WFRF (AM)
Encyclopedia
WFRF is an American radio station
licensed
to serve Tallahassee, Florida
, USA. The station, established as "WANM" in 1974, is currently owned and operated by Faith Radio Network, Inc. WFRF is licensed as a "daytimer", authorized to broadcast only from sunrise to sunset, to protect the signal of clear-channel station KNX
in Los Angeles
and adjacent WAPI in Birmingham
.
to the greater Tallahassee, Florida
, area. WFRF programming is a simulcast of sister station
WFRF-FM
(105.7 FM). WFRF first began broadcasting this format on October 6, 1997.
Notable national programs on WFRF include Adventures in Odyssey
, Back to the Bible
, Bible Reading with Max McLean
, Focus on the Family
, Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll
, Joni and Friends with Joni Eareckson Tada
, Let My People Think hosted by Ravi Zacharias
, Love Worth Finding
, plus My Money Life with Chuck Bentley
.
AM daytimer broadcasting on a frequency of 1070 kilohertz. Beginning regular broadcast operations in August 1974, the station aired an urban radio format for the African-American community in Tallahassee. The call sign reflected the fact that Tallahassee is home to Florida A&M University
. The station's broadcast license
was held by WANM, Inc.
Timm died on September 17, 1993, at the age of 70 and control of the station was passed to Bruce B. Timm and Jan B. Timm as the "co-personal representatives" of the estate of B.F.J. Timm. The FCC approved the transfer of control on November 16, 1993, and the transaction was formally consummated on December 23, 1993. Three years later, on December 20, 1996, they transferred control of WANM, Inc., to Beth L. Timm. During this period the station switched to a satellite-fed all-news radio
format featuring CNN Radio.
In August 1997, WANM, Inc., reached a deal with Faith Radio Network, Inc., to acquire WANM and its assets. The FCC approved the sale on September 14, 1997, and the transaction was formally consummated on September 30, 1997. On October 6, 1997, the station flipped call sign
s to "WFRF" and began broadcasting a religious radio format branded as "Faith Radio".
station in Kenya
. Imani Radio (88.8 FM) launched in May 2005 as one of just four Christian radio stations in Kenya. ("Imani" means "faith" in the Swahili language
.) WFRF also raised funds to provide 2,500 solar-powered radios pre-tuned to Imani Radio for use in Kenyan villages, hospitals, and prisons.
This last effort inspired to a new drive to provide solar-powered radios to prisoners in Florida's Big Bend
region. Starting with a single prison and 250 radios which prisoners could check out, as they would a book from a library, by 2009 the program had grown to more than 1200 radios in 8 prisons across the region. These radios are tuned to receive only WFRF programming.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to serve Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, USA. The station, established as "WANM" in 1974, is currently owned and operated by Faith Radio Network, Inc. WFRF is licensed as a "daytimer", authorized to broadcast only from sunrise to sunset, to protect the signal of clear-channel station KNX
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and adjacent WAPI in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
Programming
WFRF broadcasts a religious radio formatRadio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
to the greater Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee, Florida
Tallahassee is the capital of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County, and is the 128th largest city in the United States. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2010, the population recorded by...
, area. WFRF programming is a simulcast of sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
WFRF-FM
WFRF-FM
WFRF-FM is an American non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Monticello, Florida, USA. The station, established in 1989 as WJPH, is currently owned and operated by Faith Radio Network, Inc.-Programming:...
(105.7 FM). WFRF first began broadcasting this format on October 6, 1997.
Notable national programs on WFRF include Adventures in Odyssey
Adventures in Odyssey
Adventures in Odyssey , or simply Odyssey, is an Evangelical Christian-themed radio drama/comedy series created by Focus on the Family in 1987. The show's daily audience averages around 1.2 million within North America. The Odyssey series also includes several spin-off items, including a home-video...
, Back to the Bible
Back to the Bible
Back to the Bible is an international Christian ministry based in Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, using radio, the internet, television, and other media...
, Bible Reading with Max McLean
Max McLean
Max McLean is an American actor and narrator for audio books. He is the President of Fellowship for the Performing Arts, narrator for the Listener's Bible audio line, and speaker on the daily radio program Listen to the Bible which airs on over 670 radio affiliates worldwide.McLean is best known...
, Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
, Insight for Living with Chuck Swindoll
Chuck Swindoll
Charles Rozell "Chuck" Swindoll is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living, currently headquartered in Plano, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more than 2,000 stations around the world in 15 languages...
, Joni and Friends with Joni Eareckson Tada
Joni Eareckson Tada
Joni Eareckson Tada is an evangelical Christian author, radio host, and founder of Joni and Friends, an organization "accelerating Christian ministry in the disability community." "Joni" is pronounced as if it were spelled "Johnny" as she was named after her father.-Biography:As a teenager, Joni...
, Let My People Think hosted by Ravi Zacharias
Ravi Zacharias
Frederick Antony Ravi Kumar Zacharias is an Indian-born, Canadian-American evangelical Christian apologist. Zacharias is the author of numerous Christian books, including Gold Medallion Book Award winner Can Man Live Without God? and bestsellers Light in the Shadow of Jihad and The Grand Weaver...
, Love Worth Finding
Love Worth Finding
Love Worth Finding is an American radio and television ministry founded by Adrian Rogers, who was the president and CEO, as well as the chairman of the board of directors of it before his death. In 2003, it could seen and heard worldwide on more than 14,000 television outlets and 2,000 radio...
, plus My Money Life with Chuck Bentley
Chuck Bentley
Chuck Bentley is the current chief executive officer for Crown Financial Ministries. He has previously served Crown Financial Ministries as Senior Vice President of Global Impact Group, Vice President of the US Field, State Director of Texas, and Area Director in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.Bentley...
.
History
This station was founded as "WANM" by B.F.J. Timm as a 10,000 wattWatt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
AM daytimer broadcasting on a frequency of 1070 kilohertz. Beginning regular broadcast operations in August 1974, the station aired an urban radio format for the African-American community in Tallahassee. The call sign reflected the fact that Tallahassee is home to Florida A&M University
Florida A&M University
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, commonly known as Florida A&M or FAMU, is a historically black university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States, the state capital, and is one of eleven member institutions of the State University System of Florida...
. The station's broadcast license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
was held by WANM, Inc.
Timm died on September 17, 1993, at the age of 70 and control of the station was passed to Bruce B. Timm and Jan B. Timm as the "co-personal representatives" of the estate of B.F.J. Timm. The FCC approved the transfer of control on November 16, 1993, and the transaction was formally consummated on December 23, 1993. Three years later, on December 20, 1996, they transferred control of WANM, Inc., to Beth L. Timm. During this period the station switched to a satellite-fed all-news radio
All-news radio
All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks...
format featuring CNN Radio.
In August 1997, WANM, Inc., reached a deal with Faith Radio Network, Inc., to acquire WANM and its assets. The FCC approved the sale on September 14, 1997, and the transaction was formally consummated on September 30, 1997. On October 6, 1997, the station flipped call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
s to "WFRF" and began broadcasting a religious radio format branded as "Faith Radio".
Outreach
Working with International Christian Ministries, Faith Radio raised money for a mission trip for its founders and more than a dozen WFRF listeners to help establish a Christian radioChristian radio
Christian radio is a category of radio formats that focus on transmitting programming with a Christian message. In the United States, where it is more established, many such broadcasters play popular music of Christian influence, though many programs have talk or news programming covering...
station in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
. Imani Radio (88.8 FM) launched in May 2005 as one of just four Christian radio stations in Kenya. ("Imani" means "faith" in the Swahili language
Swahili language
Swahili or Kiswahili is a Bantu language spoken by various ethnic groups that inhabit several large stretches of the Mozambique Channel coastline from northern Kenya to northern Mozambique, including the Comoro Islands. It is also spoken by ethnic minority groups in Somalia...
.) WFRF also raised funds to provide 2,500 solar-powered radios pre-tuned to Imani Radio for use in Kenyan villages, hospitals, and prisons.
This last effort inspired to a new drive to provide solar-powered radios to prisoners in Florida's Big Bend
Big Bend (Florida)
The Big Bend of Florida, U.S.A., is an informal region of the state with no official surveyed boundary. It includes part of the counties of the Florida Panhandle. Geologists prefer to characterize Florida’s Big Bend as the drowned karst section of the coast that occurs between the mouth of the...
region. Starting with a single prison and 250 radios which prisoners could check out, as they would a book from a library, by 2009 the program had grown to more than 1200 radios in 8 prisons across the region. These radios are tuned to receive only WFRF programming.