WLOF

For the former WLOF stations in Orlando, Florida, see WORL (AM) and WFTV.
Not to be confused with WOLF-TV or WOFL.

WLOF
Broadcast areaBuffalo metropolitan area
Frequency101.7 MHz
BrandingThe Station of the Cross
Programming
FormatCatholic radio
AffiliationsEWTN Radio
Ownership
OwnerHoly Family Communications
WHIC
History
First air date
November 9, 1977; 47 years ago (1977-11-09)
Former call signs
  • WBTF (1977–1998)
  • WXOX (1998–1999)
Call sign meaning
Our Lady of Fatima
Technical information
Licensing authority
FCC
ClassA
ERP2,800 watts
HAAT148 meters (486 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
42°46′59″N 78°27′29″W / 42.783°N 78.458°W / 42.783; -78.458
Repeater(s)WLGU 90.7 Lancaster, New York
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitethestationofthecross.com/stations/buffalo-ny/

WLOF (101.7 MHz) is a non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Elma, New York and serving the Buffalo metropolitan area. It broadcasts a Catholic talk and teaching radio format. Referred to as The Station of the Cross, WLOF is owned and operated by Holy Family Communications. The call sign represent Our Lady of Fatima, to whom this station is dedicated.

WLOF has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 2,800 watts. Programming is simulcast on WHIC 1460 AM in Rochester, New York, and WLGU 90.7 FM in Lancaster, New York. WLGU is powered at 1,000 watts. The stations rely on the EWTN Global Catholic Radio Network for much of their programming.

History

[edit]

The station signed on the air on November 9, 1977; 47 years ago (1977-11-09).[1] The original call letters were WBTF and it called itself "BT Country," airing a country music format. It was the sister station to WBTA 1490 AM in Batavia, New York. WBTF was originally licensed to Attica.[2]

Beginning on February 13, 1998, 101.7 FM was acquired by Broben Communications, Inc. and used WXOX as its call sign. WXOX then required nearby station WHUG in Jamestown to change frequencies in an effort to gain coverage area. As WXOX, the station broadcast modern rock as "The Spot", supposedly covering "Attica, Amherst and Buffalo" and acting as a challenger to WEDG. It made a significant advertising blitz in the Buffalo media market and even created its own "Spotfest" music festival, but it never even registered a measurable audience in the ratings. WXOX had a weak signal in Buffalo and Niagara Falls.[3]

On August 15, 1999, Holy Family Communications acquired WXOX and began broadcasting Catholic programming as WLOF. It became the sixth Catholic radio station in the United States.[4]

On August 15, 2009, WLOF celebrated its tenth anniversary by hosting Fr. John Corapi, a member of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT), at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, New York. Over 11,000 people attended this celebration.[5]

By 2024, WLOF had acquired a closer signal to Buffalo on FM 90.7, which it granted the call sign WLGU (for Our Lady of Guadalupe). In August of that year, Holy Family Communications opted to keep WLOF instead and spin WLGU (along with a translator in Fredonia) off to CSN International.[6]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2009 (PDF). 2009. p. D-371. Retrieved May 6, 2020.
  2. ^ FCC history cards for WLOF. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  3. ^ Fybush, Scott. New England Radio Watch. January 22, 1999.
  4. ^ Call Sign History
  5. ^ Buffalo News, August 16, 2009
  6. ^ "Station Sales Week Of 8/9". RadioInsight. August 9, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
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