 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Fort Myers -Naples |
| Frequency | 98.5MHz |
| Branding | Fly 98.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Rhythmic contemporary |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks United Stations Radio Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Sun Broadcasting Inc. |
| WARO,WFSX,WHEL,WXCW-TV | |
| History | |
First air date | 1986; 39 years ago (1986) |
Former call signs | WRWX (1986–1995) WDRR (1995–2003) WNRW (2003–2004) WUSV (2004–2007) WDEO-FM (2007–2014) WLVO (2014–2017) WKHW (2017) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 58276 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 117 meters (384 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | Fly985.com |
WFFY (98.5MHz) is acommercialFMradio stationlicensed toSan Carlos Park, Florida, and broadcasting to theFort Myersmedia market. It airs arhythmic contemporaryradio format and is owned by Sun Broadcasting, with studios on Palm Beach Boulevard in Fort Myers. The station carries thenationally syndicatedBreakfast Club fromWWPR inNew York City in morningdrive time.
WFFY is aClass C3 station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000watts at 117 meters (384 ft). The transmitter tower is off OldU.S. Route 41 inSan Carlos Park.[2]
The stationsigned on the air in 1986; 39 years ago (1986). Its originalcall sign was WRWX. It went through numerous changes of format and call letters in its first decades on the air.
From 2007 to 2014, the station was known as WDEO-FM, airingCatholic-basedtalk and teaching programs. It was branded as "Ave Maria Radio" under the ownership of the Ave Maria Foundation. WDEO-FM aired allNotre Dame Fighting Irish football games in the 2008 season using theISP Sports feed.[3]
On September 4, 2014, theEducational Media Foundation (EMF), announced it would purchase WDEO-FM for $2.2 million and convert the station to itsContemporary Christian music network,K-Love.[4] The call sign was changed to WLVO.
On June 24, 2015,Classical South Florida announced the sale of its three South Florida classical stations, including WNPS (88.7 FM) in Fort Myers, to EMF. On July 17, 2015, EMF took over operations of 88.7 and begansimulcasting the K-Love format on both WLVO and WNPS (renamedWDLV).[5]
On August 13, 2015, the license for 98.5 WLVO was converted to commercial broadcasting. EMF announced the sale of WLVO to a local media company, Sun Broadcasting. The sale, however, was quite contentious. Competing radio groupsRenda Broadcasting and theBeasley Media Group filed a joint petition with theFederal Communications Commission to deny the sale. While Sun Broadcasting was below ownership limits in the market, the petition made the claim that it operates as one de facto group withFort Myers Broadcasting. The two companies together share studio and staff. Renda and Beasley argued the sale should not go through because the two companies combined own far more signals than the FCC allowed.[6] In the interim, on August 20, 2015, WLVO switched from K-Love to theRadio Nueva Vida Spanish Christian format.
After two years of airing Radio Nueva Vida programming, the FCC dismissed the petition and approved the sale. On June 12, 2017, the station changed its call sign to WKHW. On June 13, 2017, the purchase of the station by Sun Broadcasting from Educational Media Foundation was consummated, at a price of $3,045,000. The new owners immediately changed the call sign to the current WFFY. On June 15, 2017, WFFY changed its format from Spanish Christian to rhythmic contemporary, branded as "Fly 98.5".[7]
26°30′18″N81°51′14″W / 26.505°N 81.854°W /26.505; -81.854