 | |
| Broadcast area | Gainesville–Ocala, Florida |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 850kHz |
| Branding | ESPN 98.1 FM / 850 AM WRUF |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | University of Florida |
| Operator | Audacy, Inc. (via JSA) |
| via UF:WUFT (TV),WUFT-FM,WRUF-LD,WRUF-FM via Audacy:WSKY-FM,WKTK | |
| History | |
First air date | October 1928; 97 years ago (1928-10) |
Call sign meaning | "Radio from the University of Florida" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 69151 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000watts |
| Translator | 98.1 W251CG (Gainesville) |
| Repeater | 103.7WRUF-FM-HD2 (Gainesville) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wruf.com |
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WRUF (850kHz) is anAMradio station that operates from theUniversity of Florida's main campus inGainesville. It is asports radio station that primarily coversFlorida Gators athletics. Unlike itspublic broadcastingsister stations,WUFT TV andWUFT-FM, WRUF andWRUF-FM 103.7 arecommercial stations supported byadvertising through ajoint sales agreement (JSA) withAudacy.
WRUF is powered at 5,000watts. By day, it isnon-directional. But at night, to protect other stations from interference on850 AM, includingClass AKOADenver, WRUF uses adirectional antenna with a four-tower array. Thetransmitter is on NW 75th Street at SW 8th Avenue in Gainesville.[2] Programming is also heard on 250-wattFM translatorW251CG at 98.1MHz.
As a commercial station owned by the university, WRUF is theflagship station for theFlorida Gators football, basketball, baseball, women's basketball, lacrosse, soccer, and volleyball teams. Co-owned WRUF-FM also airs most Gators football games and some other Gators games as well. WRUF's sports department, staffed almost entirely by School of Journalism students, is fairly large for a station of its size.
WRUF 850 carries all three ofTampa's major professional sports teams: theTampa Bay Rays ofMajor League Baseball, theTampa Bay Lightning of theNational Hockey League, and since 2020, theTampa Bay Buccaneers of theNational Football League.[3] When not covering live sports or discussing the Gators, WRUF carriesESPN Radio programming.
WRUF is the fifth-oldest radio station in the state. Itsigned on the air in October 1928; 97 years ago (1928-10). In the early days of broadcasting, professors and students at several universities experimented with radio transmission, including at the University of Florida. WRUF originally broadcast at 830kilocycles and was adaytimer, required to go off the air at sunset.[4] With the 1941 enactment of theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA), WRUF moved to 850 AM and became anetwork affiliate of theMutual Broadcasting System.[5]
A WRUFmicrophone used by UF alumnusRed Barber during the 1930s is part of theNational Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum's collection. It has been displayed in the museum's "Scribes and Mikemen" exhibit, and from 2002 to 2006, it was a part of the "Baseball as America" traveling exhibition.
In 1948, WRUF added an FM sister station. WRUF-FM was among the earliest FM stations in Florida.[6] The two stations simulcast most of their programs in the 40s and 50s. WRUF-FM began playingclassical music with separate programming in the 1960s and today it is acountry music station.
Beginning in 1993, WRUF cancelled all its music shows. It became atalk radio station, known asNewsradio AM 850 WRUF. It featured a mixture of local andsyndicated talk programs, includingJim Bohannon,Dr. Joy Browne,Larry King Live andSporting News Radio, plus religious programming on Sunday mornings. The Director of Programming is Rob Harder, Assistant Program Director/Brand Manager is Seth Harp, and the Sports Director is Steve Russell.
In 2010, WRUF changed its format from news, talk, and sports to all-sports, calling itselfSportsradio 850. On June 29, 2012, WRUF became anetwork affiliate ofESPN Radio.[7]
On August 19, 2015, WRUF began simulcasting on FM translator W237EJ 95.3 FM in Gainesville. It exists mainly to fill in the gaps because Tower #3 of their directional AM array failed in 2016, and the FCC granted permission to operate non-directionally after sunset at 25% of licensed power. Shortly afterward, the station changed its branding from "ESPN 850" to "ESPN 95.3," after the translator.
On December 1, 2016, WRUF switched its FM translator from W237EJ 95.3 FM Gainesville (now simulcasting WUFT-FM-HD3 as CHR-formattedGHQ) to W251CG 98.1 FM Gainesville.[8]
(WRUF's logo under previous 95.3 FM translator)
| International | |
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| National | |
29°38′34″N82°25′13″W / 29.64278°N 82.42028°W /29.64278; -82.42028
