WHHZ

WHHZ
City Newberry, Florida
Broadcast area Gainesville
Branding "100.5 The Buzz"
Slogan "Gainesville's New Alternative"
Frequency 100.5 MHz
First air date November 18, 1994
Format Alternative rock
HAAT 143 meters
Class C2
Facility ID 48703
Transmitter coordinates 29°36′31.73″N 82°50′58.0416″W / 29.6088139°N 82.849456000°W / 29.6088139; -82.849456000
Former callsigns WNFQ (1990-1998)
WBXY (1998-1999)
WRKG (1999-2001)
Owner MARC Radio Group
(MARC Radio Gainesville, LLC)
Sister stations WDVH, WDVH-FM, WPLL, WRZN, WTMG, WTMN
Webcast WHHZ Webstream
Website WHHZ Online

WHHZ (100.5 FM), branded as "100.5 The Buzz", is a commercial radio station licensed to Newberry, Florida, broadcasting to the Gainesville area. The station is owned by the MARC Radio Group and transmits with an Effective radiated power of 44 kw from a tower site 2 miles west of Trenton.[1]

History

The FCC added 100.5 MHz class A allocation for Newberry to the table of allotments on December 17, 1986. Newberry Broadcasting Corporation applied for and was granted the construction permit on January 10, 1990. During the construction phase, the allotment was upgraded to a class C3. The station first signed on the air on November 18, 1994. Originally, as a class C3 FM station broadcasting from a tower site west of High Springs, Florida, it never had good penetration into its primary target market of Gainesville.

After several call letter changes and format changes; WBXY in 1998, WRGK in 1999,[2] it was sold to Astrisk Communications who then sold the station to Pamal Broadcasting. The sale was consummated in February 2001. Pamal immediately co-located the station with its other market stations in the WLUS building on SE 27th Street. The format was changed briefly to CHR before finally settling on Alternative Rock. When University Of Gainesville-owned WRUF-FM changed formats in 2010 from Active Rock "Rock 104" to Country (as "103.7 The Gator"), WHHZ adopted an Active Rock format. On April 17, 2014 WHHZ transitioned back to an Alternative Rock format.[3]

In July 2004, the transmitter was relocated to sister station WKZY's tower and the signal was upgraded to a class C2 FM allocation.[4] This greatly improved coverage of the Gainesville city metro. Unfortunately, the improved signal never translated to higher ratings or higher revenue for the station.

In October 2005 the studios were moved across town to the Sunshine Broadcasting building on 100 NW 76th drive in the Tower Hill Office Park along with Pamal's other Gainesville stations.

In July 2011, WHHZ and all of its sister stations were sold by Pamal Broadcasting to the MARC Radio Group, an upstart radio broadcaster based in Winter Park.

References

  1. ↑ "WHHZ Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ↑ "WHHZ Call Sign Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ↑ "Active Rock WHHZ Switches To Alternative". All Access Music Group website.
  4. ↑ "WHHZ Application record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
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