WSOL-FM (101.5
MHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...
) is a
commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television)
** Radio advertisement
** Television advertisement
* (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
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 ...
known as V101.5. It is
licensed
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to
Yulee, Florida
Yulee is a Census county division (CCD) in Nassau County, Florida, United States. The population is currently 28,798 as of April 2018. Yulee is part of the Jacksonville metropolitan area, which was home to 1,504,980 people in 2017. Today, t ...
, and serves the
Jacksonville metropolitan area
The Jacksonville Metropolitan Area, also called the First Coast, Metro Jacksonville, or Northeast Florida, is the metropolitan area centered on the principal city of Jacksonville, Florida and including the First Coast of North Florida. According ...
and Southeast
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
. Owned and operated by
iHeartMedia, Inc.
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
, it broadcasts an
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...
radio format
A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
. WSOL-FM's studios are located on Central Parkway in Jacksonville's
Southside Southside or South Side may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Southside, Queensland, a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region
Canada
* South Side, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the St. George's Bay area on the southwest coast of New ...
district. The
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...
is off McKendree Road in
Kingsland, Georgia
Kingsland is a city in Camden County, Georgia, United States. The population was 18,337 at the 2020 census.
The Kingsland Commercial Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 17, 1994. It includes the area ...
, a couple of miles from the Georgia-Florida border.
Weekday mornings on V101.5 begin with ''
The Steve Harvey Morning Show
''The Steve Harvey Morning Show'' is a national radio program which is currently broadcast from Los Angeles. The nationally syndicated show features host Steve Harvey and a team of comedians and commentators.
The show runs approximately four ...
'',
syndicated by co-owned
Premiere Networks
Premiere Networks (formerly Premiere Radio Networks, shortened as PRN) is an American media company, a wholly owned subsidiary of iHeartMedia, for which it currently serves as its main original radio content distribution and production arm. It ...
. Overnights feature ''The Sweat Hotel'', a syndicated show hosted by
R&B singer
Keith Sweat
Keith Sweat (born July 22, 1961) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and an early figure in the new jack swing musical movement. He is known for his collection of hits including "I Want Her", " Make It Last Forever", "I'll Give A ...
. Local
DJs are heard the rest of the day.
Urban gospel
Urban/contemporary gospel is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genre was well established by the end of the 1980s. The radio format is pitched prima ...
music is heard on Sunday mornings.
History
On September 1, 1966, the station
signed on
Signing may refer to:
* Using sign language
* Signature
A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...
as WYNR-FM. It was the FM counterpart to
AM 790
The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 790 kHz: The Federal Communications Commission classifies 790 AM as a regional broadcast frequency.
In Argentina
* LR6 Mitre in Buenos Aires
* LRA22 in San Salvador de Jujuy, Jujuy
* ...
WYNR (now
WSFN
WSFN (790 AM broadcasting, AM) is a sports radio, sports radio station in Brunswick, Georgia. WSFN programming is simulcast on WFNS (AM), WFNS 1350 AM and W279BC 103.7 FM. Southern Media Interactive LLC also owns WSEG at Savannah, Georgia, Savann ...
), and was licensed to
Brunswick, Georgia
Brunswick () is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after Sa ...
. It was owned by Dixie Radio, Inc., and
simulcast
Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
the
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
format of the AM station. WYNR-FM’s effective radiated power was 33,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s, limiting its coverage to Brunswick and nearby communities, and not a factor in the larger Jacksonville
radio market
A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television station, television and radio broadcasting, ra ...
.
In 1978, WYNR-AM-FM were bought by Southcoast Broadcasting. The FM station's
call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...
switched to WPIQ and it began airing an
adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...
format. Power was increased to 100,000 watts, but on only a 250-foot tower, so its signal was still not widely heard in the entire Jacksonville market.
In 1989, the AM and FM stations were sold to the Suburban Radio Group for $4.8 million. The WPIQ call letters were shifted over to the AM station, while the FM station became WHJX, airing a
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
format. The station used the moniker "Hot 101.5." WHJX received
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
(FCC) permission to increase its
height above average terrain
Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site is above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...
(HAAT) to 1,463 feet, making it a true Jacksonville market station. In 1994, WHJX rebranded as “101.5 Channel X” playing a mix of Modern Rock, Hip-Hop, Rap and Pop music. This eclectic format would only last a few months before it returned to its current format. Over the next several years, WHJX moved from mainstream Top 40 to a more
rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
direction.
The station became WSOL-FM on September 8, 1995, playing a variety (thus the "V"-brand) of
Old School/Soul and current
R&B music. The station was acquired by
Jacor
Jacor Communications was a media corporation, existing between 1987 and 1999, which owned many radio stations in the United States. In 1998, Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, now iHeartMedia, for $2.8 billion.
Jacor Communicat ...
, which was a forerunner to current owner
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
. Jacor also owned
Mainstream Urban
Mainstream may refer to:
Film
* ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film
Literature
* ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine
* Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher
* ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso
Mu ...
WJBT
WJBT (93.3 FM "93.3 The Beat") is a commercial radio station licensed to Callahan, Florida, and serving the Jacksonville metropolitan area. It airs an urban contemporary radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices ...
(now
WBHQ
WBHQ (92.7 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Beverly Beach, Florida, and serving Flagler County. It is owned by Flagler County Broadcasting and broadcasts an adult hits radio format known as "Beach 92.7." Unlike other adult ...
), Jacksonville's other FM station serving the
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
community, although aiming at a younger audience.
On November 21, 2014, WSOL-FM broadened the format to include more
classic hip hop
Classic hip hop is a music radio format focusing primarily on hip hop music from the 1980s, 1990s, and the early to mid-2000s.
Although stations with such a format date back as far as 2004, the format was first popularized in October 2014, after ...
, along with Urban Adult Contemporary hits. The slogan switched to "Throwback Hip Hop and R&B."
On January 3, 2019, WSOL-FM reverted to Urban AC, still under the "V101.5" branding.
On August 7, 2019, WSOL-FM changed their city of license to Yulee, Florida as part of iHeartMedia's bankruptcy restructuring, which resulted in losing its grandfathered status in the Brunswick, Georgia market. Otherwise, iHeartMedia would have been required to divest
WHFX
WHFX (107.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Darien, Georgia, United States, the station serves the Brunswick area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC.
History
The ...
.
WSOL-FMHD2
WSOL-FM broadcasts using the
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
format. On May 8, 2017, WSOL-FMHD2 and
translator station
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
102.3 W272CQ changed their format from
oldies
Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...
(branded as "102.3 The Beach") to
classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...
. It branded itself "Sunny 102.3 - Jacksonville's Greatest Hits."
On October 15, 2020, WSOL-FMHD2 and W272CQ dropped the "Sunny 102.3" classic hits format, with a new format to be announced.
Sunny 102.3 Jacksonville Ceases Operations
Radioinsight - October 15, 2020 The format would end up being Spanish-language Christian programming from Buenas Nuevas Network, owner of WUMY in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...
.
Former logo
References
External links
V 101.5 Facebook
V101.5 Official Website
*
*
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{{IHeartMedia
SOL-FM
Radio stations established in 1966
IHeartMedia radio stations
Urban adult contemporary radio stations in the United States