WMLE

WMLE

Germantown, Tennessee
Broadcast area	Memphis, Tennessee
Frequency	94.1MHz
Branding	K-LOVE
Programming
Language(s)	English
Format	Christian adult contemporary
Ownership
Owner	Educational Media Foundation
Sister stations	WKVF
History
First air date	1978(1978)
Former call signs	WGTG (1976–1977) WEEF (1977–1978) WLVS (1978–1983) WEZI (1983–1989) WODZ-FM (1989–1993) WOGY (1993) WOGY-FM (1993–2001) WMBZ (2001–2006) WSNA (2006–2008) WKQK (2008–2014) WLFP (2014–2023)
Call signmeaning	"Memphis K-Love"
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	2686
Class	C2
ERP	50,000watts
HAAT	144 meters (472 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	34.990°N 89.863°W/34.990; -89.863
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	klove.com

WMLE(94.1FM) is aradio stationbroadcasting aChristian adult contemporaryformat. It islicensedtoGermantown, Tennessee,and serves theMemphisarea as itsK-Lovestation. The station is owned by theEducational Media Foundation.WMLE used to broadcast inHD.

WMLE is a Class C2 FM station that transmits with anERPof 50,000 watts from a tower just south of theMississippistate line, nearOlive Branch, Mississippi,and its studios are located in Southeast Memphis.

History

Rock (1978–1979)

The station's original owner wasSam Phillips,who founded Memphis'Sun Recordsin the 1950s, and is credited with discoveringElvis Presley;its initial call sign, WLVS, was chosen in Presley's honor. WLVS offered arock musicformat when it signed on in 1978 at 94.3 FM.

Country (1979–1983)

In 1979, the station flipped to acountry musicformat.

Beautiful music (1983–1989)

It flipped tobeautiful musicas WEZI in 1983.

Oldies (1989–1993)

The station changed to anoldiesformat as WODZ-FM. By 1992, they would switch frequencies to 94.1.

Country (1993–2001)

In February 1993, they would go country as WOGY-FM with the branding of "Froggy 94," and would continue in that direction into the new millennium.

However, afterEntercombought the station in 2000, change was in the air at 94.1. While it was rumored that the station would flip from country by the holidays, the format remained into the new year.

Modern adult contemporary (2001–2006)

On January 24, 2001, at 10:05 a.m., "Froggy" signed off with "All the Good Ones Are Gone"byPam Tillis,and 94.1 began stunting with the sound of a ticking clock. At 2:35 p.m., after a few delays (including a technical glitch that resulted in the "Froggy" format briefly returning for a brief stopset, only to revert back to the clock sound), they flipped toModern ACas "94.1 The Buzz", with the call sign soon changed to WMBZ. The first song on "The Buzz" was "Even Flow"byPearl Jam.

While at the outset the change did attract a lot of listener attention, the effect was not as long-lived as Entercom would hope. While The Buzz did manage to sound the death knell for then-WKSLand spark minor format tweaks at then-rival WMC-FM, overall it was not enough.

Rhythmic (2006–2008)

On October 27, 2006, at 5 p.m., the station began stunting with a robotic countdown (usingMicrosoft Sam) to 10 a.m. on the following Monday, October 30 (as well as airing occasional non-sequiturs in between numbers). At the time promised, 94.1 flipped torhythmic ACas WSNA, "Snap! 94.1, The Rhythm Of Memphis", with the first song on "Snap!" being "Let's Get It Started"byThe Black Eyed Peas.

Classic hits (2008–2014)

On October 17, 2008, at 2 p.m., after playing "Bye Bye Bye"by'N Sync,WSNA flipped toclassic hitsas "Classic Hits 94.1 KQK". The station's call sign was changed to WKQK. The first song played on "94.1 KQK" wasBob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll."The station's playlist consisted of music from the 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. The new format's morning team would include long-time WMC-FM hosts Steve Conley and Karen Perrin.

Country (2014–2023)

On September 26, 2014, at 6 p.m., after playing "Last Dance"byDonna Summer,WKQK flipped back to country as "94.1 The Wolf". The first song on "The Wolf" was "This Is How We Roll"byFlorida-Georgia Line.On October 3, WKQK changed its call sign to WLFP to go with the "Wolf" branding.

Sale to EMF

Audacy (the former Entercom) filed to sell WLFP, along withWTSSinBuffalo, New York,to theEducational Media Foundation(EMF) for $15.5 million in April 2023;the two stations, along withKQPSinPalm Desert, California,had been transferred into a subsidiary, Audacy Atlas, for assets designated for sale earlier in the year.EMF already ownedK-LovestationWKVFinBartlett,with itsAir1network airing on Flinn Broadcasting-ownedWIVGinTunica, Mississippi,the HD2 channel of WKVF, andtranslatorW244BY (96.7).Audacy subsequently disclosed in a memo to staff that WLFP and the "Wolf" country music programming would relocate to WMC-FM's larger 99.7 signal following the sale of 94.1;the move would occur at 12p.m. on June 12, 2023.

The last song played on "94.1 The Wolf" before the move to 99.7 was "Bottoms Up"byBrantley Gilbert;at the promised time, the two stations began simulcasting as a means of transition for the "Wolf" format (similar to how Audacy would handle the handover of WTSS near-concurrently). EMF took control of the station on June 16, 2023, putting the station off the air for about a week;on June 20, the station return to the air and changed its call sign to WMLE, withWLFPmoving to 99.7.As WMLE, the station would join the K-Love network.

External links

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 2686 (WMLE)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
• WMLEinNielsen Audio's FM station database