Technical Profile: WZTZ

FM Technical Profile: WZTZ

Station Name:: The Ball
Frequency:: 101.1
Format:: Sports Talk
Transmitter Location:: [map] [street view] North of the Richburg community along CR-248.
Power (ERP):: 640 watts
Antenna:: Omni
Antenna HAAT:: 682 feet
Other Information:: 60 dBu protected contour map, from the FCC
More Information:: [FCC]; [FCCdata]; [Radio-Locator]; [Wikipedia]

[Studio] Street View imagery of the station's studios in downtown Enterprise, right next to the famous Boll Weevil monument at College & Main Streets.; // WOOF Dothan
// W261AT Dothan, AL
// W296DQ Dothan, AL (actual location: Enterprise, AL)
Owner:: Boll Weevil Communications / Elba Radio Company
History:: Elba Radio Company signed this station on in 1987, as a small Class A companion to their AM 1350, WELB. Originally assigned the WZTZ call sign, the station either simulcast or held a similar Country music format to the AM side for several years. The stations finally split in the early 90's, with the AM going Oldies while this station took on a full range Country music format.

The calls changed to WVVL in June of 2006, as "Weevil 101", a nod to the area's diversification away from cotton. In 2009, Elba Radio Company sold the station to Michael Holdenfield's Boll Weevil Communications. Roughly a year later they transitioned the station from a Country format to a Classic Country format.

In October 2020, Holderfield purchased Dothan's WOOF and WOOF-FM for $1.2 million. In March 2021, he flipped WVVL to a simulcast of WOOF (AM)'s Sports Talk format.

The station went silent at the end of August 2021 due to tower damage from Tropical Storm Fred. The station did not file a Silent STA, however, until November 2021. In that report, it was noted that the tower was damaged beyond repair and taken down by the property owner. In the ensuing year, the station has been unsuccessful in finding a suitable replacement site.

In August 2022, the station filed for a Special Temporary Authority (STA) to operate with 1.4 kW from a water tower east of Elba and the previous transmitter location. That same month, they also filed to change call sign back to WZTZ, a change which went into effect on 22 August 2022.

The STA to operate at variance to their licensed facility was renewed regularly through 2023 and as recently as January 2024.