WPOZ (88.3 MHz) is a non-commercial, listener-supported FM radio station licensed to Orlando, and serving all of Central Florida. It is owned by Central Florida Educational Foundation, Inc., and operated by Z Ministries, inc. It broadcasts a Christian Adult Contemporary radio format. The radio studios are in Altamonte Springs.

WPOZ
Z88.3 FM WPOZ Coverage Map
Broadcast areaCentral Florida
Frequency88.3 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingZ88.3
Programming
FormatChristian Adult Contemporary
Subchannels
Ownership
Owner
  • (Central Florida Educational Foundation, Inc.)
OperatorZ Ministries, Inc.
  • WDOZ
  • WHYZ
  • WMYZ
  • WCYZ
  • WHGV
History
First air date
August 9, 1995; 29 years ago (1995-08-09)
Former call signs
WEAZ (sign on -1998)
Call sign meaning
WPOZ POsitive Hits Z88.3
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID9876
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT452 meters (1,483 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
28°36′08″N 81°05′36″W / 28.60234°N 81.09330°W / 28.60234; -81.09330
Translator(s)See § Frequencies
Repeater(s)See § Frequencies
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitezradio.com

WPOZ has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts. The transmitter is in east Orange County, Florida. WPOZ is simulcast on several other owned stations in Central Florida. The station broadcasts using HD Radio technology. There are other Christian music formats on WPOZ's three digital subchannels, which feed several FM translators in Orlando and other cities in Central Florida.

History

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On August 9, 1995 (1995-08-09), the station signed on.[2] diplexed into then-WCPX(TV) channel 6 in Orlando (now WKMG-TV) and the power limited to 2,500 watts to eliminate viewer interference from a closely spaced FM station. The call sign at the beginning was WEAZ and the city of license was Union Park, Florida. The owner is Central Florida Educational Foundation. The studios at sign on was on Lake Brantley Road in Altamonte Springs, just north of Orlando.

In 1998, the call letters switched to WPOZ, to stand for "Positive Hits Z88.3," in contrast to the secular Top 40 charts. The city of license changed to Orlando with the increase in power to 100,000 watts.

 

Frequencies

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In addition to 88.3 MHz, this station also broadcasts on other frequencies in different areas of Central Florida:[3]

Call sign Frequency City of license Facility ID ERP
W
Height
m (ft)
Class FCC info
WHYZ 91.1 FM (HD) Palm Coast, Florida 92508 9,200 49 m (161 ft) C3 FCC (WHYZ)
WDOZ 91.7 FM Pierson, Florida 176311 5,000 108 m (354 ft) C3 FCC (WDOZ)
WMYZ 88.7 FM (HD) The Villages, Florida 27291 35,000 82 m (269 ft) C2 FCC (WMYZ)
WCYZ 99.7 FM Ocala, Florida 191546 2,200 168 m (551 ft) A FCC (WCYZ)
WHGV 99.5 FM
(HD-2)
Gainesville, Florida 76433 2,300 133 m (436 ft) A FCC (WHGV)
Broadcast translators for WPOZ (FM/HD1)
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W274BB 102.7 FM Haines City, Florida 142441 38 66 m (217 ft) D LMS
W237FO 95.3 FM Lakeland, Florida 142414 55 59 m (194 ft) D LMS
W298BO 107.5 FM Winter Haven, Florida 142420 27 92 m (302 ft) D LMS

WPOZ, WMYZ, WHYZ and WHGV broadcast in HD Radio.

In late 2008, WPOZ was granted authorization by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to increase its signal strength to 100,000 watts; this was accomplished when WKMG-TV acquired channel 26 from Entravision Communications as part of the Digital television transition in the United States. This meant that TV channel 6 would go vacant and therefore interference was no longer possible to viewers of WKMG-TV from the present or enhanced operation of WPOZ.

Central Florida Educational Foundation acquired a station in Lecanto, Florida, WLMS, from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg. As that station also broadcast on 88.3 FM, Central Florida Educational Foundation closed down WLMS, enabling WPOZ to increase its signal strength without that station interfering. After the upgrade, WPOZ's main signal would sufficiently cover areas already served by some of its translators, making them redundant. Those were moved into Orlando to rebroadcast the HD offerings.

WPOZ had a repeater in Daytona Beach, WEAZ 88.1 MHz, licensed to Holly Hill; this station was permitted in 1995 as WANX, signed on as a simulcast of WPOZ as WEAZ in 1998. The operation of WEAZ (like WLMS in Lacanto) would also interfere with the WPOZ power increase, as it operated on the first adjacent 88.1 FM channel of WPOZ. Therefore, it signed off permanently in December 2008, and its license was soon cancelled to make room for WPOZ's power increase application for 100,000 watts. [4]

On its website, it was announced that the FCC had approved a move of WMYZ 88.7 from Clermont to The Villages, with listeners in the Clermont area redirected to the now-more-powerful 88.3 signal.[5]

WPOZ HD3 & WHYZ HD2

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WPOZ-HD3, WHYZ-HD2, and WHGV broadcast a Christian rhythmic contemporary format as Hot 95.9; for those without HD radio receivers, it is heard on the following station and translators:[6]

Call sign Frequency City of license Facility ID ERP
W
Height
m (ft)
Class FCC info
WHGV 99.5 FM (HD) Gainesville, Florida 76433 2,300 133 m (436 ft) A FCC (WHGV)
Broadcast translators for WPOZ-HD2
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W250BH 97.9 FM Melbourne, Florida 142447 250 121 m (397 ft) D LMS
W240BV 95.9 FM Orlando, Florida 157091 99 141 m (463 ft) D LMS
Broadcast translator for WHYZ-HD2
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W278BP 103.5 FM Palm Coast, Florida 157073 54 65 m (213 ft) D LMS

WMYZ HD2

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WMYZ-HD2 broadcasts a Christian oldies format as "ZRewind.com." It is also heard on the following translator:

Broadcast translator for WMYZ HD2
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W245AZ 96.9 FM The Villages, Florida 142461 250 97 m (318 ft) D LMS

WJHM-HD3 broadcasts an urban gospel format as GPraise; this station also relays to the following translators:

Broadcast translators for WJHM HD3
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W292DZ 106.3 FM Orlando, Florida 40157 215 141 m (463 ft) D LMS
W249EH 99.7 FM Daytona Beach, Florida 142468 250 84 m (276 ft) D LMS
W227CP 93.3 FM Sanford, Florida 143886 250 117 m (384 ft) D LMS

WPOZ-HD2

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WPOZ-HD4 used to broadcast a Christian rock format as 103.7 The Rock and had a low-powered repeater in Clermont, W279CT. That facility was traded to RDA Broadcast Holdings, LLC for stations WCYZ 99.7 Ocala and WHGV 99.5 Gainesville, Florida.

W240BV, W273CA and W292DZ used to be low-powered repeaters that rebroadcast WPOZ in the Lake County area but were moved to Orlando.

Central Florida Educational Foundation resumed control of W273CA following the expiration of the lease with iHeartMedia in September 2018. It now broadcasts a Spanish Christian contemporary format, "La Z" (Pronounced "La Zeta") via WPOZ-HD2 at 102.5 FM in Orlando and 104.7 FM in Kissimmee

Broadcast translators for WPOZ HD2
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class FCC info
W273CA 102.5 FM Orlando, Florida 157099 250 141 m (463 ft) D LMS
W284DU 104.7 FM Kissimmee, Florida 156212 250 123 m (404 ft) D LMS


 
Z88.3® FM, WPOZ Coverage Map - Serving Central Florida and surrounding areas and nationwide on the ZRadio App.

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WPOZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ Information from Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1993 page D-104
  3. ^ "About Z88.3".
  4. ^ Central Florida Radio -- WEAZ
  5. ^ "88.7 in the Villages, Ocala and Leesburg".
  6. ^ https://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=39 HD Radio Guide for Orlando, Florida
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