WOLZ

Last updated
WOLZ
Broadcast area Southwest Florida
Frequency 95.3 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding95.3 The Beach
Programming
Format Classic Hits
Subchannels HD2: Christian Contemporary WAYJ simulcast
Affiliations Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
WBCG, WBTT, WCCF, WCKT, WCVU, WIKX, WWCD, WZJZ
History
First air date
September 30, 1969;55 years ago (1969-09-30) (as WFJY)
Call sign meaning
Oldies (former format)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 13898
Class C1
ERP 79,000 watts
HAAT 145 meters (476 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
26°30′18.00″N81°51′14.00″W / 26.5050000°N 81.8538889°W / 26.5050000; -81.8538889
Translator(s) HD2: 100.5 W263BI (Fort Myers)
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen Live
Website 953beach.iheart.com

WOLZ (95.3 FM, "The Beach") is a commercial radio station licensed to Fort Myers, Florida, and serving Southwest Florida. It airs a classic hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It carries two nationally syndicated shows on weekdays: Valentine in the Morning from KBIG Los Angeles is heard in AM drive time and The Martha Quinn Show airs in middays.

Contents

WOLZ is a Class C1 FM station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 79,000 watts. WOLZ broadcasts using HD Radio technology. [2] Its digital subchannel carries Christian Contemporary music from WAYJ n Naples, known as "Way FM." That feeds FM translator W263BI at 100.5 MHz in Fort Myers.

History

The station signed on the air in September 30, 1969;55 years ago. [3] Its original call sign was WFJY. For its early years, it was powered at only 1,500 watts, a fraction of its current output. It later was WSOR, a non-commercial station owned by the Riverside Baptist Church of Fort Myers. It aired a Christian radio format, mostly religious music with some preaching shows.

In the 1980s, it was acquired by the Heritage Broadcasting Company. It became a commercial station with an oldies format. The call letters WOLZ were chosen to represent the word oldies. Heritage applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to boost the power to 100,000 watts. [4] That would allow WOLZ to be heard around much of Southwest Florida, including Fort Myers and Marco Island. In the 2000s, as the station shifted from oldies to classic hits, the branding avoided the word "oldies." The moniker was "95.3 OLZ." The playlist deleted early 1960s music, concentrating on the 70s and early 80s.

On May 28, 2021, WOLZ rebranded from "95.3 OLZ" to "95.3 The Beach." The playlist shifted to more 80s music with some 70s and 90s titles. [5]

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References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for WOLZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=65 HD Radio Guide for Fort Myers, Naples, and Marco Island, Florida
  3. Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-41. Retrieved Jan. 9, 2025.
  4. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1992 page A-70. Retrieved Jan. 9, 2025.
  5. WOLZ Fort Myers Is On The Beach Radioinsight - May 28, 2021