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History: WWIL-FM 103.5

T

thebeach33445

Hey Guys:

Could anybody tell me the format history of WWIL-FM 103.5 from 1959 to 1967?

I do know it simulcasted the AM till around 1963.(Source Broadcasting Yearbooks) I see on one post of Miami radio 48 years ago for Sept 1966 it has WWIL-FM listed as Country/MOR.

Thanks for the help.

T.J.
 
If I remember correctly, WWIL AM & FM simulcasted country until somewhere along the line, they became WSRF AM & FM.
The AM became top forty and the FM had various formats including MOR (AC) and simulcasting the AM.
Eventually they both went progressive, but these were Broward county stations and living in Dade, my knowledge is thin.
The FM antenna was mounted less than 50 meters on one of the AM sticks (quarter waves on 1580 are short).

An interesting tid bit: Davie must have had their own street numbering system because the station's address was 1580 Davie Rd, but that changed to the Fort Lauderdale address of 3100 SW 64'th Ave from the same physical location.
1580 Davie Rd would be an impossible address today.

Watch their towers between two mobile home parks disappear between 2/20/99 and 12/30/02 on the Google earth time line and then see the apartments go up.
 
It sure would have been nice if somebody had kept airchecks of stations down here besides WQAM & WFUN. Yes there are some others (I have some WGBS 1961), but the lesser-rated stations' sounds are gone for good.

WWIL's reach must have been poor in Dade; the Miami News Archives listings don't show the AM or the FM.....in fact, only the Miami radio stations were ever listed, except maybe on weekends.

cd
 
I remember listening to WWIL around 1966 the format was middle of the road and they would actually play a request for you if you asked nicely and didn't keep calling all the time. They were still simulcasting AM and FM most of the time as I remember. January 1967 the ownership passed to Van Patrick and WSRF AM-FM was born. The FM was automated A/C and the AM of course started it's Top-40 run. The FM was 33KW with the antenna on one of the AM towers. The AM was 10KW day and 5KW night with a very tight, very strange pattern that had to protect the FCC monitoring station that was nearby.

Shortly after it became WSRF a friend of mine and I took a trip to the station to pick up a radio that his Mom had won. We got a tour, I believe it was the first radio station I ever visited. At the time it was in the middle of a cow pasture. This was before it became a trailer park.
 
I recall hearing 103.5 WSHE for the first time on a visit to Florida in early 1974. One year later...in early 1975...I was back...and Zeta-4...WINZ-FM 94.9 was just coming to life. They were both a couple of great Rock stations for the time...
 
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