WOIR

WOIR
Broadcast areaMiami area
Frequency1430 kHz
Programming
FormatSpanish Contemporary Christian
Ownership
OwnerERJ Media, LLC
OperatorIglesia Pentecostal Víspera del Fin (sale pending)
History
First air date
November 2, 1957 (1957-11-02)[1]
Former call signs
  • WSDB (1957–1963)
  • WIII (1963–1972)
  • WRSD (1972–1974)
  • WQDI (1974–1985)[2]
  • WRBA (1985–1987)
Technical information[3]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID13776
ClassB
Power5,000 watts day
500 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
25°27′09″N 80°30′59″W / 25.45250°N 80.51639°W / 25.45250; -80.51639
Links
Public license information
Websitelacadenadelafamilia.com

WOIR (1430 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish-language Christian format licensed to Homestead, Florida, United States, and serving South Florida. The station is currently owned by ERJ Media, LLC, a subsidiary of the El Rey Jesús church in Miami, and programmed by the Iglesia Pentecostal Víspera del Fin.

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

On May 29, 1957—nearly two years after the filing was made—South Dade Broadcasting Co. was granted a construction permit to build a new radio station to serve Homestead on 1430 kHz, with 500 watts during daytime hours only.[2] The station went on the air November 2 of that year, becoming the first broadcasting outlet in southern Dade County.[1] In 1962, Seven League Productions purchased WSDB; the transaction closed in January 1963, and the call sign was changed to WIII that April.[2] Seven League, however, struggled financially. In 1964, two groups sought the license for themselves: one, another group known as South Dade Broadcasting Company, ended up purchasing Seven League in 1966, beating out Redlands Broadcasting, a group that included a former mayor of Homestead.[4]

In 1972, Clement Littauer purchased control of WIII. Littauer had owned two radio stations in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and had started the only English-language TV station there.[5] The call letters changed to WRSD on June 1 of that year,[2] changing to a middle-of-the-road format.[6] Two years later, WRSD became WQDI when Southland Radio, Inc., acquired it; Southland flipped WQDI to country, the only format it ran at its stations.[7] During Southland ownership, the daytime-only station was approved in 1978 to begin nighttime service, which was activated in 1980.[2]

Southland Radio sold WQDI to Miami physician Ramiro Marrero in 1984 for $1.265 million;[8] the station changed call signs to WRBA on September 15, 1985. However, WRBA's operational existence would prove short-lived. On the evening of August 15, 1986, the station informed its listeners it was going off air to perform construction work at its office; no such construction ever materialized, and the same day, the owners had filed for bankruptcy.[9]

Radio Continental[edit]

WRBA was bought out of its silence by the Continental Broadcasting Corporation in 1987 and emerged as a Spanish-language station, WOIR "Radio Continental". The station's primary audience consisted of listeners of Mexican and Central and South American origin.[10] In 1991, Carlos and Angela López reached a deal to buy WOIR, making it the first Miami-area station to be owned by Colombian Americans.[10]

During Hurricane Andrew, Radio Continental was credited with saving the lives of hundreds of farmworkers in a labor camp. General manager Armando Gallegos remained on the air from the afternoon until midnight, pleading for listeners to evacuate; there were no deaths or injuries. The hurricane toppled both of the station's towers; after the storm, the engineer improvised a new antenna using a tree, and with aid from the city of Homestead and the Department of Defense, the station was back on air.[11]

Christian radio[edit]

In 1995, Continental Broadcasting sold WOIR to Corpo-Mex, Inc.[12] The format continued, but the presence of religious programming on the frequency, branded as Radio Amanecer, increased, dominating by 1999.[13] In 2001, Amanecer Christian Network, Inc., purchased WOIR from Corpo-Mex for $2.58 million.[14]

Amanecer Christian Network went into receivership in 2008, and a new investment company replaced it as the licensee; one of the two major debtors was Corpo-Mex, which had sold the station to Amanecer Christian Network in 2001.[15]

ERJ Media filed to sell the station for $900,000 to Iglesia Pentecostal Víspera del Fin of Seattle, which airs Spanish-language Christian programming under the name Tu Familia Radio on stations on the West Coast, in December 2022. The church then assumed programming responsibilities for WOIR on December 16, 2022.[16]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Homestead Station to Broadcast". The Miami Herald. November 2, 1957. p. 7-A. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e FCC History Cards for WOIR
  3. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WOIR". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  4. ^ Du Priest, Bill (March 19, 1966). "Dade Group Buying Radio Station WIII". The Miami Herald. p. 2-B. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "Clement Littauer, Pioneer in TV". The Miami Herald. March 20, 1978. p. 3-B. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  6. ^ "'MOR'—something for everyone". The Miami News. pp. 1D, 2D. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Woods, Sherry (March 31, 1975). "Woman to manage WLYF here". The Miami News. p. 8B. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 20, 1984. p. 78. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  9. ^ Ulrich, Yolanda (August 24, 1986). "Sole radio station in Homestead goes off the air". The Miami Herald. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Parga, Beatriz (March 6, 1991). "Radio Continental pasaría a empresarios colombianos" [Radio Continental to be sold to Colombian businessmen]. El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish). p. 1B. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  11. ^ de la Cruz, Rafael (September 3, 1992). "Emisora hispana salvó la vida a residentes del Campamento Everglades" [Hispanic station saved the life of residents of the Everglades Camp]. El Nuevo Herald (in Spanish). p. 19A. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  12. ^ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. November 2, 1995. p. 6. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  13. ^ Glasgow, Kathy (September 23, 1999). "Getting Organized". Miami New Times. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  14. ^ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. April 13, 2001. p. 8. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  15. ^ "Reception made for Miami AM". Radio Business Report. February 3, 2009. Retrieved June 21, 2021.
  16. ^ Venta, Lance (December 16, 2022). "Station Sales Week of 12/16". RadioInsight. Retrieved December 18, 2022.

External links[edit]

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