WRUF-FM (103.7

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

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 radi ...

broadcasting a

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. Licensed to Gainesville, Florida, United States, the station serves the Gainesville/Ocala area. The station is currently owned by the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

. The station has been on the air since 1948. Although the station is owned by a public university, the station, like AM sister WRUF, is operated as a commercial station in contrast to sister station

WUFT-FM WUFT-FM is an NPR member radio station owned by the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, broadcasting news and public media programming from NPR along with other distributors including APM, PRX, WNYC Studios and the BBC. The station ...

. WRUF-FM has been a country station since October 2010.

History

Prior to 1981, WRUF played

beautiful music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator mu ...

and classical music under the moniker "Stereo 104," except for a Saturday-night disco music program from 1979-1980 called "Studio 104." WRUF played a Top 40 style hit radio format from 1981 to 1983. The hit radio format was adopted because another local FM station, had recently switched to playing hits on the FM with great success. The hit format had previously been played for many years on WRUF-AM, so technically, it was an easy switch, though many of the important powers at the University disfavored putting pop music on the FM. WRUF became an album-oriented rock station identified as "Rock 104" beginning in 1983. On October 11, 2010, the University announced that WRUF-FM would switch to a

format in the near future. The "Rock 104" name and format will move to an internet-only station. On October 15, 2010 WRUF-FM made the format change from rock to country, branded as "Country 103.7, The Gator".

Current Operations

Under the direction of Director of Programming Rob Harder, Operations Coordinator Brett T. Holcomb, and Sports Director Steve Russell, "The Gator" also serves as the home for Florida Gators football, men's basketball, and Sunday baseball. WRUF-FM programs the Bobby Bones morning show from 6-10 am followed by midday personality Jessie Roberts, Justin Tyler in afternoons, and The Big Time with Whitney Allen in the evenings. WRUF-FM is the only "new country" formatted radio station in the Gainesville-Ocala radio market targeting adults 18–49 years of age.

Notable alumni

* Paul Castronovo, host of the syndicated morning radio program, ‘ The Paul & Young Ron Show’, was a former Rock 104 disc jockey, as well as a graduate of the

. *

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featu ...

personality

Andrew Wilkow Andrew Steven Wilkow (born August 18, 1972) is a conservative political talk radio host on the Sirius XM Patriot channel on SIRIUS channel 125 and XM channel 125. Until July 2006, Wilkow had been on WGY in Schenectady, New York, (weekday morni ...

, host of an eponymous show on

Sirius Satellite Radio Sirius Satellite Radio was a satellite radio (SDARS) and online radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Holdings. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially lau ...

's "Sirius Patriot", is an alumnus of the station, having spent the latter half of his college years at the

. Unlike his current calling, his work at WRUF was solely as a disk jockey. *

Rich Fields Richard Wayne Fields (born November 30, 1960) is an American broadcaster, spokesman, announcer, and meteorologist. He is best known for a seven-season stint in which he announced for the American version of ''The Price Is Right''. Early life and ...

, the former announcer for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...

's ''

The Price Is Right ''The Price Is Right'' is a television game show franchise created by Bob Stewart, originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman; currently it is produced and owned by Fremantle. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also inc ...

'' and '' Gameshow Marathon'', was a former WRUF-FM afternoon drive disc-jockey and music director, as well as a graduate of the University of Florida. Rich Fields is also a recipient of the

Red Barber Walter Lanier "Red" Barber (February 17, 1908 – October 22, 1992) was an American sports announcer and author. Nicknamed "The Ol' Redhead", he was primarily identified with broadcasts of Major League Baseball, calling play-by-play across four d ...

Award for Broadcasting Excellence.Rich Fields, official site
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References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wruf-Fm RUF Country radio stations in the United States 1948 establishments in Florida Radio stations established in 1948