WNUE-FM (98.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

, "The JOY FM") is a listener-supported,

non-commercial A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that is not carried out in the interest of Profit (economics), profit. The opposite is Commerce, commercial, something that primarily serves profit interests and is focused on bu ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

broadcasting a

Christian AC Christian adult contemporary, also known as Christian AC, CAC, or Christian Adult Contemporary Airplay, is a form of radio-played contemporary Christian music, ranging from 1960s Jesus music and 1970s Christian soft rock music to predominately w ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

Licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

Deltona, Florida Deltona is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. It is located on the northern shore of Lake Monroe (Florida), Lake Monroe. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population was 93,692. It is a principal city of ...

, it serves the Greater Orlando metropolitan area,

Daytona Beach Daytona Beach is a coastal resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona–Daytona Beach–Ormond Beach metropo ...

and the

Space Coast The Space Coast is a region in the U.S. state of Florida around the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. It is one of several "themed" coasts around Florida. All orbital launches from American soil carrying NASA ast ...

. The station is owned by the

Radio Training Network Radio Training Network, Inc. is an American non-profit organization, non-profit broadcasting organization that operates several networks of Christian radio-radio format, formatted stations, mostly in the Southeast. The network's footprint includes ...

. WNUE-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...

(ERP) of 50,000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...

s. 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 Pell Road in Farmton, Florida.

History

WRMF-FM

The station

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 ...

in September 1968 as WRMF-FM. It originally was licensed to Titusville and it broadcast on 98.3 with only 3,000 watts, a fraction of its current output. Its original owner was WRMF, Inc., which also owned WRMF

1060 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1060 kHz: 1060 AM is a United States and Mexican clear-channel frequency. KYW Philadelphia and XECPAE Mexico City share Class A status on 1060 kHz. Canada * CKMX in Calgary, Alb ...

(now

WIXC WIXC (1060 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Titusville, Florida, and serving the Space Coast. It has a classic country format. It is owned by Genesis Communications I, Inc. and operated by Marc Radio Orlando, LLC. The main radio ...

). The two stations

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) ...

Soft AC 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. In 1972, WRMF-AM-FM switched to a Middle of the Road (MOR) format. Then in 1979, WRMF-AM-FM changed to a Beautiful Music format. However, the beautiful music sound was short-lived. Later that year, WRMF-FM flipped to

Album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. US rad ...

(AOR) under the new

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 ...

WAJX, while the AM station continued programming an

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 ...

sound. In 1986, WAJX flipped to

Adult Top 40 The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Syste ...

under the new call sign WSCF.

Country Music

In 1989, WSCF changed the call sign again to WGNE-FM and flipped 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 the "Great 98". A year later the station was sold to Sage Broadcasting and was moved to 98.1 in the process, along with a boost in power. In 1991, WGNE-FM was sold again to SBC Technologies, Inc., which sold WGNE once again to Southern Starr, LP for $3.5 million. In 1993, WGNE was again sold to Robert F.X. Silverman. Around this time WGNE rebranded as "98 Frog". (Many country stations around the U.S. were using the "Frog" branding at that time.) In 1996, WGNE was sold to SFX Broadcasting, which sold it back to Southern Starr a year later. In 1998, Capstar bought WGNE. Capstar was absorbed into

Clear Channel Communications 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 ...

that same year. In 2000, WGNE was sold to Mega Communications. On June 28, 2000, Mega moved the country format to 99.9 in the

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

radio market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

, now

WGNE-FM WGNE-FM (99.9 Hertz, MHz) is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Middleburg, Florida, and serving the Jacksonville metropolitan area. It is owned by Renda Media and airs a country music radio format as "99.9 ...

Middleburg, Florida Middleburg is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) within Clay County, Florida, Clay County in the U.S. state of Florida, located southwest of downtown Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville and northwest of Green Cove Springs, ...

Spanish Contemporary

After the country format moved to 99.9, WGNE changed its call letters to WNUE-FM, and flipped to

Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...

Contemporary Hits/CHR as "Mega 98.1". WNUE was sold to

Entravision Communications Entravision Communications Corporation is an American media company based in Santa Monica, California. Entravision primarily caters to the Spanish language in the United States, Spanish-speaking Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic community ...

, for $23.75 million in 2007. On December 1, 2010, WNUE flipped to Spanish adult hits as ''Jose FM 98.1.'' On May 17, 2012, WNUE changed the format again, this time to

Salsa music Salsa music is a style of Latin American music, combining elements of Cuban and Puerto Rican influences. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most ...

, branded as "Salsa 98.1".

Radio Training Network

On April 16, 2021, Entravision announced that the station would be sold, with the new owner to assume operations under a

local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one corporation, company agrees to operate a radio station, radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it ...

(LMA) on April 19.

announced that it would acquire the station for $4 million, to run its

Christian adult contemporary Christian adult contemporary, also known as Christian AC, CAC, or Christian Adult Contemporary Airplay, is a form of radio-played contemporary Christian music, ranging from 1960s Jesus music and 1970s Christian soft rock music to predominately ...

network ''The JOY FM''. The sale closed on July 13, 2021.

References

External links

WNUE official website
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{{Orlando Radio NUE-FM 1968 establishments in Florida Radio stations established in 1968 Contemporary Christian radio stations in the United States