| Broadcast area | Southwest Florida |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 95.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 95.3 The Beach |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic Hits |
| Subchannels | HD2:Christian ContemporaryWAYJsimulcast |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBCG,WBTT,WCCF,WCKT,WCVU,WIKX,WWCD,WZJZ | |
| History | |
First air date | September 30, 1969; 56 years ago (1969-09-30) (as WFJY) |
Call sign meaning | Oldies (former format) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 13898 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 79,000watts |
| HAAT | 145 meters (476 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 26°30′18.00″N81°51′14.00″W / 26.5050000°N 81.8538889°W /26.5050000; -81.8538889 |
| Translator | HD2: 100.5 W263BI (Fort Myers) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 953beach.iheart.com |
WOLZ (95.3FM, "The Beach") is acommercialradio stationlicensed toFort Myers, Florida, and servingSouthwest Florida. It airs aclassic hitsradio format and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. It carries twonationally syndicated shows on weekdays:Valentine in the Morning fromKBIGLos Angeles is heard in AMdrive time andThe Martha Quinn Show airs in middays.
WOLZ is aClass C1 FM station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 79,000watts. WOLZ broadcasts usingHD Radio technology.[2] Itsdigital subchannel carriesChristian Contemporary music fromWAYJ nNaples, known as "Way FM." That feedsFM translatorW263BI at 100.5 MHz in Fort Myers.
The stationsigned on the air in September 30, 1969; 56 years ago (1969-09-30).[3] Its originalcall sign was WFJY. For its early years, it was powered at only 1,500 watts, a fraction of its current output. It later was WSOR, anon-commercial station owned by the Riverside Baptist Church of Fort Myers. It aired aChristian radio format, mostly religious music with some preaching shows.
In the 1980s, it was acquired by the Heritage Broadcasting Company. It became a commercial station with anoldies format. The call letters WOLZ were chosen to represent the word oldies. Heritage applied to theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to boost the power to 100,000 watts.[4] That would allow WOLZ to be heard around much ofSouthwest Florida, includingFort Myers andMarco Island. In the 2000s, as the station shifted from oldies toclassic hits, the branding avoided the word "oldies." The moniker was "95.3 OLZ." Theplaylist deleted early 1960s music, concentrating on the 70s and early 80s.
On May 28, 2021, WOLZ rebranded from "95.3 OLZ" to "95.3 The Beach." The playlist shifted to more 80s music with some 70s and 90s titles.[5]