WWGR (101.9 FM "Gator Country 101.9") is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

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 ...

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 ...

Fort Myers, Florida Fort Myers (or Ft. Myers) is a city in and the county seat of Lee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 86,395; it was estimated to have grown to 95,949 in 2022, making it the List o ...

. It airs a

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 ...

format and is owned by

Renda Media Renda Media (formerly known as Renda Broadcasting) is a privately held Pittsburgh-based radio broadcasting company founded by chief executive, Tony Renda. Renda operates stations in Pennsylvania and Florida. Most stations are identified as “A ...

, with studios on Race Track Road in

Bonita Springs Bonita Springs is a city in Lee County, Florida, United States. The population was 53,644 at the 2020 census, up from 43,914 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, on the state's sou ...

. WWGR 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 100,000

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 maximum for most FM stations. It has one of the best signals in

Southwest Florida Southwest Florida is the region along the southwest Gulf coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The area is known for its beaches, subtropical landscape, and winter resort economy. Definitions of the region vary, though its boundaries are genera ...

. Its

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 off Corkscrew Road in

Estero Estero ( Spanish for "estuary") is an incorporated village in Lee County, Florida, United States, located directly beside the first aquatic nature preserve established in Florida: The Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve, otherwise referred to as Estero ...

.Radio-Locator.com/WWGR
/REF> It can be heard from Port Charlotte to

The Everglades The Everglades is a natural region of flooded grasslands in the southern portion of the U.S. state of Florida, comprising the southern half of a large drainage basin within the Neotropical realm. The system begins near Orlando with the Kis ...

History

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 ...

the air on .''Broadcasting Yearbook 1972'' page B-41. Retrieved Feb. 13, 2025
/REF> Its original

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 ...

was WHEW and it was the

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

WMYR WMYR (1410 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a Catholic radio format, as part of the Relevant Radio network. Licensed to Fort Myers, Florida, it serves the Lee County area. The station is owned by Relevant Radio, Inc. WMY ...

1410 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1410 kHz: The Federal Communications Commission classifies 1410 AM as a regional frequency in the United States. Argentina * Radio Folclorísimo in José León Suárez, Buenos Aires. * ...

. The two stations were owned by Robert Heckshur, who served as the president, general manager and chief engineer. While WMYR played

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

hits, WHEW was always a country music station. In its early years, it was only on an antenna at a height of . That limited its coverage area. By the 1980s, it was getting increased competition from country music rival WCKT. That meant it had to battle for listeners and advertisers. In 1994, the station was bought by

Renda Broadcasting Renda Media (formerly known as Renda Broadcasting) is a privately held Pittsburgh-based radio broadcasting company founded by chief executive, Tony Renda. Renda operates stations in Pennsylvania and Florida. Most stations are identified as “A ...

for $4 million. Following its sale, it took the name "Gator Country 101.9." (Gator is a shortened form of the word "

alligator An alligator, or colloquially gator, is a large reptile in the genus ''Alligator'' of the Family (biology), family Alligatoridae in the Order (biology), order Crocodilia. The two Extant taxon, extant species are the American alligator (''A. mis ...

," an animal common in South Florida swamps.) The station changed its call letters to WWGR and began using the slogan "Southwest Florida's Country Station". In April 2013, two air personalities on WWGR told listeners that

dihydrogen monoxide The dihydrogen monoxide parody is a parody that involves referring to water by its unfamiliar systematic name#In chemistry, chemical systematic name "dihydrogen monoxide" (DHMO, or the chemical formula H2O) and describing some properties of w ...

, a scientific description of water, was coming out of their water taps, as part of an

April Fool's Day April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. Mas ...

hoax. This caused some alarm and the two were suspended for a few days. The station's general manager, Tony Renda made the decision. Renda later told '' The Fort Myers News-Press'': "It is one thing when radio stations change their format or other crazy things they do. But you are messing with one of the big three, food, water or shelter. They just went too far; I just knew I didn't like that." The prank resulted in several calls by consumers to the local utility company, which sent out a release stating that the water was safe. In 2005, WWGR moved its studios from Fort Myers to Bonita Springs, just across the street from the Naples-Fort Myers Greyhound Track. The building houses WWGR and sister stations

WSGL WSGL (104.7 FM broadcasting, FM) is a commercial broadcasting, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Naples, Florida, and serving Southwest Florida. It is owned by Renda Broadcasting, Renda Media with studios on Race Track Road i ...

WJGO WJGO (102.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Tice, Florida, and serving Southwest Florida including Cape Coral and Fort Myers. It is owned by Renda Media and it airs an adult hits radio format, branded as "Bob FM". It uses the ...

, and WGUF.

References

External links

WWGR official website
*

WGR WGR (550 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Buffalo, New York. Owned by Audacy, Inc., its studios and offices are located on Corporate Parkway in Amherst, and the transmitter site—used by WGR and co-owned WWKB—is in Hambu ...

Mass media in Fort Myers, Florida Renda Broadcasting radio stations 1969 establishments in Florida Radio stations established in 1969 {{Florida-radio-station-stub