Update 3/23: 99.5 WLOV made its soft launch this week as AC billed as “Daytona’s Continuous Soft Favorites”. The station is currently running jockless and commercial-free.
Original Report 3/17: One of the new FM’s granted in last years FCC Auction 91 will join Black Crow Media’s cluster in Daytona Beach, FL.
The rights to build 99.5 in Daytona Beach Shores was acquired by Susan Hall for $640,000 in the auction. The CP was granted the call letters WLOV-FM on February 20 when the Construction Permit was granted along with the registration of 995WLOV.com by Black Crow a week later. A second domain, WLOVFM.com was added on March 13.
The station’s application states the station wishes to expedite construction so it has an established presence in the market in time for Hurricane Season. Parts of the application include engineering work produced by Black Crow. The station will operate with 2.2kW at 341 feet.
Black Crow already operates News/Talk 1150 WNDB, Country 93.1 WKRO, Classic Rock “Hog 95.7” WHOG, and CHR “Vibe 103.3” WVYB in Daytona Beach.
I wouldn’t bet against WLOV-99.5 simulcasting WNDB-1150, since the 99.5 signal area will probably be larger than that of WNDB (especially at night), and since the owners hoped to get WLOV on the air “by hurricane season”, which to me might be a tip-off that it could be a simulcast of WNDB.
Why would they register domains to establish 99.5 as a unique brand then? If it was going to simulcast 1150, they’d have gone with WNDBFM or 995WNDB.com.
I’d put my money on a Daytona focused AC. The “Love” moniker has some heritage on 94.5 in the early 90′s before it turned its attention towards the larger Orlando market.
When 95.7 signed on in the mid-90s it was a simulcast of WNDB, WNDB-FM.
Let us not consider HD Radio, WNDB-HD2. Just a thought.