WRFA - A History
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WRFA-AM 820 Largo – In 1985, Largo Broadcasting Co. (Norman Bie, Jr., president) changed the call letters and music format of its southern gospel WSST to country WRFA (Radio FloridA). From studios and transmitter site at 800 8th Avenue SE in Largo, its signal was powered by 50,000 watts days and 1,000 watts at night.
WRFA dropped the country music and switched to a Christian lifestyle talk and music format around 1988. Patterned after Lifestyle Radio in San Francisco and promoted as Christian Lifestyle Radio, WRFA’s station ID’s and many of its commercials were voiced by singer Pat Boone.
In early 1994, WRFA began moving toward secular programming, beginning with its shows at night. Then in April, the station made a complete switch and became Your Talk Authority WYTA.
Other names from WRFA’s history include Bob Hensler (GM, PD, music director & news director-1985), Art Karmgard (chief engineer-1987), Roy Bodden (“Country Music Memories” 1987-1991), Tom Henderson (“This Is Bluegrass” late 80’s), Bobby Hodge (host of a daily two-hour country music show), David Sharp, Jack Fichter (GM 1991-94), David Gracheck (mornings-1992), Keith Roadarmer (1992), Jim White (PD and music director-1992), Bill Brown (chief engineer-1992), Herman Bailey (“Talk Live with Herman Bailey”-1993), Andy Porter (show producer and phone screener-1993), and Nick Ashton (PD/midday host-1994).
(Please contact us if you have additional information to share about WRFA.)
Station History
1985 - 1994 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (History)
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