WYRL-FM 102.3
Melbourne

Original Call Letters: WYRL
Originally Licensed: 1965
Original City of  License: Melbourne
Original Frequency: 102.3
Original Power: 3,000 watts
Original Format: Classical Music

Owner(s): 1965-   
                1978-Miler Broadcasting
               1986-City Broadcasting Co. (Dave and Dr. Frank Franco of Reading, Pa. )  ($2.25 million with WMMB-AM 1240)
              

History Of  Call Letters and Formats: WYRL-1965-Classical
                                                          WYRL-       -Country  "Big "Y" Country"
                                                          WMMY-1987-Contemporary Hits  "Y102"
                                 WMMY-1990-Oldies
                                                         
                                                          
WYRL History
From the Orlando Sentinel January 16, 1987
THE 'HIT MEN' PUT A SCARE IN MELBOURNE
Thom Duffy of The Sentinel Staff

A Melbourne radio station's promotional gimmick backfired Thursday when police received a flurry of calls asking about the arrival of hired killers in the city. Police dispatcher Butch Fallin said worried callers asked him, ''What's this about about hit men coming into town?'' Lt. Arless Houck said Melbourne police received 20 similar calls beginning about 6:30 a.m. Some came in on the emergency 911 number. Each caller asked about a strange announcement being broadcast on WYRL-FM 102.3 in Melbourne. ''The hit men are coming,'' the announcement said. ''The hit men are coming to south Brevard. Keep listening to WYRL.'' The recording lasted 10 seconds and was repeated constantly for about three hours. The station played nothing else Thursday morning. The announcement had been planned as a promotional gimmick to mark today's change of format and call letters at the station. WYRL-FM, which has played country music, now will feature a Top 40 format called contemporary hits. The station also will change its call letters to WMMY and be known as "Y- 102". Mike Shannon, operations manager at the station, said Melbourne police called about 9:30 a.m. and told him of the alarmed reaction to the recording. ''We didn't expect that,'' said Shannon. At the request of police, WYRL modified the recording to note the ''hit men'' alert was a promotional announcement. There was no need to call police or government officials, the modified recording also stated. Shannon said only a few of the callers mistakenly linked the announcement to the anti-nuclear weapon protests taking place in Brevard County this week. ''People didn't quite understand what they were hearing,'' said dispatcher Fallin.

Names In WYRL History
Eddie Taylor-Gospel program
John W. Gilman-1974-Sales
Linda "Bubbles" Taylor-Sales
Mike Shannon-Operations Manager
Norm Kellar-Station Manager
Jackie Coates-1971-1974-Sales Manager
Joycelyn Ann Cain

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