WOCL
Encyclopedia
WOCL is a radio station
broadcasting in Orlando, Florida
. The station airs a Classic hits
format, focusing on music from 1964-1989 with the core being the 1970s. It is similar to the format used by sister station WCBS-FM
in New York
. The station can be heard not only in the Orlando area, but also as far away as the Space Coast
in Brevard County
, and the eastern shores of Central Florida. To the north, the station can be heard up to Jacksonville
. Sunny can also be heard as far west as the Nature Coast of Citrus
and Hernando
Counties. Sunny FM is also one of the few Orlando stations to cover Ocala
with a decent signal.
station WDLF, which was opened in DeLand
in 1965. It was sold in 1977 and re-branded as WELE-FM as a sister station of WELE
-AM in Ormond Beach
.
In 1986, the format was shifted to Oldies
and the callsign changed to WOCL. Initially called "Class 105.9", it was renamed "Cool 105.9" in 1988.
In 1999, it was changed to "Jammin' Oldies", and re-branded "Power 105.9". On October 31, 2000, the Oldies format was moved to WSHE at 100.3 and called "Cool 100". That station would eventually be reformatted to Latin pop
and become "Rumba 100.3" with new call letters WRUM
.
Meanwhile, WOCL became "O-Rock 105.9", originally with largely alternative rock, and eventually moving to modern rock
. During this time, they were also noted for airing the Mr. Bergis prank calls.
Two talk shows, The Morning After Show and The Jody & Scott Show were turned into music-only shows in mid-2007.
's The History of Rock & Roll
program. The last song played on O-Rock was Down by 311
. WOCL's webpage showed a banner with pictures revolving between country music stars, classical
figures such as Beethoven, smooth jazz
icons such as Kenny G
, and sports.
At 12:40 PM on January 10, 2008, the station began playing a year-by-year montage of snippets of popular culture (including movies, commercials, and of course, hit music) and news stories covering the years from 1966 to 1989. This montage was similar to the one played by WCBS-FM
in New York
when they relaunched their oldies/classic hits format known as "Greatest Hits" on July 12, 2007. At 1:05:09 PM (Station 105.9), the station launched a "Greatest Hits" hits format branded as "Sunny 105.9". It features a playlist and imaging that closely resembles that of WCBS-FM
in New York
. The first song played on Sunny 105.9 was KC and The Sunshine Band
's That's The Way I Like It.
"O-Rock 105.9" would return as an HD2 channel in April 2008, restoring its modern rock format. Beginning in February 2010, WOCL-HD1 swapped its brand name, calling itself "105.9 Sunny FM".
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
broadcasting in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. The station airs a Classic hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
format, focusing on music from 1964-1989 with the core being the 1970s. It is similar to the format used by sister station WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The station can be heard not only in the Orlando area, but also as far away as the Space Coast
Space Coast
The Space Coast is a region in the U.S. state of Florida around Kennedy Space Center , where NASA launched space shuttles until the last one on July 8th, 2011 at 11:29am; and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, site of unmanned civilian and military space launches...
in Brevard County
Brevard County, Florida
Brevard County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida, along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimates, the population is 536,521, making it the 10th most populous county in the state. Influenced by the presence of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Brevard...
, and the eastern shores of Central Florida. To the north, the station can be heard up to Jacksonville
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. Sunny can also be heard as far west as the Nature Coast of Citrus
Citrus County, Florida
Citrus County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 118,085. The U.S. Census Bureau 2008 estimate for the county was 141,416 . Its county seat is Inverness, Florida...
and Hernando
Hernando County, Florida
Hernando County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 130,802. The U.S. Census Bureau 2006 estimate for the county is 165,409 . Its county seat is Brooksville, Florida. The majority of the county's population is in Spring Hill, west portion of Hernando...
Counties. Sunny FM is also one of the few Orlando stations to cover Ocala
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
with a decent signal.
History
The first station in Orlando on the 105.9 FM frequency was country musicCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station WDLF, which was opened in DeLand
DeLand, Florida
DeLand is the county seat of Volusia County, Florida. In 2006, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population to be 24,375. It is part of the Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated population of 436,575 in 2006...
in 1965. It was sold in 1977 and re-branded as WELE-FM as a sister station of WELE
WELE
WELE is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format.Licensed to Ormond Beach, Florida, USA, the station serves the Daytona Beach area. The station is currently owned by Wings Communications, Incorporated and features programing from Westwood One, ESPN Radio and CNN Radio....
-AM in Ormond Beach
Ormond Beach, Florida
Ormond Beach is a city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. The population was 36,301 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 37,929. Ormond Beach is the northern neighbor of Daytona Beach and is home to Tomoka State Park.-History:Ormond Beach was...
.
In 1986, the format was shifted to Oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
and the callsign changed to WOCL. Initially called "Class 105.9", it was renamed "Cool 105.9" in 1988.
In 1999, it was changed to "Jammin' Oldies", and re-branded "Power 105.9". On October 31, 2000, the Oldies format was moved to WSHE at 100.3 and called "Cool 100". That station would eventually be reformatted to Latin pop
Latin pop
Latin pop generally refers to pop music that has what may be perceived a Latin American influence...
and become "Rumba 100.3" with new call letters WRUM
WRUM
WRUM is a radio station broadcasting Spanish songs. Licensed to Orlando, Florida, USA, the station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications. The station is also broadcast on HD radio...
.
Meanwhile, WOCL became "O-Rock 105.9", originally with largely alternative rock, and eventually moving to modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
. During this time, they were also noted for airing the Mr. Bergis prank calls.
Two talk shows, The Morning After Show and The Jody & Scott Show were turned into music-only shows in mid-2007.
Stunting and 2008 format change
Without warning on Friday, January 4, 2008, at 9 AM, the station dismissed its on-air staff and began the transition to a new format. The alternative rock format was abandoned, and was replaced with Bill DrakeBill Drake
Bill Drake , born Philip Yarbrough, was an American radio programmer who co-developed the Boss Radio format with Gene Chenault via their company Drake-Chenault.-Early career:...
's The History of Rock & Roll
The History of Rock & Roll
The History of Rock & Roll was a radio documentary on rock and roll music, originally syndicated in 1969. One of the lengthiest documentaries of any medium , The History of Rock & Roll is a definitive history of the Rock and Roll genre, stretching from the early 1950s to its day...
program. The last song played on O-Rock was Down by 311
311 (band)
311 is an American rock band from Omaha, Nebraska. The band was formed in 1988 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Nick Hexum, lead guitarist Jim Watson , bassist Aaron "P-Nut" Wills and drummer Chad Sexton...
. WOCL's webpage showed a banner with pictures revolving between country music stars, classical
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
figures such as Beethoven, smooth jazz
Smooth jazz
Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles ....
icons such as Kenny G
Kenny G
Kenneth Bruce Gorelick , better known by his stage name Kenny G, is an American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986...
, and sports.
At 12:40 PM on January 10, 2008, the station began playing a year-by-year montage of snippets of popular culture (including movies, commercials, and of course, hit music) and news stories covering the years from 1966 to 1989. This montage was similar to the one played by WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
when they relaunched their oldies/classic hits format known as "Greatest Hits" on July 12, 2007. At 1:05:09 PM (Station 105.9), the station launched a "Greatest Hits" hits format branded as "Sunny 105.9". It features a playlist and imaging that closely resembles that of WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM
WCBS-FM is a CBS-owned radio station in New York City. The station's studios are in the combined CBS Radio facility at 345 Hudson Street in Manhattan, and its transmitter is located on the Empire State Building....
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The first song played on Sunny 105.9 was KC and The Sunshine Band
KC and the Sunshine Band
KC and the Sunshine Band is an American musical group. Founded in 1973 in Miami, Florida, their style has included funk, R&B, and disco. Their most well known songs include the disco hits "That's the Way ", " Shake Your Booty", "I'm Your Boogie Man", "Keep It Comin' Love", "Get Down Tonight", "Give...
's That's The Way I Like It.
"O-Rock 105.9" would return as an HD2 channel in April 2008, restoring its modern rock format. Beginning in February 2010, WOCL-HD1 swapped its brand name, calling itself "105.9 Sunny FM".
Personalities
- 6:00AM-9:00AM Rick Stacy
- 9:00AM-2:00PM Paco Lopez
- 2:00PM-7:00PM Domino
- 7:00PM-12:00AM Spyder Harrison