WOLZ

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title: "WOLZ" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["radio-stations-in-florida", "radio-stations-established-in-1988", "1988-establishments-in-florida", "mass-media-in-fort-myers,-florida", "iheartmedia-radio-stations"] topic_path: "general/radio-stations-in-florida" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WOLZ" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::data[format=table title="Infobox radio station"]

Field	Value
name	WOLZ
city	Fort Myers, Florida
area	Southwest Florida
branding	95.3 The Beach
frequency	95.3 MHz
airdate	(as WFJY)
format	Classic Hits
subchannels	HD2: Christian Contemporary WAYJ simulcast
erp	79,000 watts
haat	145 meters
class	C1
facility_id	13898
coordinates
callsign_meaning	Oldies (former format)
affiliations	Premiere Networks
owner	iHeartMedia, Inc.
licensee	iHM Licenses, LLC
sister_stations	WBCG, WBTT, WCCF, WCKT, WCVU, WIKX, WWCD, WZJZ
translator
webcast	Listen Live
website	953beach.iheart.com
licensing_authority	FCC
::

WOLZ (95.3 FM, "The Beach") is a commercial radio station licensed to Fort Myers, Florida, and serving Southwest Florida. It airs a classic hits radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. It carries two nationally syndicated shows on weekdays: Valentine in the Morning from KBIG Los Angeles is heard in AM drive time and The Martha Quinn Show airs in middays.

WOLZ is a Class C1 FM station. It has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 79,000 watts. WOLZ broadcasts using HD Radio technology. Its digital subchannel carries Christian Contemporary music from WAYJ n Naples, known as "Way FM." That feeds FM translator W263BI at 100.5 MHz in Fort Myers.

History

The station signed on the air in . Its original call sign was WFJY. For its early years, it was powered at only 1,500 watts, a fraction of its current output. It later was WSOR, a non-commercial station owned by the Riverside Baptist Church of Fort Myers. It aired a Christian radio format, mostly religious music with some preaching shows.

In the 1980s, it was acquired by the Heritage Broadcasting Company. It became a commercial station with an oldies format. The call letters WOLZ were chosen to represent the word oldies. Heritage applied to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to boost the power to 100,000 watts. That would allow WOLZ to be heard around much of Southwest Florida, including Fort Myers and Marco Island. In the 2000s, as the station shifted from oldies to classic hits, the branding avoided the word "oldies." In 2016, the station rebranded from "95.3 The River" to "95.3 OLZ." The playlist deleted early 1960s music, concentrating on the 70s and early 80s.

On May 28, 2021, WOLZ rebranded from "95.3 OLZ" to "95.3 The Beach." The playlist shifted to more 80s music with some 70s and 90s titles.

References

http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=65 HD Radio Guide for Fort Myers, Naples, and Marco Island, Florida
[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1977/C%20Section%20Radio%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201977%20P-6.pdf ''Broadcasting Yearbook 1977'' page C-41. Retrieved Jan. 9, 2025.]
[https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1992/Radio-All-BC-YB-1992-B&W.pdf ''Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1992'' page A-70. Retrieved Jan. 9, 2025.]
[https://radioinsight.com/headlines/208840/wolz-fort-myers-is-on-the-beach/ WOLZ Fort Myers Is On The Beach] Radioinsight - May 28, 2021

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