Horne Radio flipped AAA/Americana “I105” 105.3 WFIV-FM Loudon/Knoxville TN to Oldies at 5pm today.
The station is currently branding as “The New 105.3 WFIV” positioned as “Good Time, Great Oldies”. WFIV-FM rimshots Knoxville from the southwest covering areas around Loudon and Oak Ridge.
The fifteen year old AAA format was apparently the victim of revenue loss from the COVID-19 pandemic. A Facebook page titled “Save WFIV Knoxville’s Independent Radio” claims that owner Doug Horne rejected attempts to transfer the station to a new non-profit.
borderblaster 
Rhyne Hearon
Problem one for WFIV, no real signal in most of the Knoxville market. Problem 2 is a very niche format with lots of obscure music. I don’t know if oldies will do any better (Horne operates another oldies station in Sweetwater on 98.3). We shall see.
The signal has been terrible for years but this could be a lack of funds to keep the transmitter going at full capacity. I remember this signal on this frequency being much better years ago. I don’t think oldies will do much better since this has been a dying format now for at least the last decade. They should try an 80s hits format. The Knoxville market is so saturated at the moment that would have been something different even though it had been attempted before with moderate success. I would have said Jack format but 94.3 beat them to the punch.