WFLS-FM is a

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

formatted

broadcast Broadcasting is the distribution of audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum ( radio waves), in a one-to-many model. Broadcasting began ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

licensed to

Fredericksburg, Virginia Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...

, serving Central Virginia,

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

, and

Southern Maryland Southern Maryland is a geographical, cultural and historic region in Maryland composed of the state's southernmost counties on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. According to the state of Maryland, the region includes all of Calvert, Cha ...

. WFLS-FM is owned and operated by

Alpha Media Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἄλφα, ''álpha'', or ell, άλφα, álfa) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph , which ...

History

WFLS was founded, and initially owned and operated by, ''

The Free Lance–Star ''The Free Lance–Star'' is the principal daily newspaper distributed throughout Fredericksburg, Virginia, United States, with a circulation area including the city of Fredericksburg and all or parts of the counties of Spotsylvania, Stafford, ...

'' newspaper. WFLS began broadcasting as an AM station (on 1350 AM), on July 15, 1960. Adopting a middle-of-the-road format, WFLS-FM launched on June 12, 1962. The station switched to an all-

format in 1975. It started broadcasting in High-Definition in May 2006. 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. On April 16, 2013, W243BS 96.5 dropped its simulcast of sister station WNTX for a simulcast of WFLS-HD2 carrying a Freeform format. The "FredFM" format was dropped in early March 2014, when W243BS resumed simulcasting sister station WNTX. On January 23, 2015,

"entered into a definitive agreement" to purchase WFLS and sister stations WNTX,

WVBX WVBX (99.3 FM broadcasting, FM "Live 99.3") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station city of license, licensed to Spotsylvania County, Virginia, Spotsylvania, Virginia and serving the Metro Fredericksburg, Virginia, Fredericksburg area. W ...

, and WWUZ from Free Lance-Star License, Inc. for an unknown sum. The purchase was consummated on May 1, 2015, at a price of $8.1 million.

References

External links

93.3 WFLS Online
* {{Country Radio Stations in Virginia 1962 establishments in Virginia FLS-FM Radio stations established in 1962 Alpha Media radio stations