WDUV
| Company type | Commercial radio station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | 1963 |
| Headquarters | St. Petersburg, Florida , United States |
Area served | Tampa Bay Area |
Key people | Ann Kelly (morning show host), Mike Kruz (midday), Kristy Knight (afternoon) |
| Products | Soft adult contemporary music, Christmas music (seasonal) |
| Owner | Cox Radio |
| Parent | Cox Media Group |
WDUV (105.5 FM, known as "The Dove") is a commercial broadcaster licensed to New Port Richey, Florida, serving the greater Tampa Bay Area. Owned by Cox Radio, the station airs a soft adult contemporary playlist, switching exclusively to Christmas music throughout November and December.
The station’s studios and administrative offices are located in St. Petersburg, while its transmitter is situated near Dartmouth Drive in Holiday. Operating with an effective radiated power of 33,000 watts, WDUV also transmits in the HD Radio hybrid format.
Beautiful music era
Initially launching as WBRD-FM at 103.3 FM, the station began with a beautiful music format and was originally licensed to Bradenton. It shared facilities on Tamiami Trail in Bradenton with sister stations WBRD (1420 AM) and ABC affiliate WXLT-TV 40 (now WWSB), all under common family ownership.
In the early 1990s, WDUV transitioned to 103.5 FM to broaden its reach across the Tampa Bay market. By the mid-1990s, ownership transferred to Jacor Broadcasting, which was subsequently absorbed by Clear Channel Communications. The studios were then moved to St. Petersburg. Up until 1997, WDUV’s programming balanced approximately half instrumental tracks with half vocal selections, making it one of the last stations maintaining such a format blend.
Frequency exchange
On April 5, 1999, WDUV exchanged frequencies with classic rock outlet WTBT, shifting from 103.5 to 105.5 FM while keeping their existing transmitters and city licenses intact. Following this swap, WDUV became licensed to New Port Richey with transmission facilities in Holiday, Florida. Meanwhile, WTBT (now WFUS) was licensed to Bradenton before later changing its license to Gulfport. Although the new transmitter site for WDUV provided greater power output, it was positioned farther from the core Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area. Cox Radio targeted an older demographic and considered WTBT’s position on 103.5 FM more advantageous for their strategic goals.
Soon after this frequency swap, Clear Channel divested WDUV to Cox Radio, a media company based in Atlanta with diverse holdings across radio, television, cable networks, and print media.
Format development
Currently, WDUV features a soft adult contemporary format with an emphasis on oldies under the branding "Continuous Lite Favorites." Since the early 2000s, its sound has shifted from easy listening that included adult standards artists such as Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand toward softer hits mainly from the 1970s through the 1990s—particularly highlighting the 1980s era. Regularly featured artists include Stevie Wonder, Elton John, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac, Phil Collins, Madonna, Hall & Oates, Michael Jackson, and The Eagles.
The previous "super-soft" style incorporated smooth jazz instrumentals hourly as a tribute to its beautiful music heritage. However, with the phasing out of adult standards and introduction of more lively tracks, these instrumental segments were discontinued. The station generally avoids songs released after 2000 to prevent content overlap with sister adult contemporary station WWRM 94.9.
Programming
WDUV consistently ranks among the top-rated stations in major markets and frequently holds the leading position in Tampa Bay according to Nielsen Audio ratings—often attracting twice the audience size of its closest rival. This success prompted Cox Radio to replicate this format on other FM outlets including WFEZ in Miami and WEZI in Jacksonville.
The well-known morning show aired weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m., originally hosted by longtime personality Dick Ring until his retirement in April 2012. Ann Kelly took over thereafter; she had previously hosted afternoons at WWRM. Mike Kruz handles midday programming while Kristy Knight covers afternoon slots. Evenings feature the syndicated Delilah program. Outside these time blocks, broadcasts run without live DJs but maintain a consistent easy listening style reminiscent of the station’s origins. Pre-recorded station IDs simply present "105.5 The Dove" with minimal additional commentary.