WEOA-FM 97.1
Beverly Hills

Original Call Letters: WEOA 

Originally Licensed: 1987  

Original City of License: Beverly Hills 

Original Frequency: 97.1

Origin of Call Letters: 

Original Power: 6,000 watts

Original Location: 

Original Format: Country


Network Affiliation(s):


ABC


Owner(s):


1989-Christopher Moelling
1991-Heart of Citrus, Inc.
1998-WXOF, Inc. (The Gull Group)


History Of Call Letters and Formats:


WEOA-1989-Country
WPDS-1990-Adult Contemporary  "Paradise 97.1"
WXOF-1992-Country
WGUL-1999-Music of Your Life
WJQB-2005-Oldies   (Scott Shannon’s “True Oldies”)
WGUL-1999-Music of Your Life
WJQB-2005-Oldies   (Scott Shannon’s “True Oldies”)


History of WEOA
Thanks to Marc Tyll for this history of WEOA. 
In 1987, Inverness resident Christopher Moelling decided that Citrus County needed a second local FM radio station. Crystal River’s only radio station, WKTK-FM 98.5, moved to Gainesville the previous year, and in 1987 WTRS-FM 102.3 was in the planning stages to move to Ocala. This left WXCV-FM 95.3 as Citrus County’s only remaining local FM station that was still broadcasting from, and catering to, Citrus County. In 1987 the only other radio station still located in the area - WINV-AM 1560 Inverness - was off the air. Moelling had started his radio career, which was more of an avocation rather than a fulltime vocation or career choice, when in 1981 at 16 he was hired part time at country station WTRS-AM 920/WTRS-FM 102.3 in Dunnellon. At the time Moelling knew very little about radio, but he was very eager to learn and had the dream of owning a local radio station one day. Upon graduation from high school, Moelling took over the day-to-day management of his father’s business - The Citrus Cycle Center - located in Inverness. And although never engaged as a career choice, Moelling also became a Florida licensed EMT and became a strong advocate for clean air awareness after his father was diagnosed with lung cancer. Moelling hired a consulting engineer who conducted a frequency search for Citrus County, and discovered 97.1 as a 6,000 watt class A would fit comfortably in the center of the county. Moelling filed a petition to allot the frequency to Beverly Hills as that community’s first service. The petition was granted and in 1989. Moelling received a construction permit for WEOA-FM 97.1. By 1990 the call letters were changed to WPDS for “Paradise 97.1” with plans to program soft adult contemporary and easy listening sounds catering to Citrus County’s predominately senior citizen residents. Because of Moelling’s civic and charity work in the community, Moelling felt he didn’t have the time to devote to building and operating WPDS, so the following year in 1991 Moelling sold the construction permit to Heart of Citrus, Inc, owned by David S. Arthurs and Hugh E. Tolle.


Names In WEOA History

Christopher Moelling-1989-Petitioner and initial Permit Holder

Yulee G. Commander-General Manager

David S. Arthurs-1991-Heart of Citrus, Inc.

Hugh E. Tolle-1991-Heart of Citrus, Inc.

Carl J. Marcocci-1998-WXOF, Inc. (The Gull Group) In Memory

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