WFLB

WFLB is a classic hits radio station located in Fayetteville, North Carolina, owned by Beasley Media Group, LLC., through licensee Beasley Media Group, LLC. The WFLB studios are located east of downtown Fayetteville, and its transmitter is located north of Lumberton, North Carolina.

WFLB
CityLaurinburg, North Carolina
Broadcast areaFayetteville, North Carolina Wilmington, North Carolina
Frequency96.5 MHz
Branding96.5 Bob FM
Slogan70s, 80s, and Whatever
Programming
FormatClassic Hits
Ownership
OwnerBeasley Broadcasting Group, Inc.
(Beasley Media Group Licenses, LLC)
WAZZ, WKML, WYDU, WUKS, WZFX
History
First air date
1947 (as WEWO-FM)
Former call signs
WEWO-FM (1947-1968)
WSTS (1968-July 2, 1990)
WMXF-FM (July 2, 1990-June 1, 1993)
WAZZ (June 1, 1993)-(March 1, 1997)
Technical information
Facility ID9078
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT318 meters
Transmitter coordinates
34°46′50″N 79°02′45″W
Links
WebcastListen live
Website965bobfm.com

History

WEWO-FM began in Laurinburg in 1947, a sister station to WEWO. Don Curtis purchased the stations in 1968, and WEWO-FM became a Christian radio station called WSTS, The station received a power increase to 100,000 watts to reach Fayetteville. Durham Life Broadcasting later bought the stations.

In 1989, WSTS dropped religious programming and became CHR WMXF "Mix 96" Dale O'Brian, former Program Director/Morning host at WKSI in Greensboro was hired as Program Director of MIX 96. He brought in talent from the Greensboro market and the station did very well. The airstaff was arguably the best in the market. The lineup included Dale O'Brian and Tank Sherman on mornings, Leah Scott on Mid-days, Pete Moss in Afternoons, Joe Mama Nights and Sammy Simpson late nights. The station created great street buzz and was very visible in the Fayetteville market. The WSTS letters and a similar format moved to a station in Fairmont. Durham Life sold its radio stations, and Curtis once again owned the 96.5 frequency, as well as other Durham Life stations.

On April 1, 1993, WMXF began playing "Louie, Louie" by The Kingsmen over and over, changing the station's name temporarily to "Louis 96.5." The real format turned out to be "Oldies 96.5," and the call letters changed to WAZZ.

Beasley Broadcasting bought WAZZ in the mid-90s, along with WFLB, the former Top 40 station in Fayetteville. Beasley gave WAZZ and WFLB each other's callsigns. The AM began broadcasting February 18, 1948, on 1490 kHz with 250 watts of power. The station was operated by Fayetteville Broadcasters Inc.[1]

On December 30, 2005, Oldies 96.5 changed to classic hits as 96.5 the Drive.[2] Program director Dave Stone described the difference this way: oldies included Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley, while classic hits focuses on the 70s and artists such as the Eagles and the Doobie Brothers.[3]

On March 14, 2011 WFLB changed their format to adult hits, branded as "Bob FM" The final song as 96.5 The Drive was Elton John's Funeral for a Friend. The first songs as 96.5 Bob FM were The Gap Band's You Dropped a Bomb on Me and R.E.M.'s Losing My Religion. While the station initially used the slogan “we play everything” along with a wide variety of music from the 1960s through 2000s, the station has since shifted to a classic hits format, emphasizing pop and rock hits from the 1970s and 1980s, with occasional hits from the 1990s.

On November 1, 2019, WFLB changed to a holiday music format, ending their regular music format temporarily until Christmas 2019.[4]

Expiration of License

On September 1, 2019, at 8:33 AM EDT, a message played on an ad break on American Top 40 that the Federal Communications Commission warned listeners that on December 1, 2019, that users may not be able to listen to WFLB anymore. On December 1, 2019, Beasley Broadcasting Group, the parent company of WFLB, has renewed its license with the FCC, extending the tenure of the radio station for another 7 years, now ending in 2026.[5]

References
  1. "WFLB Fayetteville, N.C. Takes Air on 1490 KC" (PDF). Broadcasting. March 15, 1948. Retrieved 15 November 2014.
  2. "Radio-Durham FM Dial". Archived from the original on 2003-02-01. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
  3. Rodger Mullen, "Oldies Music Turns Ancient," The Fayetteville Observer, Thursday, February 28, 2008.
  4. "Its Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas". 965bobfm.com. Retrieved 2019-12-07./
  5. "WFLB-FM 96.5 MHz - Laurinburg, NC". radio-locator.com. Retrieved 2019-09-01.
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