WIOZ (AM)

WIOZ (550 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting a soft oldies and standards format. It is licensed to Pinehurst, North Carolina, and is owned by Muirfield Broadcasting, Inc. It features programming from Westwood One's "America's Best Music" service.

WIOZ

Pinehurst, North Carolina
Frequency	550 kHz
Branding	WIOZ 550 AM
Programming
Format	Soft Oldies - Standards
Affiliations	America's Best Music
Ownership
Owner	Muirfield Broadcasting, Inc.
Sister stations	WIOZ-FM
History
First air date	March 25, 1980; 45 years ago (1980-03-25)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	46949
Class	B
Power	1,000 watts day 260 watts night
Transmitter coordinates	35°9′4″N 79°28′40″W
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS

By day, WIOZ is powered at 1,000 watts. But to protect other stations on 550 AM from interference, it reduces power at night to 260 watts. It uses a directional antenna at all times.^[2]

History

The station signed on the air on March 25, 1980.^[3] At first, it was a daytimer station, powered at 1,000 watts but required to go off the air at night. In its early years, it had a Top 40 format and was an affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System.

WIOZ changed to the "Music of Your Life" adult standards format in 1999. At the same time, its sister station 102.5 WIOZ-FM changed to adult contemporary music.^[4] In the 2000s, WIOZ 550 switched to "America's Best Music" radio service for its music programming.

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