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WLVF AM & FM - A History

WLVF-AM 930 & WLVF-FM 90.3 Haines City – Directional 500-watter WLVF-AM began broadcasting in the spring of 1986 from studios at the transmitter site at 110 Scenic Highway, off U.S. 27. Prior to that, the frequency was home to Haines City’s first radio station, WHAN, and its successors WFXI and WTHN. When WTHN went silent and was no longer in business, it was bought by a member of, and donated to, the local Landmark Baptist Church. The rock ‘n’ roll music format was dumped – replaced with southern gospel – and the call letters switched to WLVF (We're Landmark's Voice of Faith).

Two years earlier, in 1984, Landmark church member Jack Moseman filed an application as Haines City Public Radio, Inc. for an FM at 89.3 mHz. That frequency application was dismissed by the FCC. But another, for 90.3, was accepted. By the summer of 1986, WHGS (“Haines City’s Gospel Sound”), a 1200-watt FM was on the air. In 1989, Moseman sold the station to Landmark Baptist Church who, the following year, flipped the calls to WLVF-FM and branded their AM/FM combo Gospel 90.3.

In the mid 1990’s Landmark Church acquired and began renovating downtown Haines City’s old Polk Hotel on Hinson Avenue with plans to headquarter its radio stations and Landmark Baptist College in the historic building. When work was completed in 1997, the new facility enabled the AM/FM combo to enjoy a larger broadcast studio, production room and office space, with still more room available to accommodate new equipment.

Some names associated with WLVF include Mickey Carter (pastor of Landmark Baptist Church), Jack Moseman, Jay Lewis (general manager), Rich Lemon (mornings), Steve Carter (mornings/PD), Jonathan Marshall (mid-days), Lewis Cruz (station manager and afternoons), Jeff Crews (engineering), Matt Pautz (mornings), Bobby Ogden (marketing manager/mid-days), Mike Case (mornings/production manager), Matthew Marshall, Lori Dalaba (secretary), Christy O’Steen, Angela Smart, and Tim Burke.

Today (2008) Gospel 90.3’s programming simulcasts on its AM and FM, and broadcasts over the worldwide web at www.gospel903.com.

Station History