William Carlton Link and Thurman Louis Hardgrove, Sr. both applied for a new FM station for Lawrenceville, Virginia, in early 1988.[8] Link already owned an AM station, WLES, in Lawrenceville.[9] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) held a hearing regarding the matter on January 14, 1988.[8] More than two months later, on March 31, Link's application was approved, with the station to broadcast at 98.9 MHz.[10] During the week of April 20, 1989, the FCC assigned the new station the WLES-FM call sign.[5] The station launched on September 1, 1991, airing country and bluegrass music.[11] During the week of November 30, the station call sign changed to WHFD.[12]
On November 12, 1992, the FCC announced that WHFD would move from 98.9 to 105.5, where it remains.[13] The move took place on January 15, 1993.[13] The station added gospel music to its format in 1995.[14]
Norfolk, Virginia-based Willis Broadcasting Corporation bought WHFD and sister station WLES from Link on March 22, 1999, for $350,000.[15] Almost a year later, on January 10, 2000, sister-station WLES was sold to Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting Corporation for $150,000.[16] In 2001, WHFD switched from a hybrid country/bluegrass/gospel music format to solely gospel.[17]
WHFD and South Boston-based WHLF were to be sold to J&J Broadcasting Inc. for $250,000 on November 11, 2002,[18] but for unknown reasons the sale did not take place.[19] Station general manager Katrina Chase purchased WHFD, under the company name Lawrenceville Christian, for $100,000 on April 10, 2005.[20]
On February 9, 2011, WHFD was placed into receivership due to a $200,000 debt owned to a Woodstock, Virginia-based law firm.[21][22] The station fell silent on March 9, 2011,[23] returning to the air in early 2012.[24] Todd Fowler of Fowler Media Consulting, LLC took over operations of the station on March 30, 2011.[21] On July 18, 2011, the station's call sign was changed from WHFD to WHLQ.[6] WHLQ was sold by Fowler to Jimmy Johnson of North Carolina on May 16, 2012, for $75,000.[25][26] The sale closed on November 7, 2012.[27]
Once again, on April 14, 2014, the station was up for sale, this time to Lawrenceville resident Jeff Davis,[28] who, under the company name Imperial Broadcasting Company, LLC, purchased WHLQ from Johnson for $199,000.[29]
Johnson, while still owner of WHLQ, filed to raise the station's transmitting tower height from 47 meters to 100 meters on May 9, 2014.[30] The station's tower will remain in the same location and the wattage will remain the same as well.[30] On July 7, 2014, the station's call sign was again changed, from WHLQ to WVNC.[6]
The sale from Johnson to Davis closed on July 14, 2014.[31] Four days later, WVNC fell silent to make "changes [with] equipment and programming".[32] A month previously, on May 20, a post on the station's new Facebook page alerted listeners that the station would take a new format of ConservativeNews/Talk programs.[33]
Davis said, in an interview on August 5 with the Brunswick Times-Gazette, that he hoped to have the station on the air "by the second week of August".[34] He also said "a morning show featuring local guests" will be featured.[34]
WVNC returned to the air on August 19, 2014.[35] The station, however, returned with a music format due to technical problems with the station's satellite dish.[36] The news/talk format was delayed until the satellite dish was repaired.[36] On September 22, 2014, the station debuted its Conservative News/Talk format. The station began streaming its programming online at December 16, 2014, but stopped four days later.[37]
On December 20, 2014, the station began airing Christmas music.[38] Owner Jeff Davis began the process of selling the station back to previous owner Jimmy Johnson, on January 6, 2014.[39] Johnson will operate the station, under the Brunswick County Broadcasting, Inc., with two other persons, John Trent and Terry Suggs.[39] Trent's law firm filed suit against the station's previous owners in 2011.[21][22]
The sale represents a cancellation of debt, in the amount of $179,100, still owned by Davis to Johnson.[40] As part of the agreement, the station's callsign will change back to WHLQ.[40] The two companies also entered into a time brokerage agreement, allowing Brunswick to begin operating the station.[41] The agreement went into effect on January 1, 2015.[41] On January 13, 2015, the station's callsign changed to WHLQ.[6] The sale of WHLQ was closed on April 9, 2015.[42]
A little under seven months later, on October 27, 2015, Brunswick County Broadcasting, Inc. began the process to sell WHLQ.[3] The buyer, this time around, was Chesapeake-based Ronnie D. Joyner Ministries, Inc.[3] The station was sold for $149,000, and the translation was consummated on January 6, 2016.[43] At this time, translator station W236AD is not included in the sale.[3][43]
Effective November 7, 2019, Ronnie D. Joyner Ministries sold WHLQ to Ilmar & Gerardo Ruiz's Hosanna Christian Media, Inc. for $57,500.
^ abPutbrese, Hunsaker & Trent, P.C. v. Katrina Chase and Faith Broadcasting Corp. (Circuit Court for the City of Norfolk, Virginia February 9, 2011), Text.
