WPOZ
Broadcast area
Branding
Z88.3
Programming
Ownership
Owner
Operator
Z Ministries, Inc.
History
First air date
August 9, 1995; 28 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
9876
C
100,000 watts
452 meters (1,483 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
28°36′08″N 81°05′36″W / 28.60234°N 81.09330°W / 28.60234; -81.09330
Links
Public license information
Website
WPOZ (88.3 MHz) is a non-commercial, listener-supported FM radio station licensedtoOrlando, 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 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.
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.
In addition to 88.3 MHz, this station also broadcasts on other frequencies in different areas of Central Florida:[3]
FCC info
WHYZ
91.1 FM (HD)
92508
9,200
49 m (161 ft)
C3
WDOZ
91.7 FM
176311
5,000
108 m (354 ft)
C3
WMYZ
88.7 FM (HD)
27291
35,000
82 m (269 ft)
C2
99.7 FM
191546
2,200
168 m (551 ft)
A
99.5 FM
(HD-2)
76433
2,300
133 m (436 ft)
A
Broadcast translators for WPOZ (FM/HD1)
FCC info
W274BB
102.7 FM
142441
38
D
W237FO
95.3 FM
142414
55
59 m (194 ft)
D
W298BO
107.5 FM
142420
27
92 m (302 ft)
D
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-HD2, 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]
FCC info
99.5 FM (HD)
76433
2,300
133 m (436 ft)
A
Broadcast translators for WPOZ-HD2
FCC info
W250BH
97.9 FM
142447
250
D
W240BV
95.9 FM
157091
99
141 m (463 ft)
D
Broadcast translator for WHYZ-HD2
FCC info
W278BP
103.5 FM
157073
54
D
WMYZ-HD2 broadcasts a Christian oldies format as "ZRewind.com." It is also heard on the following translator:
Broadcast translator for WMYZ HD2
FCC info
W245AZ
96.9 FM
142461
250
D
WPOZ-HD3 broadcasts an urban gospel format as GPraise; this station also relays to the following translators:
Broadcast translators for WPOZ HD3
FCC info
W292DZ
106.3 FM
40157
215
D
W249EH
99.7 FM
142468
250
84 m (276 ft)
D
W227CP
93.3 FM
143886
250
117 m (384 ft)
D
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-HD4 at 102.5 FM in Orlando and 104.7 FM in Kissimmee
Broadcast translators for WPOZ HD4
FCC info
W273CA
102.5 FM
157099
250
D
W284DU
104.7 FM
156212
250
123 m (404 ft)
D
———
NOAA Weather Radio
frequency
Digital radio
by frequency & subchannel
Defunct
