WOLI-FM
Encyclopedia
WOLI-FM, also known as "La Nueva 103.9", is a Regional Mexican
radio station
located in Greenville, South Carolina
. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) to the town of Easley
and broadcasts on 103.9 FM with a effective radiated power
of 6000 watt
s. It is locally programmed and the only FM Spanish
radio station in Upstate South Carolina.
1360 AM. By the early 1980s, WELP-FM tower was moved to a new location and the station's wattage was increased from 2.3 kW to 3 kW in order to get a better signal into nearby Greenville. The station at the time was known as WTLT "Lite 104", sporting a Light Adult Contemporary format.
Both WTLT and WELP were sold to new ownership by 1987. In December of that year, WTLT changed to Urban Contemporary
as WLWZ, adopting the "Z-104" nickname. After 2 months of cold segues and promos, a new airstaff debuted in February 1988, consisting of Greg Darden (from KRNB/Memphis, Tennessee
) for mornings, Maxx Myrick (from WCIN/Cincinnati, Ohio
) for middays as well as programming duties, Dave Hendricks (a holdover from the station's previous format) for afternoons, Tori Turner (also from WCIN) for nights as well as the station's music director, and "Brother" Bill Prater (from WJKC/Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands
) for overnights. Ratings increased almost overnight from a 1.1 to a 9.4, despite having a limited signal that covered half of the Greenville-Spartanburg radio market.
In 1989, the Voyager broadcasting group purchased the radio station, and utilized Don Kelly & JC Floyd as consultants. Wayne Walker (from WFXC
-FM, also known as "FOXY107" in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina & WHYZ-AM Greenville, South Carolina
, was brought in as Program Director & Operations Manager, and the station was renamed MUSIC POWER Z-104. The successful lineup for a number of years included "Smooth Talker" Wayne Walker & Vince Davis on the Z-104 Wake-Up Patrol, also Rocky Valentine, Al Sullystone, Janice Henderson and Action Jackson.
In January 1993, WLWZ added a simulcast partner as 103.3 FM from nearby Greer
signed on, becoming WLYZ, which helped the station to be heard in the Spartanburg part of the market. By that time, both stations were billed as "Double Z", but continued with the Urban format. This made the station receivable along Interstate 85
almost from the North Carolina
to Georgia
line on both 103s.
Emerald City Broadcasting purchased WWMM 107.3 in 1994 and added an urban format which became a direct competitor. WWMM was relaunched as WJMZ "107.3 Jamz". Emerald City purchased Double Z in 1994, and began programming Double Z with an Urban AC/Oldies format in order to better co-exist with 107.3. Eventually the Double Z 103 simulcast became Alternative rock
"103-X" with 103.3 picking up the WXWZ call sign and 103.9 picking up the WXWX call sign in early 1995. All the Double Z Urban staff was fired with the exception of Action Jackson and Wayne Walker who did a short stint as midday personality on WJMZ until March 1995. Action Jackson continued to do weekends and fill-ins on WJMZ until March 1996. 103-X was the first Alternative Rock station in the market, but the same signal problems that the station(s) had remained, even with the addition of 103.3.
On January 1, 1996, 103-X added Howard Stern
's radio show for mornings, but was faced with a backlash from both radio listeners and advertisers that lasted for weeks. During that time Emerald City decided to sell out to Sinclair
, and 103-X changed formats to Oldies
in February, 1996 after the flip of WFBC-FM to top-40. The call letters WOLI (103.9) and WOLT (103.3) were added a few months later. The station(s) were on satellite for the next few years and in late 1999, a local airstaff was finally added.
In November 2000 the station jumped on the 80's Oldies bandwagon that was going on at the time, becoming "Star 103", but retained the call letters for both stations. The syndicated Bob & Sheri radio show was added as well as a new airstaff. Over time, the station slowly evolved toward Classic Hits
, but kept the Star 103 handle. In late 2003, the station changed its format to a Contemporary Christian/ Country
hybrid as "The Walk". In 2005, Entercom sold WOLT-FM 103.3, WOLI-FM 103.9, & WSPA AM 910 stations to Davidson Media Group
, while retaining "The Walk" and placing it on its newly acquired 106.3 WGVC
-FM signal, which lasted a little over a year until the unsuccessful format was dropped.
WOLI-FM originally simulcasted with WOLI-AM
910 starting in October 2005. However, when WNOW-FM
, then located in Gaffney, South Carolina
began airing much of the same programming in 2007, WOLI-AM began playing Spanish Religious programming, like sister station WBZK-AM in Charlotte. The 910 simulcast was intended to better cover Spartanburg with the programming heard on 103.9, which primarily covers the Greenville area. Now WOLI-AM is primarily black gospel.
Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican is a radio format for music radio, typically defined to include Banda, Ranchera, Mariachi and Norteña. It is the most popular radio format targeting Hispanic Americans in the United States....
radio station
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...
located in Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC) to the town of Easley
Easley, South Carolina
Easley is a city in Pickens County in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It is a principal city of the Greenville–Mauldin–Easley Metropolitan Statistical Area. Most of the city lies in Pickens County, with only a very small portion of the city in Anderson County...
and broadcasts on 103.9 FM with a effective radiated power
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
of 6000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s. It is locally programmed and the only FM Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
radio station in Upstate South Carolina.
History
103.9 FM signed on in 1964 as WELP-FM in Easley, simulcasting much of their sister station, WELPWELP
WELP is a Religious formatted radio station located in Easley, South Carolina. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast on 1360 AM with 5000 Watts of power during the day and 36 Watts at night.- External links :*...
1360 AM. By the early 1980s, WELP-FM tower was moved to a new location and the station's wattage was increased from 2.3 kW to 3 kW in order to get a better signal into nearby Greenville. The station at the time was known as WTLT "Lite 104", sporting a Light Adult Contemporary format.
Both WTLT and WELP were sold to new ownership by 1987. In December of that year, WTLT changed to Urban Contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
as WLWZ, adopting the "Z-104" nickname. After 2 months of cold segues and promos, a new airstaff debuted in February 1988, consisting of Greg Darden (from KRNB/Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
) for mornings, Maxx Myrick (from WCIN/Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
) for middays as well as programming duties, Dave Hendricks (a holdover from the station's previous format) for afternoons, Tori Turner (also from WCIN) for nights as well as the station's music director, and "Brother" Bill Prater (from WJKC/Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands
Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands
Christiansted is a town on Saint Croix, one of the main islands composing the United States Virgin Islands, an unincorporated territory of the United States. It is a former capital of the Danish West Indies and home to the Christiansted National Historic Site...
) for overnights. Ratings increased almost overnight from a 1.1 to a 9.4, despite having a limited signal that covered half of the Greenville-Spartanburg radio market.
In 1989, the Voyager broadcasting group purchased the radio station, and utilized Don Kelly & JC Floyd as consultants. Wayne Walker (from WFXC
WFXC
WFXC and WFXK are a simulcasting urban adult contemporary station in the Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina market. Owned by Radio One along with K97.5 and The Light 103.9, Foxy 107/104 plays "Today's R&B and Classic Soul" and airs the Tom Joyner morning show and the Michael Baisden afternoon show...
-FM, also known as "FOXY107" in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina & WHYZ-AM Greenville, South Carolina
Greenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
, was brought in as Program Director & Operations Manager, and the station was renamed MUSIC POWER Z-104. The successful lineup for a number of years included "Smooth Talker" Wayne Walker & Vince Davis on the Z-104 Wake-Up Patrol, also Rocky Valentine, Al Sullystone, Janice Henderson and Action Jackson.
In January 1993, WLWZ added a simulcast partner as 103.3 FM from nearby Greer
Greer, South Carolina
Greer is a city in Greenville and Spartanburg counties in the U.S. state of South Carolina, between the cities of Greenville and Spartanburg. The population was 25,515 at the 2010 census. It is projected to hit 30,000 within 4 years. Each day, more than three times that number of people pass...
signed on, becoming WLYZ, which helped the station to be heard in the Spartanburg part of the market. By that time, both stations were billed as "Double Z", but continued with the Urban format. This made the station receivable along Interstate 85
Interstate 85
Interstate 85 is a major interstate highway in the Southeastern United States. Its current southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 65 in Montgomery, Alabama; its northern terminus interchanges with Interstate 95 in Petersburg, Virginia, near Richmond...
almost from the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
to Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
line on both 103s.
Emerald City Broadcasting purchased WWMM 107.3 in 1994 and added an urban format which became a direct competitor. WWMM was relaunched as WJMZ "107.3 Jamz". Emerald City purchased Double Z in 1994, and began programming Double Z with an Urban AC/Oldies format in order to better co-exist with 107.3. Eventually the Double Z 103 simulcast became Alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
"103-X" with 103.3 picking up the WXWZ call sign and 103.9 picking up the WXWX call sign in early 1995. All the Double Z Urban staff was fired with the exception of Action Jackson and Wayne Walker who did a short stint as midday personality on WJMZ until March 1995. Action Jackson continued to do weekends and fill-ins on WJMZ until March 1996. 103-X was the first Alternative Rock station in the market, but the same signal problems that the station(s) had remained, even with the addition of 103.3.
On January 1, 1996, 103-X added Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
's radio show for mornings, but was faced with a backlash from both radio listeners and advertisers that lasted for weeks. During that time Emerald City decided to sell out to Sinclair
Sinclair Broadcast Group
The Sinclair Broadcast Group is an American telecommunications company that operates the largest number of local television stations in the United States. Headquartered in Hunt Valley, Maryland, it owns a total of 57 stations across the country in 35 primarily small and medium markets, many of...
, and 103-X changed formats 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....
in February, 1996 after the flip of WFBC-FM to top-40. The call letters WOLI (103.9) and WOLT (103.3) were added a few months later. The station(s) were on satellite for the next few years and in late 1999, a local airstaff was finally added.
In November 2000 the station jumped on the 80's Oldies bandwagon that was going on at the time, becoming "Star 103", but retained the call letters for both stations. The syndicated Bob & Sheri radio show was added as well as a new airstaff. Over time, the station slowly evolved toward 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...
, but kept the Star 103 handle. In late 2003, the station changed its format to a Contemporary Christian/ Country
Country 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...
hybrid as "The Walk". In 2005, Entercom sold WOLT-FM 103.3, WOLI-FM 103.9, & WSPA AM 910 stations to Davidson Media Group
Davidson Media Group
The Davidson Media Group is a New York based broadcaster specializing in multi-cultural, community focused formats. In four years the company has grown into a network of 40 stations in a 16 state region...
, while retaining "The Walk" and placing it on its newly acquired 106.3 WGVC
WGVC
See also: WYRD-AM, WORD-AMWYRD-FM, known on-air as News Radio WORD, is a news/talk-formatted radio station in the Greenville-Spartanburg area of Upstate South Carolina. The Entercom Communications outlet is licensed by the FCC to Simpsonville, SC, and broadcasts at 106.3 MHz with an ERP of 25 kW...
-FM signal, which lasted a little over a year until the unsuccessful format was dropped.
WOLI-FM originally simulcasted with WOLI-AM
WOLI (AM)
WOLI AM 910 is a radio station located in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast with an effective radiated power of 3.6 kW. in the daytime and 890 watts at night under separate directional signal patterns...
910 starting in October 2005. However, when WNOW-FM
WNOW-FM
WNOW-FM, also known as "105.3 Poder FM", is a Regional Mexican radio station currently licensed to Gaffney, South Carolina targeting the Charlotte/Metrolina| market. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to transmit on 105.3 FM with an effective radiated power of...
, then located in Gaffney, South Carolina
Gaffney, South Carolina
Gaffney is a city in and the county seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is also sometimes referred to as the Peach capital of South Carolina. The population was 12,414 at the 2010 census...
began airing much of the same programming in 2007, WOLI-AM began playing Spanish Religious programming, like sister station WBZK-AM in Charlotte. The 910 simulcast was intended to better cover Spartanburg with the programming heard on 103.9, which primarily covers the Greenville area. Now WOLI-AM is primarily black gospel.