WRUM

WRUM
Broadcast areaCentral Florida
Frequency100.3 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingRumba 100.3
Programming
Language(s)Spanish
FormatLatin pop; reggaeton; tropical music
Subchannels
Ownership
Owner
W283AN, WFLF, WJRR, WMGF, WRSO, WTKS-FM, WXXL, WYGM
History
First air date
June 26, 1950; 74 years ago (1950-06-26) (as WORZ-FM)
Former call signs
  • WORZ-FM (1950–1957)
  • WKIS-FM (1957–1971)
  • WDIZ (1971–1996)
  • WSHE (1996–2004)
  • WEBG (2004–2005)
Call sign meaning
"Rumba"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID59976
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT484.0 meters (1,587.9 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
28°34′52″N 81°4′31.2″W / 28.58111°N 81.075333°W / 28.58111; -81.075333
Translator(s)
  • HD2: 97.1 W246BT (Clermont)
  • HD2: 97.1 W246CK (Kissimmee)
  • HD3: 97.9 W250CE (Kissimmee)
Links
Public license information
Webcast
Website

WRUM (100.3 FM) is a commercial radio station in Orlando, Florida, known as "Rumba 100.3". It airs a Spanish-language radio format featuring Latin pop and reggaeton. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.[2][3] The studios and offices are on Maitland Center Parkway in Maitland.[4]

WRUM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for most FM stations.[5] The transmitter is in Bithlo, off Fort Christmas Road (Route 420).[6]

WRUM broadcasts using the HD radio hybrid format.[7] The HD2 subchannel carries a bilingual CHR format, known as "Mega 97.1". The subchannel feeds two FM translators at 97.1 MHz. The HD3 subchannel carries a bilingual classic hits format, known as “Retro 97.9”.

History

[edit]

The station signed on the air on June 26, 1950. The call sign was WORZ-FM, originally simulcasting WORZ 740 AM (now WYGM).[8] The call sign changed in 1957 to WKIS-AM-FM. The two stations were owned by Central Florida Broadcasting and were network affiliates of NBC. They carried NBC's schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows, and big-band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio".

In 1971, the simulcast ended as WKIS and WKIS-FM were sold to separate companies, with the FM station acquired by the Shamrock Development Company.[9] The new management installed a progressive rock format, switching the call letters to WDIZ. Over time, the station's playlist focused on the top-selling albums and rock artists, as the station shifted to album-oriented rock.

In 1996, the station began stunting with sounds of a department store that included occasional talking, typewriter noises, and telephones ringing.[10] When the stunting had ended, it switched to all oldies as WSHE.[11] San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) acquired the station in 1997. On February 28, 2004, after stunting with the last two minutes of "Hey Jude" by The Beatles on a loop for an entire weekend, the station's call letters were then switched to WEBG.[12]

On February 2, 2005, the station flipped to a Spanish-language tropical music format. Over time, Latin pop and Reggaeton were mixed into the playlist.

HD subchannels

[edit]

WRUM-HD2

[edit]

On April 19, 2017, WRUM's HD2 subchannel launched a bilingual CHR format, branded as Boom 97 Uno. It was simulcast on FM translators at 97.1 FM: W246BT in Clermont (about 20 miles west of Orlando), and W246CK in Kissimmee (a few miles south of Orlando).[13] However, due to a trademark claim by Radio One (which uses the "Boom" brand for its classic hip hop stations), the HD2 subchannel and FM translators were rebranded as Oi2 97 Uno (pronounced "Oidos") on May 4, 2017. On February 8, 2018, WRUM-HD2 became Mega 97.1.[14]

WRUM-HD3

[edit]

From September 2018 until July 2024, WRUM’s HD3 subchannel simulcasted WRSO 810 AM, which currently broadcasts a sports radio format, until the simulcast moved to sister station WXXL, where the stations’ respective HD3 subchannels swapped formats, with the bilingual classic hits “Retro” national feed that aired on WXXL’s HD3 subchannel being moved to WRUM’s HD3 subchannel and ended up being simulcast on the FM translator as “Retro 97.9”.[15]

Translators

[edit]
Broadcast translators for WRUM-HD2
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W246BT 97.1 FM Clermont, Florida 151735 27 78 m (256 ft) D 28°33′12″N 81°36′0.3″W / 28.55333°N 81.600083°W / 28.55333; -81.600083 (W246BT) LMS
W246CK 97.1 FM Kissimmee, Florida 146627 250 103 m (338 ft) D 28°22′2.1″N 81°23′12.1″W / 28.367250°N 81.386694°W / 28.367250; -81.386694 (W246CK) LMS
Broadcast translator for WRUM-HD3
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W250CE 97.9 FM Kissimmee, Florida 156694 250 119 m (390 ft) D 28°22′2″N 81°23′12.3″W / 28.36722°N 81.386750°W / 28.36722; -81.386750 (W250CE) LMS

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WRUM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "WRUM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. ^ "WRUM Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  4. ^ "Rumba 100.3 Datos de Contacto: Teléfono, Domicilio, Anunciarse y Más". Rumba 100.3 (in Spanish).
  5. ^ "FM Query Results -- Audio Division (FCC) USA". transition.fcc.gov. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  6. ^ "WRUM-FM 100.3 MHz - Orlando, FL". radio-locator.com.
  7. ^ "HD Radio Station Guide for Orlando". HD Radio. iBiquity.
  8. ^ Information from the Broadcasting Yearbook 1961-1962 page B-38
  9. ^ "Broadcasting Yearbook 1972 page B-45" (PDF).
  10. ^ "100.3 WDIZ to WSHE flip" (MP3). Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  11. ^ Jim Abbott of The Sentinel Staff (April 30, 1999). "WSHE IS A NEWLY COOL SPOT". OrlandoSentinel.com.
  12. ^ Jim Abbott of The Sentinel Staff (May 15, 1999). "SHOCK WAVES ROCK ORLANDO'S AIRWAVES". OrlandoSentinel.com.
  13. ^ Bilingual CHR "Boom 97 Uno" Debuts in Orlando Radio Insight - April 19, 2017
  14. ^ Oi2 Returns to iHeart as Mega 97.1 Radio Insight - February 8, 2018
  15. ^ "iHeart Launches Retro 97.9 In Orlando Suburbs". RadioInsight. July 26, 2024. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=WRUM&oldid=1253036507"