WFLS-FM

WFLS-FM is a Country formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Fredericksburg, Virginia, serving Central Virginia, Northern Virginia, and Southern Maryland.[1] WFLS-FM is owned and operated by Alpha Media.[4]

WFLS-FM
CityFredericksburg, Virginia
Broadcast areaCentral Virginia
Northern Virginia
Southern Maryland
Frequency93.3 FM MHz
Branding"93.3 WFLS"
Slogan"Today's New Country"
Programming
FormatCountry[1]
Ownership
OwnerAlpha Media
(Alpha Media Licensee, LLC)
WNTX, WVBX, WWUZ
History
First air date
June 12, 1962[2]
Former call signs
WFLS-FM (1962-Present)[3]
Call sign meaning
W Free Lance-Star
former owner
Technical information
Facility ID65641
ClassB
Power50,000 Watts
HAAT150 meters (490 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
38°18′46.0″N 77°26′20.0″W
Links
WebcastWFLS-FM Webstream
WebsiteWFLS-FM Online

History

WFLS was founded, and initially owned and operated by, The Free Lance–Star newspaper. WFLS began broadcasting as an AM station (on 1350 AM), on July 15, 1960.[5]

Adopting a middle-of-the-road format, WFLS-FM launched on June 12, 1962. The station switched to an all-Country format in 1975. It started broadcasting in High-Definition in May 2006.[6] It started with the slogan "Virginia's Best Country", used until early 2006. Then "Real Country Variety" used from early 2006 to April 2, 2012, and has been using "Today's Country" since then.[7]

On April 16, 2013, W243BS 96.5 dropped its simulcast of sister station WNTX for a simulcast of WFLS-HD2 carrying a Freeform format.[8] The "FredFM" format was dropped in early March 2014, when W243BS resumed simulcasting sister station WNTX.

On January 23, 2015, Alpha Media "entered into a definitive agreement" to purchase WFLS and sister stations WNTX, WVBX, and WWUZ from Free Lance-Star License, Inc. for an unknown sum.[9] The purchase was consummated on May 1, 2015, at a price of $8.1 million.

References
  1. "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  2. Broadcasting Yearbook 2010 (PDF). ProQuest, LLC/Reed Publishing (Nederland), B.V. 2010. p. D-564. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  3. "Call Sign History". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  4. "WFLS Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  5. "Station Begins Broadcast Tomorrow". The Free Lance–Star. Fredericksburg, Virginia. July 14, 1960. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
  6. "WFLS-FM 93.3 - 227B". VARTV.com. June 25, 2012.
  7. "Stations get new paint". VARTV.com. April 2, 2012.
  8. Jett, Cathy (April 16, 2013). "FredFM hits the airwaves". Fredericksburg.com. Fredericksburg, VA.
  9. "Alpha Media To Purchase Free Lance-Star Radio Stations". All Access Music Group. January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
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