| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Buffalo metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 101.7MHz |
| Branding | The Station of the Cross |
| Programming | |
| Format | Catholic radio |
| Affiliations | EWTN Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Holy Family Communications |
| WHIC | |
| History | |
First air date | November 9, 1977 (1977-11-09) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Our Lady of Fatima |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 31812 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 2,800 watts |
| HAAT | 148 meters (486 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°46′59″N78°27′29″W / 42.783°N 78.458°W /42.783; -78.458 |
| Repeater | 90.7 WLGU (Lancaster) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | thestationofthecross |
WLOF (101.7FM) is anon-commercialradio station licensed toElma, New York, and serving theBuffalo metropolitan area. It broadcasts aCatholic radio format; referred to asThe Station of the Cross, WLOF is owned and operated byHoly Family Communications. The call sign representOur Lady of Fatima, to whom this station is dedicated.
WLOF has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 2,800 watts. Programming is simulcast onWHIC inRochester, New York, and WLGU inLancaster, New York. The stations rely on theEWTN Global Catholic Radio Network for much of their programming.
The station signed on the air on November 9, 1977.[2] The original call letters were WBTF and it called itself "BT Country," airing acountry music format. It was the sister station toWBTA 1490 AM inBatavia, New York. WBTF was originally licensed toAttica.[3]
Beginning on February 13, 1998, 101.7 FM was acquired by Broben Communications, Inc. and used WXOX as its call sign. WXOX then required nearby stationWHUG in Jamestown to change frequencies in an effort to gain coverage area. As WXOX, the station broadcastmodern rock as "The Spot", supposedly covering "Attica,Amherst and Buffalo" and acting as a challenger toWEDG. It made a significant advertising blitz in the Buffalomedia market and even created its own "Spotfest" music festival, but it never even registered a measurable audience in the ratings. WXOX had a weak signal in Buffalo andNiagara Falls.[4]
On August 15, 1999,Holy Family Communications acquired WXOX and began broadcasting Catholic programming as WLOF. It became the sixth Catholic radio station in the United States.[5]
On August 15, 2009, WLOF celebrated its tenth anniversary by hostingFr. John Corapi, a member of theSociety of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT), at theHSBC Arena inBuffalo, New York. Over 11,000 people attended this celebration.[6]
By 2024, WLOF had acquired a closer signal to Buffalo on FM 90.7, which it granted the call sign WLGU (forOur Lady of Guadalupe). In August of that year, Holy Family Communications opted to keep WLOF instead and spin WLGU (along with a translator inFredonia) off toCSN International.[7]