WFFX

For the radio station in East St. Louis, Illinois, that held the callsign WFFX at 1490 AM from 2007 to 2010, see KFTK (AM). For the radio station in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, that held the callsign WFFX at 95.7 FM from 1984 to 1996, see WBHJ.

WFFX
Broadcast areaNew Orleans, Louisiana
Frequency103.7 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingVoodoo 103.7
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatHot adult contemporary
Ownership
Owner
WODT, WQUE-FM, WRNO-FM, WYLD, WYLD-FM
History
First air date
July 1, 1966; 58 years ago (1966-07-01)
Former call signs
  • WFOR-FM (1966–1974)
  • WHER (1974–1999)
  • WUSW (1999–2010)
Call sign meaning
"Fox" (previous format)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID54611
ClassC2
ERP12,000 watts
HAAT306 meters (1,004 ft)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live (via iHeartRadio)
Websitevoodoo1037.iheart.com

WFFX (103.7 FM; "Voodoo 103.7") is a radio station licensed to Marrero, Louisiana, and serving the New Orleans metropolitan area with a hot adult contemporary format. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station was first established in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, in 1966 as WFOR-FM.

History

The station, originally located in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, first signed on July 1, 1966,[2] as WFOR-FM.[3] The station was owned by J.W. Furr along with WFOR (1400 AM), though the two stations did not simulcast;[4] by the early 1970s, WFOR-FM programmed easy listening music.[5] The call sign was changed to WHER on October 7, 1974.[3] The easy listening format continued until November 1990, when the station changed to country music as "Eagle 103".[6] In October 1996, WHER shifted to oldies, retaining the "Eagle" name.[7]

J.W. Furr sold his five stations—WHER, WFOR, and three stations in Columbus, Mississippi—to Cumulus Media for $4.5 million in 1998.[8] In 1999, WHER's oldies programming began airing on WEEZ (99.3 FM) in Heidelberg (near Laurel);[9] in June, that station took on the WHER call sign, with 103.7 becoming WUSW[10] ahead of a return to country music.[11] In 2000, Cumulus swapped 45 stations, including its Laurel–Hattiesburg stations, to Clear Channel Communications (forerunner to iHeartMedia) in exchange for four stations in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, that Clear Channel had been required to sell as part of its merger with AMFM.[12] By the mid-2000s, WUSW had become a rock station as "The Fox".[13] The WFFX call sign was assigned January 28, 2010.[14]

On October 14, 2024, the station re-located from Hattiesburg to Marrero, Louisiana, in a realignment tied to KVDU (104.1 FM)'s relocation from New Orleans to Baton Rouge following the destruction of its transmitter during Hurricane Ida.[15] WFFX re-located to a tower shared with sister station WRNO-FM, broadcasting as a class C2 station at 12,000 watts.[15] At that time, the station dropped its mainstream rock format and began stunting as "Halloween Radio"—carrying songs with either themes associated with the holiday, or otherwise associated with horror films and television series.[16]

On October 17, 2024, the station flipped to hot adult contemporary as "Voodoo 103.7"; positioned as "New Orleans' 90s to Now", the new format revives a brand that had previously been used by KVDU for a classic hits format focusing on music from the 1980s and 1990s (although it later pivoted to rhythmic adult contemporary and hot AC while under the brand).[17]

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WFFX". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010. 2010. p. D-315.
  3. ^ a b "WHER (WFFX) history cards" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  4. ^ 1967 Broadcasting Yearbook. 1967. pp. B-90, B-91.
  5. ^ 1972 Broadcasting Yearbook. 1972. p. B-112.
  6. ^ "Format Changes". The M Street Journal. November 19, 1990. p. 1`.
  7. ^ "Format Changes". The M Street Journal. October 30, 1996. p. 2`.
  8. ^ "Elsewhere". The M Street Journal. September 2, 1998. p. 8`.
  9. ^ "Format Changes & Updates". The M Street Journal. June 9, 1999. p. 2`.
  10. ^ "Call Letter Changes". The M Street Journal. June 16, 1999. p. 8`.
  11. ^ "Format Changes & Updates". The M Street Journal. June 30, 1999. p. 2`.
  12. ^ "Cumulus Closes On Connoisseur: Also sells more stations to Clear Channel". Radio & Records. October 6, 2000. pp. 1, 37.
  13. ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2005. 2005. p. D-299.
  14. ^ "Call Sign History (WFFX)". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "FCC Report Extra: iHeart Plans New Orleans Move-In & Move-Out". RadioInsight. May 8, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  16. ^ "WFFX Completes Move From Hattiesburg To New Orleans With Halloween Stunt". RadioInsight. October 14, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  17. ^ Venta, Lance (October 17, 2024). "Voodoo Returns To New Orleans". RadioInsight. Retrieved October 17, 2024.

29°58′58″N 89°57′9″W / 29.98278°N 89.95250°W / 29.98278; -89.95250


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