiliates and chose to be on a subchannel of WGTU instead.
In 1999, the channel increased its ERP from 219 kW to 774 kW, significantly increasing its coverage area. In 2000, Knapp retired and sold his stations to Rockfleet Broadcasting for $12 million. Part of the deal called for both channels to change call letters. WGKI became WFQX-TV and WGKU became WFVX. In 2003, Rockfleet moved the WFVX call sign to a low-power station it had acquired in Bangor, Maine, and changed the Vanderbilt station's call letters to WFUP.
On February 10, 2007, WFQX upgraded its digital signal on UHF channel 47 (from a transmitter shared with WGTU east of Kalkaska) to begin airing all Fox programming in high definition for over-the-air viewers. (Prior to then, the station offered a low-power digital and HDTV signal near its studios southeast of Cadillac.) WFQX is available on Charter digital channel 783. On May 10, Rockfleet Broadcasting announced its intentions to sell WFQX/WFUP to Cadillac Telecasting. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the sale in late October. After this approval, the new owner entered into its SSA with Heritage Broadcasting Group.
It had been announced with the switch to digital broadcasting (then scheduled for February 17, 2009), WFUP would shut down. However, that channel had an application to perform a flash-cut to digital-only broadcasting on June 12. At one point, the station operated a digital signal on UHF channel 59 from its tower on Hudson Lookout. WFQX had an FCC-issued construction permit to air a digital signal on UHF channel 32 using the previous analog channel 33 equipment but based from the WWTV tower at its studios. That spot is the highest point in Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
On August 4, 2009, WFQX switched its longtime moniker "Fox 33" to "Fox 32" while adding a logo matching Fox owned-and-operated stations. The station made the channel move with its PSIP also being adjusted to match the new signal. WFUP's digital signal remained the same. The previous allotment is now used for WPBN-TV's digital broadcasts.
WFQX/WFUP are affiliates of the Detroit Lions Television Network which airs pre-season games and the weekly syndicated show "The Ford Lions Report" during the regular season. The station also airs all regular season "NFL on Fox" Lions games. WFQX and PBS member station WCMU-TV were the only stations in the Northern Michigan market that offered analog translator stations. There had been one on channel 31 in Alpena but this was shut down with WFUP serving the area.
At one point, WFQX operated a repeater on channel 40 in Traverse City. That signal was shut down with the addition of one on channel 54. This too has since been shut off. Two translators that served the eastern Upper Peninsula were replaced with digital signals on new digital subchannels of WWTV and WWUP. WFQX also operated a repeater in Alpena, W31BO on channel 31. This would be shut down in November 2009 when WBKB-TV added a new digital subchannel featuring primary Fox and secondary MyNetworkTV programming on 11.2.
In December 2017, WFQX-TV/WFUP rebranded from "Fox 32" to "Local 32". Despite the name change, the station remains a Fox affiliate.
WFQX-DT2.
WFQX-DT2, branded on-air as Northern Michigan CW 32, is the CW+-affiliated second digital subchannel of WFQX-TV, broadcasting in 720p HD on channel 32.2. On cable, the subchannel is available on Spectrum channel 61 in Cadillac, Cheboygan, Gaylord, Manistee, Petoskey, Sault Ste. Marie, Traverse City, and surrounding areas. It is also seen on cable channel 17 in Big Rapids, Evart, Ludington, and Reed City and cable channel 13 in Grayling and Roscommon. DirecTV and Dish Network do not offer a CW affiliate. AcenTek in Mesick, which is one of very few non-Spectrum cable systems in the Traverse City market, gets The CW via Kalamazoo's WWMT-DT2.
History.
What would become WFQX-DT2 began in 1998 as "WBVC", a WB affiliate. It was part of The WB 100+ which was a similar operation to the current CW Plus service. "WBVC" was identified on-air as "Northern Michigan's WB 61" and the call sign was used in a fictional manner because it only aired on cable. WGTU provided promotional and advertising services for "WBVC" which was based at the ABC affiliate's studios on East Front Street in Downtown Traverse City. Prior to the cable-only "WBVC", Northern Michigan received WB programming on cable from WGN-TV in Chicago, which carried the network's lineup nationally via its superstation feed until 1999.
On January 24, 2006, Time Warner and CBS Corporation (the latter of which took over UPN after the split of Viacom into two companies occurred in December 2005) announced that they would shut down The WB and UPN in September 2006 and merge those two networks' resources to create The CW, a new television service whose initials represented the names of both of those respective companies. UPN aired in a delayed arrangement on Fox affiliates WFQX-TV/WFUP. On July 25, a new logo for "WBVC" appeared on WGTU's website. At that time, there were no announcements posted about its future as a CW affiliate. However, that changed a few weeks before the new network started. The CW began broadcasting on September 18. On that date, "WBVC" became known on-air as "Northern Michigan CW" and WFQX dropped its secondary affiliation with UPN. After the station was added to a new second digital subchannel of WGTU, it began to use the WGTU-DT2 call sign in an official manner.
On September 19, 2007, there was an application filed to the FCC by Max Media to sell WGTU to Tucker Broadcasting for $10 million. After approval in April 2008, Tucker entered into a shared services agreement with Barrington Broadcasting that resulted in WPBN operating WGTU. After the closing of the deal with Tucker Broadcasting, the CW subchannel went dark and the programming service became exclusively available via cable with no local affiliate selling advertising. It resumed using the fictitious "WBVC" call letters.
As WFQX-DT2.
In 2018, WFQX-DT2 had assumed the CW affiliation from the once cable-exclusive "WBVC", allowing over-the-air access to the network for the first time in 10 years, rebranding it as "Northern Michigan CW 32". By March 2020, the over-the-air feed of WFQX-DT2 was upgraded into 720p HD; it had been airing in the widescreen standard definition picture format, before then.
News operation.
As WGKI, the station simulcast WKBD's hour-long prime time newscast at 10 o'clock. In June 2000, WFQX launched a news department of its own and began producing a nightly 10 o'clock broadcast. Known as "Northern Michigan's Fox News at 10", this was plagued from the start by a lack of basic resources such as reporters and engineering upkeep. The station initially had its own weather department, but later began outsourcing weather duties to AccuWeather in State College, Pennsylvania, which pre-taped weather segments and fed them to WFQX via satellite. As a result, WFQX was criticized for being too late when severe weather was an issue or choosing not to cover an event. At some point in time, the news title changed to "Fox 33 News at 10" and weekend broadcasts ended.
On January 8, 2007, WFQX began to air a simulcast of the weekday morning show of WJBK, Detroit's Fox owned-and-operated station. Branded as "Michigan's Fox News Morning" and running from 6 to 8 a.m., it featured local weather cut-ins from AccuWeather, and was established as part of a cooperation between the two stations to provide advertising opportunities in Detroit to businesses of Northern Michigan. On February 5, WFQX also began simulcasting the second half of WJBK's 10 p.m. news.
After the sale of the channel to Cadillac Telecasting, the station's news department was shut down. On October 31, WWTV began producing the weeknight 10 p.m. newscast and the WJBK simulcast at 10:30 p.m. was dropped. On January 7, 2008, when CBS began requiring affiliates to carry "The Early Show" in its entirety, the third hour of WWTV's "Michigan This Morning", which had been running from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., was moved to WFQX/WFUP and expanded to two hours. That evening on WFQX, WWTV launched the area's first 7 p.m. news. In April 2013, WFQX (along with sister station WWTV) began airing its newscasts in high definition.
Technical information.
The stations' signals are multiplexed:
WFUP subchannels.
<templatestyles src="Legend/styles.css" />  Simulcast of subchannels of another station
References.
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KWUF (AM)
KWUF (1400 AM, "The Wolf") is a radio station broadcasting a country music music format. Licensed to Pagosa Springs, Colorado, United States, the station is currently owned by Wolf Creek Broadcasting, LLC and features programming from CNN Radio and Westwood One.
References.
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WILQ
Radio station in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, broadcasting country music
WILQ (105.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Williamsport, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Van Michael, through licensee Backyard Broadcasting of Pennsylvania LLC, and broadcasts a country music format. The station is an affiliate of Compass Media Networks, United Stations Radio Networks, and Motor Racing Network.
WILQ uses HD Radio, and broadcasts Family Life Network christian radio programming on its HD2 subchannel, which is simulcast on four FM translators. In addition, WILQ utilizes HD Radio, and broadcasts Twin Valley's Talk Network Talk radio programming on its HD3 subchannel, which is simulcast on WWPA and WMLP, and three FM translators.
History.
The Federal Communications Commission granted Lycoming County Broadcasting Company a construction permit for the station on April 29, 1947 with the WLYC-FM call sign. The station was granted its first license on August 18, 1950.
Translators.
The following four translators are licensed to Family Life Ministries, Inc., and simulcast Family Life Network programming broadcast on WILQ-HD2:
References.
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WQPH
WQPH (89.3 FM) is a Catholic radio station, licensed to Shirley, Massachusetts, United States and serving the Fitchburg area. The station is owned by Prayers for Life, Inc., and is an affiliate of EWTN Radio.
References.
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WZTF
WZTF (102.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an urban adult contemporary format. Licensed to Scranton, South Carolina, United States, the station serves the Florence, South Carolina area. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC. Its studios are located in Florence, and its transmitter is located south of Effingham, South Carolina.
History.
WSQN was adult contemporary before becoming a soft AC station called "light and easy Sunny 102.9" airing a syndicated format from Broadcast Programming called AC45+. Its later formats included oldies and, under Root Communications, "Old school" R & B oldies. As WURV ("The River") it was classic rock, and it was modern rock "Rock 102.9" and then classic hits "102.9 the Point" using the letters WWRK.
In a deal announced in February 1997, Root Communications Ltd. announced plans to buy eight radio stations owned by Florence-based Atlantic Broadcasting, including WSQN. Qantum Communications Inc. purchased Florence's Root Communications Group LP stations in 2003.
On May 15, 2014, Qantum Communications announced that it would sell its 29 stations, including WZTF, to Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia), in a transaction connected to Clear Channel's sale of WALK AM-FM in Patchogue, New York to Connoisseur Media via Qantum. The transaction was consummated on September 9, 2014.
References.
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WALQ
WALQ (1130 AM) is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Carrville, Alabama. The station's broadcast license is held by Augustus Foundation, Inc. The station was established in 1979. As of  29, 2012[ [update]], the station is temporarily dark for financial reasons and seeking authorization from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to remain silent for up to one year.
Programming.
Before falling silent in June 2012, the then-WACQ broadcast an oldies music format to the greater Montgomery, Alabama, area. Since 1993, WACQ had been the home of local morning show "What's Going On", with Pete Cottle and Fred Randall Hughey as co-hosts. Trivia contests, oldies music, and local news made up the program, which aired weekday mornings. On weekends, there was a Saturday morning show hosted by local band director Michael Bird and a Sunday morning gospel music show.
The station also aired a local newscast four times daily and network news every hour from the Alabama Radio Network and Citadel Media. Sports programming included the Alabama Crimson Tide Sports Network, Atlanta Braves baseball, and Reeltown Rebels high school football.
The bulk of this programming shifted to WBIL (580 AM) on June 28, 2012.
History.
Early days.
In 1977, Hughey Broadcasting Company, Inc., applied to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a construction permit for a new broadcast radio station. The FCC granted this permit on February 8, 1979. This new station would broadcast with 1,000 watts of power on a frequency of 1130 kilohertz, but only during daylight hours to protect KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana, CKWX in Vancouver, British Columbia, and WBBR in New York City from skywave interference. The station was assigned call sign "WACQ". After construction and testing were completed, the station was granted its broadcast license on August 6, 1979.
In May 1984, Hughey Broadcasting Company, Inc., agreed to sell WACQ to Buck Helms Broadcasting. The FCC approved the sale on June 27, 1984, and the transaction was completed on November 15, 1984. In July 1985, control of Buck Helms Broadcasting was transferred from Thelma P. Helms to A.B. "Buck" Helms. The FCC approved the move on July 30, 1985. The licensee had the station's call sign changed to "WSFU" on August 26, 1985.
In December 1985, A.B. "Buck" Helms, doing business as Buck Helms Broadcasting, made a deal to transfer control of the radio station to original owner Fred Randall Hughey's Double H. Broadcasting, Inc. The FCC approved the assignment of license on May 6, 1986. Hughey had the FCC restore the original "WACQ" call sign on June 2, 1987.
1990s.
In June 1989, Double H Broadcasting, Inc., made a deal to sell WACQ to Richard P. Smith. The deal gained FCC acceptance on July 27, 1989, but the transaction was never completed. In November 1991, Double H Broadcasting transferred ownership of WACQ to Tiger Broadcasting Company, Inc. The FCC approved the deal on March 9, 1992, and the transaction was completed on March 26, 1992.
This ownership was short-lived as in May 1994, Tiger Broadcasting Company, Inc., contracted to transfer WACQ's broadcast license to Tuskegee Communications Company, Inc. The FCC approved the move on June 29, 1994, and it was completed on August 31, 1994. Just months later, in January 1995, Tuskegee Communications Company, Inc., applied to the FCC to transfer WACQ to a new company called WACQ, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on February 14, 1995, and the transaction occurred on April 14, 1995.
In June 1996, Tuskegee Communications Company, Inc., filed to transfer WACQ to Tiger Communications, Inc. The FCC approved the move on July 31, 1996, and the deal was completed on September 13, 1996. In January 1998, Tiger Communications, Inc., in turn filed an application to send the WACQ license to Hughey Communications, Inc. The move was approved by the FCC on March 9, 1998, and the transaction was completed on May 12, 1998.
2000s.
In October 1999, Hughey Communications, Inc., made a deal to sell the station to Progressive United Communications, Inc., of Heathrow, Florida. The deal gained FCC approval on December 10, 1999, and the transaction was completed on February 3, 2000.
In July 2006, Progressive United Communications, Inc., transferred WACQ back to Hughey Communications, Inc. The FCC approved the transfer on September 8, 2006, and the deal was completed on December 4, 2006. Hughey Communications agreed to pay Progressive United Communications $106,000 plus forgive $50,000 in debt in exchange for the return of the WACQ broadcast license and station assets. This deal came as settlement of a 2003 civil suit between Hughey Communications and Progressive United Communications.
In August 2006, Hughey Communications applied to the FCC to increase this class D station's daytime-only power from 1,000 to 25,000 watts. Whereas with the original 1,000 watt signal the station could operate at full power from sun-up to sunset, the new 25,000 watt power authorization means operating at sharply lower levels (1,000 watts) from sign-on until two hours after sunrise then again from two hours before sunset until sign-off to prevent skywave interference with KWKH, CKWX, and WBBR. The FCC granted a construction permit for this change on August 21, 2007, with an expiration date of August 21, 2010. With testing completed in October 2008, the station applied for a new broadcast license and this was granted on November 25, 2008.
2010s.
In 2006, WP Media Lending loaned Hughey Communications $225,000. This was rolled over into a "First Replacement Promissory Note" in March 2008, then a second note in November 2008, and a third in March 2009. The loan was declared in default in February 2010. In April 2011, Hughey Communications, Inc., filed an application with the FCC to transfer WACQ to Westburg Broadcasting Montgomery, LLC. The FCC approved the deal on May 24, 2011, and the transaction was completed on June 16, 2011. The transfer of ownership was in settlement of the defaulted loan from WP Media Lending to Hughey Communications that, as of December 31, 2010, had increased to $494.662.16 owed. This total included $402,527 in principal, plus unpaid interest, and legal fees.
Fred Randall Hughey, former owner, temporarily continued to operate WACQ under a joint operating agreement with the new owners. Under the terms of the deal, Hughey Communications retained the rights to the "WACQ" call sign and announced plans to relocate them and the station's current programming to another station, then licensed as WBIL, in which he held partial ownership.
Westburg Broadcasting Montgomery, LLC, principal David Westburg also owns Alabama radio stations WINL in Linden, and WXAL and WZNJ in Demopolis (all licensed to Westburg Broadcasting Alabama, LLC) plus stations in Colorado and New Mexico.
Falling silent.
On October 20, 2011, Westburg Broadcasting Montgomery requested that the FCC grant the station special temporary authority to operate WACQ with reduced power. In support of the request, the licensee stated that it acquired the WACQ license as part of a foreclosure on the station and that the "current economic conditions combined with the less than successful operation of the station by the previous licensee" continued to require WACQ to either operate with reduced power or cease operation. This authority was granted on October 24, 2011. On March 9, 2012, Westburg Broadcasting Montgomery applied for an extension of the special temporary authority, citing the same economic conditions as in the original application. This was request approved by the FCC and is scheduled to expire on September 9, 2012.
As of  29, 2012[ [update]], the station is temporarily dark for financial reasons and seeking authorization from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to remain silent for up to one year. Under the terms of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, as a matter of law a radio station's broadcast license is subject to automatic forfeiture and cancellation if they fail to broadcast for one full year.
On July 19, 2012, the station's call sign was changed to WALQ.
On October 10, 2015, WALQ returned to the air with a country music format.
In October 2020, WALQ went silent.
Effective November 30, 2020, Westburg Broadcasting Montgomery sold WALQ to Augustus Foundation, Inc. for $40,000.
References.
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WMVQ
WMVQ (90.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to State University of New York as part of the WRVO network. WMVQ is licensed to Fenner, New York, which is a rural community in Madison County, in-between the communities of Cazenovia, Chittenango and Canastota, in the Syracuse metropolitan area.
History.
WMVQ was originally WXXE, owned by Syracuse Community Radio (SCR), which put the station on the air December 21, 1998, and first licensed the station with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on February 11, 2000. SCR had been founded in 1994 to apply for a license to bring community radio to Syracuse's FM dial. The project grew out of organizing by the Westcott Nation Music Association that included micro-radio in the Westcott neighborhood (1990–91) and a community television audio feed on Time Warner Cable. The organization was active for two years before incorporating in 1994.
Effective December 28, 2015, SCR sold WXXE to the State University of New York so they could instead operate WSPJ-LP (103.3 FM), which puts a listenable signal over central and northern Onondaga County, unlike WXXE. Syracuse Community Radio, Inc., was not allowed by FCC regulations to own both stations. WSPJ-LP broadcasts local news and commentary, local music, youth programming and other content. "SCR has consistently provided this programming in the past," it told the FCC, "but over a very limited signal area at the outer fringe of the Syracuse area, resulting in greatly hampered listenership and participation." Because the 103.3 FM signal primarily covers the northern suburbs of Onondaga County, WSPJ-LP is rebroadcast for listeners in the City of Syracuse on 93.7 FM from a translator, W229CU, atop the Westcott Community Center in Syracuse.
WXXE changed its call sign to WMVQ on June 13, 2016.
References.
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WFYL
WFYL (1180 AM) is a daytime-only radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, United States, the station is owned by Alan and Susan Loch, through licensee Trinity Associates Broadcasting, LLC. Its Valcom whip antenna and transmitter are located in Jeffersonville in the Jeffersonville Golf Club.
As a daytime only station, its frequency is occupied by WHAM from Rochester, New York, in the evenings.
References.
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WFOY
WFOY (1240 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a News/talk format. Licensed to St. Augustine, Florida, United States, the station is currently owned by Local Matters Broadcasting. The station is repeated in St. Augustine on translator W271CJ (102.1 FM).
History.
Considered to be the oldest radio station in St. Augustine, WFOY signed on at 15:45 on Thursday, February 11, 1937 on 1210 kHz at a power of 100 watts, despite claims that the station started July 7, 1936 (more likely the 1936 date is when the construction permit was issued).
WFOY was originally owned by the operators of the Fountain of Youth park, where the station remained until March 12, 2003 (although the park and radio station parted owners). With the NARBA shift of 1941, WFOY shifted from 1210 to 1240 kHz (the new home of all stations formerly on 1210). Over the years WFOY gained power increases to 250 watts (first in the daytime only, then continuously) and then 1,000 watts (again, daytime only at first, then continuously). When WFOY vacated its property to move to the WAOC building, it had to reduce power to 580 watts to avoid interfering with WIYD/1260 in Palatka and other stations on or around 1240.
In August 1965, WFOY added FM service on 97.7 MHz, which was primarily a simulcast of WFOY. With Shull Broadcasting taking possession of WFOY & WFOY-FM in April 1984, the FM became WUVU "View 97.7 FM" with a rock format. WUVU was sold in 1992 when it increased power to 50 kW and shifted frequency to 97.9 MHz. Today, this station is WKSL "97.9 KISS FM" and is owned by iHeartMedia. FM service returned to the site in 1993 when Flagler College's WFCF/88.5 began broadcasting.
Shull Broadcasting bought competing AM station WAOC/1420 in 2002 and sold off WFOY's property at 1 Radio Road in St. Augustine to developers. WFOY moved its studios and transmitter to the WAOC building at 567 Lewis Point Road Extension from where WAOC, WAYL and WSJF transmit. WFCF moved to its own property where it was able to increase power to 10 kW (Class C3) up from the previously authorized 6 kW (full Class A).
On July 1, 2006, the station began streaming on the Internet.
Also in 2006, an article appeared in the St. Augustine Record about Shull Broadcasting's sale of the station (along with WAOC) to Florida-based Phillips Broadcasting, a minority-owned broadcasting company owned by Kristine Phillips.
On August 5, 2021, Phillips Broadcasting filed an application with the FCC to assign its authorization to operate WFOY and W271CJ to Local Matters Broadcasting.
One week later, on August 12, 2021, Phillips Broadcasting owner Kristine Phillips died after a long illness.
On December 2, 2021, radio industry publication AllAccess.com reported that Phillips Broadcasting closed on the sale of WFOY and W271CJ to Local Matters Broadcasting for $1,000. The sale was consummated on December 1.
Programming.
WFOY had been an affiliate of CBS Radio from 1940 to 2006 and rejoined the network in 2012. Today it broadcasts a news/talk format including Dave Ramsey, Dan Bongino, Chris Plante, Gordon Deal and other talk programming. WFOY is the radio home of the St. Augustine High School Yellow Jackets football team. WFOY is an affiliate of the radio network of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League.

WQOK
WQOK (97.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Carrboro, North Carolina, and serving the Raleigh–Durham radio market. WQOK is owned and operated by Urban One and airs a hip hop-leaning urban contemporary radio format. Its studios and offices are located on Creedmoor Road in Raleigh. Its transmitter tower is in Oak Grove, just east of Durham.
Each weekday, WQOK carries the "Headkrack Morning Show", syndicated from Atlanta. Local DJs are heard the rest of the day. WQOK broadcasts in the HD radio format.
History.
WHLF-FM and WJLC.
WQOK is considered a "move in" station, having begun its history in Virginia, about north of Raleigh, before it moved into the Research Triangle of North Carolina. On October 1, 1960, the station signed on as WHLF-FM in South Boston, Virginia. It was the FM counterpart to WHLF (1400 AM; now WAJL), with the two stations simulcasting their programming. WHLF-FM effective radiated power was 2,400 watts, limiting its coverage to just South Boston and adjacent communities.
In the 1970s, it changed its call sign to WJLC-FM, airing an automated Top 40 format separate from the co-owned AM station. The power was increased to 29,000 watts but only using a tower, so it still did not cover the Raleigh-Durham market. In the 1980s, it switched to a soft adult contemporary/MOR format, but the power and antenna height remained the same.
Moving to Raleigh.
In 1987, radio entrepreneur and syndicated morning radio host Tom Joyner purchased the station, under the corporate name "Power Broadcasting". The format was switched to urban contemporary, using the call letters WQOK, and rebranded as "K-Power 97.5". Joyner moved the transmitter tower closer to Raleigh, boosting it to in height above average terrain (HAAT). He also upgraded WQOK's effective radiated power to 100,000 watts, the maximum power permitted by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), although the city of license remained as South Boston.
The new tower and coverage area gave WQOK a "city grade" signal over South Boston as required by the FCC, and also put a strong signal around the Triangle as well. Closing down the original South Boston studios, the station signed on from brand new facilities in Raleigh. By winter 1991, WQOK claimed the number one spot in the Arbitron ratings.
Sale to Clear Channel.
In 1989, Joyner sold the station to Four Chiefs, Inc., owned by noted African-American broadcast executive Ragan Henry. Henry owned the station for seven years and sold it to Clear Channel Communications in May 1996.
In 2000, as a result of a merger between Clear Channel and another owner of radio stations, AMFM, the new larger company wanted to spin off some of its stations. WQOK was sold to Radio One (now called Urban One), along with current sister stations 107.1 WFXC, 104.3 WFXK, and 103.9 WNNL. The sale meant that once again, the station is under African-American ownership.
Changing the city of license.
In 2007, WQOK asked the FCC to move its city of license to Carrboro, put the transmitter on a tower in Durham and decrease from Class C1 to C2. This dropped the power from 100,000 watts to 50,000 watts and all but eliminated coverage of Virginia. It reduced a short-spacing issue with WWWV in Charlottesville, Virginia, which also broadcasts on 97.5 MHz. The station's new tower is shared with WFXC.
WQOK had carried the syndicated Russ Parr Morning Show. In January 2016, Parr was replaced by The Rickey Smiley Morning Show, which is syndicated by parent company Urban One.
References.
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WUFO
WUFO (1080 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Amherst, New York, and serving the Buffalo metropolitan area. It is owned by the Visions Multi Media Group headed by Sheila. L. Brown and it broadcasts a hybrid Urban AC and Classic Hip Hop radio format. Its studios are on Broadway Avenue in Buffalo.
WUFO transmits 1,000 watts non-directional. WUFO is a daytimer station because 1080 AM is a clear-channel frequency reserved for Class A stations WTIC Hartford and KRLD Dallas, so WUFO must sign off at sunset to avoid interference. The transmitter is on Genesee Street in Cheektowaga. Programming is heard around the clock on 35-watt FM translator W243DX at 96.5 MHz. It uses the FM translator frequency in its moniker, "Power 96.5."
History.
WPDQ, WKEN and WMAK.
The roots of today's WUFO can actually be traced back to 1925, with the founding of WPDQ in Kenmore, New York, a Buffalo suburb. WPDQ was owned by Hiram Turner and Nelson P. Baker (not related to venerable priest Nelson H. Baker) and operated for one day, December 30, 1925, before the Federal Radio Commission suspended its license. By the time the station returned to the air in 1927, it had taken the call sign WKEN. General Order 40 proposed that WKEN share airtime with WKBW, which was moving to the frequency WKEN was using at the time: 1470 kilocycles. WKEN objected and proposed to move down the dial to 1040 and operate as a daytime-only station, then a novel concept. In 1930, WKEN became WMAK, taking on the intellectual property of a station that was displaced when "The Buffalo News" purchased its frequency. (The other station became WBEN.)
The second incarnation of WMAK ceased operations in 1932, amid the Great Depression and antitrust pressures on the Buffalo Broadcasting Company that owned WGR, WMAK and WKEN at the time. The FRC ordered the station off the air, ostensibly due to "an unsatisfactory showing of public interest."
WXRA and WINE.
The Kenmore allocation remained silent for the next 14 years. In the interim, the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA), implemented in 1941, pushed all stations broadcasting on 1040 up the dial to 1080. In 1946, Thaddeus Podbielniak and Edwin R. Sanders (d/b/a Western New York Broadcasting Company) applied to the FCC to construct a 1,000-watt AM radio station on the 1080 allocation in Kenmore. A construction permit was granted in April 1947. The original call sign for the construction permit was WNYB, but when the station signed on in January 1948, it had the new calls WXRA. The city of license was changed from Kenmore to Buffalo in 1952, although its studios and facilities remained in Kenmore. For the first decade or so of its existence, WXRA was a little-noticed full-service radio station offering a wide variety of music and local news.
George "Hound Dog" Lorenz, who later became a Buffalo radio legend on WKBW and started up WBLK 93.7 FM in 1964, had a show on WXRA during its early years, but was eventually fired for playing too much "race music" (the term used for Rhythm and Blues music in those days). After WKBW adopted a Top 40 format in the late 1950s and took away Lorenz' privilege of playing what he wanted, he returned to 1080 AM and attempted to purchase the station, but was outbid by noted radio station owner Gordon McLendon.
In 1957, Podbielniak and Sanders sold WXRA to John Kluge, who went on to found Metromedia, which eventually owned radio and TV stations in New York City, Washington, D.C. and other cities. Kluge changed the station's call letters to WINE and debuted a Top 40 format on 1080 on October 15, 1957. WINE's mascot was a caricature of an inebriated Frenchman, and the station's slogan was "It goes to your head!" WINE's city of license was changed from Buffalo to Amherst in 1959, although by then the station's studio and transmitter were located on LaSalle Avenue, in Buffalo.
Black Programming.
Acclaimed broadcaster Gordon McLendon purchased WINE in 1960. In April, McLendon changed the call sign to WYSL (for "Whistle") and dropped the Top 40 format in favor of Beautiful Music. Toward the end of 1961, however, McLendon moved the WYSL call letters and easy listening format to the 1400 spot on the AM dial (formerly WBNY). He sold the 1080 frequency to Dynamic Broadcasting, which instituted the WUFO call sign and recrafted the station as the first radio broadcaster programmed for Buffalo's African American community.
Donald C. Mullins, Sr. started out doing the news and eventually worked his way up to become WUFO's General Manager from 1968 until 1981. He received numerous accolades while holding the position at WUFO. Gary Byrd, who went onto a radio career in New York City, began his radio career at WUFO in the 1960s.
Today's 103.3 WEDG was originally the FM side of WXRA (as WXRC) and then of WINE (as WILY and then WINE-FM) in the 1950s. However, Gordon McLendon retained control of the FM station after selling off 1080 to Dynamic and moving the intellectual property of WYSL and its beautiful music format to 1400.
WUFO.
Western New York's first radio station programming to the African-American community began in 1961 when famed station owner Gordon McLendon moved WYSL from 1080 to 1400 AM. McLendon sold the 1080 frequency to Leonard Walk, who owned a group of Black formatted stations (such as WAMO Pittsburgh and WILD Boston). When Walk bought the 1080 frequency in 1961, the original desired callsign was "WJOE" for "W-JOE in Buffalo." Since the callsign was unavailable, the owner instead chose the WUFO call sign and named the station "WU-FO in Buffalo". These call letters provided the rhyming and identification with Buffalo that the owners desired. WUFO's new format began on November 2, 1962 with famed Cleveland Disc Jockey Eddie O'Jay as the first on the air.
Many of the nation's top African American radio personalities spent time at WUFO. Some include Frankie Crocker, Gary Byrd, Herb Hamlett, Jerry Bledsoe, Thelka McCall and her son Dwayne Dancer Donovan, Don Allen, Jerry Young (Youngblood), Don Mullins, Sunny Jim Kelsey, Mansfield Manns Jr, III., Al Brisbane, Jimmy Lyons, H.F. Stone, Chucky T, Al Parker, Gary Lanier, Kelly Carson, Darcel Howell, Mouzon, David Wilson, Byron Pitts, Mark Vann, "The Discotizer" Keith Pollard and Jheri-Lynn. Jimmie Raye hosted the morning show from 1969 to 1971. Raye moved to LA to record music and later produced a TV Special known as "The Soul Thing", in 1976.
In 1972, the Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation purchased Dynamic Broadcasting, making WUFO the only African American owned station in Western New York.
Gospel Music.
Over the years, WUFO played urban gospel music on Sundays. But in the early 2000s it became WUFO's full time format. Until it left the Gospel format in 2017, WUFO often was the only Urban Gospel station in Western New York. A competing gospel station was operated by the Totally Gospel Radio Network on WBBF from 1997 to 2006 and on WHLD from 2006 to 2010.
WUFO was granted an FCC construction permit to move to a new transmitter site and tower, shared with WECK 1230 AM. The permit allowed WU