WFLC

WFLC (97.3 MHz, "Hits 97.3") is a radio station in Miami, Florida. Owned by Cox Media Group, it broadcasts a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format. WFLC's studios and offices are located on North 29th Avenue in Hollywood.[1] The transmitter site is off NW 210 Street in Miami Gardens.[2]

WFLC
CityMiami, Florida
Broadcast areaSouth Florida
Frequency97.3 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingHits 97.3
SloganMiami's New Hit Music
Programming
FormatTop 40 (CHR)
HD2: 1980's Hits
Ownership
OwnerCox Media Group
(Cox Radio, LLC)
Sister stationsWEDR, WFEZ, WHQT
History
First air dateSeptember 1, 1946 (as WIOD-FM)
Former call signsWIOD-FM (1946-1956)
WCKR-FM (1956-1962)
WIOD-FM (1962-1971)
WAIA (1971-1986)
WGTR (1986-1990)
Call sign meaningW FLorida's Coast (previous branding)
Technical information
Facility ID72984
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT307 meters (1,007 ft)
Transmitter coordinates25°58′02″N 80°12′34″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteHits973.com

WFLC broadcasts in the HD Radio format.[3] The HD-2 channel carries all-1980's Hits.

History

WIOD-FM, WCKR-FM

On September 1, 1946, the station signed on as WIOD-FM.[4] It was the FM counterpart to AM 610 WIOD and mostly simulcast its programs. The owner was the Isle of Dreams Broadcasting Corporation, reflected in its call letters. The studios were located on Collins Island in Biscayne Bay, giving the company its "Isle of Dreams" name. WIOD-FM was one of two FM stations going on the air in 1946 in Miami. But the other, 94.9 WQAM-FM, signed off in the 1950s, making WFLC Miami's oldest, continuously operating FM station.

In 1956, the Biscayne Television Corporation, a partnership of Cox Publishing, owner of The Miami News, and Knight Publishing, owner of The Miami Herald, launched a TV station on Channel 7, WCKT-TV (now WSVN). The call letters represented Cox, Knight and Television. Biscayne Broadcasting also bought WIOD-AM-FM, changing their call signs to WCKR and WCKR-FM. Just as WIOD-AM-FM were network affiliates of NBC Radio, WCKT-TV was an NBC-TV affiliate.

In 1962, the Federal Communications Commission stripped the Cox-Knight partnership of its broadcast licenses due to violations of ethics and licensing rules when Cox-Knight sought to build the TV station. On January 1, 1963, the Miami Valley Broadcasting Corporation, which was a subsidiary of Cox, took over control of the two radio stations and returned the call letters to WIOD and WIOD-FM. An advertisement in Broadcasting Magazine said the stations provided "expertly programmed adult information and entertainment."[5] The stations aired a mix of middle of the road music, news and talk shows, along with news and features from NBC Radio.

WAIA

In 1966, the simulcast ended. WIOD-FM adopted a beautiful music format, playing instrumental versions of pop music and Broadway and Hollywood tunes. In 1971, the station switched its call letters to WAIA, representing the popular coastal highway known as Florida State Road A1A. The station moved from instrumental beautiful music to all vocals, mixing Middle of The Road music with Soft Adult Contemporary hits.

In the 1980s, the station began making the presentation more upbeat and it stepped up the tempo of the music, moving to an adult contemporary sound as "97 A1A."[6]

WGTR

In 1986, the station switched to album oriented rock (AOR) as WGTR. The previous year, 94.9 WINZ-FM (now WZTU) had changed from a rock format to Top 40, leaving Miami with no AOR station (WSHE was a Rock 40 station at this point in its history, and very highly rated, while eschewing Classic Rock and older songs). So Cox decided to go after that unserved youthful audience. The station called itself "97 GTR" with the call letters standing for GuiTaR. But the rock format only lasted four years.

WFLC
Logo used until June 2020.

In 1990, Cox decided there wasn't enough of an audience in Miami for AOR. So the station switched to hot adult contemporary music as WFLC. It wanted to position itself between Top 40 leader 100.7 WHYI and soft music outlet 101.5 WLYF. WFLC's Hot AC format stayed in place for nearly 24 years.

On January 17, 2014, WFLC flipped to contemporary hit radio as Hits 97.3, putting it in direct competition with WHYI.[7]

On March 27, 2020, the station began stunting as 97.3 Quarantine Radio, in reference to the stay-at-home order issued by Florida due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The station maintained its existing format, but added new commercial-free "Fit Mixes" with night host Al P twice daily. On June 3, after being "under construction" the week immediately prior, WFLC relaunched the Hits format with a new on-air lineup and morning show.[8][9]

References
  1. Hits973.com/contact-us
  2. Radio-Locator.com/WFLC-FM
  3. http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=12 HD Radio Guide for Miami-Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood
  4. Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 112
  5. Broadcasting Yearbook 1964 page B-34
  6. Broadcasting Yearbook 1985 page B-57
  7. "Hits 97.3 Debuts In Miami". RadioInsight. 2014-01-17. Retrieved 2020-03-30.
  8. "Hits 97.3 Miami Completes Station Rebuild". RadioInsight. 2020-06-03. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
  9. "WFLC Temporarily Becomes 97.3 Quarantine Radio". RadioInsight. 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2020-06-03.
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