commercial radio
Commercial broadcasting (also called private broadcasting) is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship, for example. It was the United States' first model ...
Windermere, Florida
Windermere is a town in Orange County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 3,030. It is part of the Orlando Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
A post office opened in Windermere in 1888. The post office ...
, and serving
Greater Orlando
The Orlando metropolitan area (officially, for U.S. census purposes, the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area) is an inland metropolitan area in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. Its principal cities ...
. The station is owned by Norsan Media, and airs a
tropical music
Tropical music () is a term in the Latin music industry that refers to music genres deriving from or influenced by the Spanish-speaking areas of the Caribbean. It includes the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean ...
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
.
The studios and offices are on Lucien Way in Maitland. The
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
is on West Story Road in
Winter Garden
A winter garden is a kind of garden maintained in wintertime.
History
The origin of the winter garden dates back to the 17th to 19th centuries where European nobility constructed large conservatories that housed tropical and subtropical pla ...
, at Veterans Memorial Park.
WFYY broadcasts in the
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
format; its HD2 subchannel simulcasts sister station WDYZ, which carries a
regional Mexican
Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by ...
format, while their HD3 subchannel carries a Spanish
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
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
A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...
as WLOQ. Its original
city of license
In U.S., Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator.
In North American broadcast ...
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
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
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
Smooth jazz is commercially oriented crossover jazz music. Although often described as a "genre", it is a debatable and highly controversial subject in jazz music circles. As a radio format, however, smooth jazz radio became the successor to e ...
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
The Orlando metropolitan area (officially, for U.S. census purposes, the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area) is an inland metropolitan area in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. Its principal cities ...
; 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
"What a Wonderful World" is a song written by Bob Thiele (as "George Douglas") and George David Weiss. It was first recorded by Louis Armstrong on August 16, 1967. In April 1968, it topped the pop chart in the United Kingdom, but performed p ...
" by
Louis Armstrong
Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...
, and WLOQ's smooth jazz format moved exclusively online. The station then began stunting with an all-
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
format as "Elvis 103.1". On August 3, at 9pm, the station flipped to
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
**Spanish history
**Spanish culture
...
contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...
as "KQ103", launching with 20,000 songs in a row.
On August 1, 2011, WLOQ changed its
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
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
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...
, W273CA (102.5 FM) in Orlando,
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
from the
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
signal of
WMGF
WMGF (107.7 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Mount Dora, and serving Orlando and Central Florida. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs an adult contemporary radio format, switching to a Christmas music for much of November and De ...
, owned by
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...
. 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
JVC Broadcasting (also known as JVC Media) is a privately owned company headquartered in Ronkonkoma, New York that owns five radio stations on Long Island, New York
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New ...
, 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
Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
as ''My Country 103.1'' to go up against longtime country leader
WWKA
WWKA (92.3 FM, "K92-3") is a commercial radio station in Orlando, Florida. It is owned by Cox Media Group and broadcasts a country music radio format. The studios and offices are located in Orlando on North John Young Parkway (Route 423).
Th ...
, owned by
Cox Radio
CMG Media Corporation (doing business as Cox Media Group) is an American media conglomerate principally owned by Apollo Global Management in conjunction with Cox Enterprises, which maintains a 29% minority stake in the company. The company p ...
. Other websites registered showed WHKQ possibly flipping to
dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...
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
Tropical music () is a term in the Latin music industry that refers to music genres deriving from or influenced by the Spanish-speaking areas of the Caribbean. It includes the islands of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean ...
-formatted
WRUM
WRUM (100.3 FM) is a commercial radio station in Orlando, Florida, known as "Rumba 100.3". It airs a Spanish-language radio format featuring Latin pop and reggaeton. It is owned by iHeartMedia. The studios and offices are on Maitland Center Pa ...
, 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
''My Kinda Party'' is the fourth studio album by American country music artist Jason Aldean. It was released on November 2, 2010, by Broken Bow Records. The songs were written by various songwriters including Neil Thrasher, Brantley Gilbert and M ...
" by
Jason Aldean
Jason Aldine Williams (born February 28, 1977), known professionally as Jason Aldean, is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released eleven alb ...
, 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
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
signal, signing on an HD2 sub-channel to air a
mainstream rock
Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.
Format background
Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...
format, branded as ''Bud 94.1'' (in reference to recently acquired translator W231CT, which had previously simulcast
WRSO
WRSO (810 AM) is a radio station licensed to Orlo Vista, Florida, serving the Orlando area. The station is owned by Star Over Orlando and operated by iHeartMedia under a local marketing agreement. The station broadcasts sports talk with prog ...
). 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
George Harvey Strait Sr. (born May 18, 1952) is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor, and music producer.
Strait has sold over 120 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He holds ...
, WOTW dropped the country format and began stunting with a loop of " Jam on It" by
Newcleus
Newcleus was an American electro and old school hip hop group that gained popularity in the early 1980s. The group is primarily known for its 12-inch single "Jam-On's Revenge" (re-released as "Jam on Revenge (The Wikki-Wikki Song)" (1983)) and ...
, 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
Jackman Thomas Harlow (born March 13, 1998) is an American rapper and singer. He began his recording career in 2015, and released several EPs and mixtapes until signing with Don Cannon and DJ Drama's record label Generation Now, an imprint of A ...
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
W283AN (104.5 FM) is an FM translator station licensed to cover Orlando, Florida. It rebroadcasts a mainstream urban format from the HD2 subchannel of WTKS-FM. The station, which was launched on February 12, 2014,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
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...
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.