WOEX
| Company type | Commercial radio station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Radio broadcasting |
| Founded | 1952 |
| Founder | WHOO, Inc. |
| Headquarters | Orlando, Florida , United States |
Area served | Central Florida |
| Owner | Cox Media Group |
WOEX (96.5 FM, branded as "Hits 96.5") is a commercial radio outlet based in Orlando, Florida, under the ownership of Cox Media Group. The station features a bilingual adult contemporary music format. Its studios and administrative offices are situated on North John Young Parkway (Route 423) in Orlando.
Operating with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 99,000 watts (effectively 100,000 watts when including beam tilt), WOEX’s transmitter is positioned in Bithlo, near Fort Christmas Road (Route 420). The station transmits in HD Radio, with its HD2 channel carrying the news/talk programming simulcast from sister station WDBO.
Initial phase
The station commenced operations in 1952 under the call letters WHOO-FM, serving as the FM counterpart to WHOO (currently WTLN). Both stations were owned by WHOO, Inc., with their studios located inside the Fort Gatlin Hotel. WHOO-AM-FM broadcasted identical content as affiliates of ABC Radio.
Beautiful music era
During the 1960s, WHOO-FM transitioned to a beautiful music format distinct from its AM sister station. Additionally, it provided a commercial-free background music service for businesses through a subsidiary communications authority (SCA) subscription model, which required specialized receivers.
Initially transmitting at 59,000 watts from a 1,000-foot tower, WHOO-FM’s coverage spanned much of Central Florida, reaching from Tampa Bay to Daytona Beach. It was among the pioneering stations in the area to offer full-time FM stereo broadcasts.
Country to rock transition
In the 1980s, the subscription background music service was divested. WHOO adopted a personality-driven and information-rich country music format. By 1984, WHOO-FM rebranded as "96 Country," focusing more heavily on country music.
In 1987, TK Communications, Inc. acquired both WHOO-AM and WHOO-FM. While the AM side retained its country format, on March 1 of that year, WHOO-FM temporarily played nonstop Beatles tracks to coincide with the release of the first Beatles CDs. Subsequently, it switched to an adult-oriented album rock format under new call letters WHTQ and branded itself as "Q 96." Over time, WHTQ evolved into a classic rock station.
Under Cox ownership
In 1995, TK Communications sold the stations to Granum Communications for $12 million. Granum was later absorbed by Infinity Broadcasting (which became CBS Radio, now part of Entercom). To facilitate acquiring Chicago’s WCKG, Infinity divested WHOO, WMMO, and WHTQ to Cox Radio.
The classic rock format persisted for 23 years. On February 18, 2011, Cox Radio rebranded WHTQ as "96 Rock," incorporating newer rock tracks alongside classic hits. The relaunch commenced with Pearl Jam’s "Alive." At the same time, sister station WJRR reverted from alternative rock back to an active rock format.
Transition to news/talk
Only six months later, on August 19, 2011, WHTQ switched formats to simulcast co-owned news/talk station WDBO. This strategy aimed to broaden WDBO’s reach by utilizing a powerful 100,000-watt FM signal; consequently, the station adopted the call sign WDBO-FM. The rock programming briefly continued on HD Radio before being discontinued.
Throughout 2012, both WDBO-AM and FM promoted themselves as "FM-96.5 News-Talk WDBO" to emphasize the FM broadcast option. In October of that year, programming changes included bringing back Clark Howard and rearranging shows such as The Neal Boortz Show and local host Mel Robbins. This coincided with a rebranding to NewsTalk 96.5 WDBO.
On November 12, 2012, the news/talk format became exclusive to FM as WDBO relaunched its AM frequency as an ESPN-affiliated sports radio channel. WDBO-FM also served as the flagship station for the Orlando Magic Radio Network and simulcasted their games.
On April 29, 2013, the station adopted the name News 96.5, marketing itself as "Orlando′s New 24-Hour News, Weather and Traffic." From 2013 through 2015, on-air mentions of its call letters were reduced but gradually reinstated by late 2015.
New segments like "The Three Big Things You Need to Know" were introduced during weekday broadcasts. Orlando Magic games aired only on AM while news programming expanded at noon and at 6 p.m. In 2015, syndicated talk show host Dana Loesch joined the station’s lineup.
Spanish Contemporary
On June 24, 2020, Cox Radio revealed that the news and talk content from WDBO-FM would be transferred back to WDBO-AM, with the FM translator 107.3 W297BB rebroadcasting WDBO's signal. Shortly thereafter, on June 29, WDBO-FM adopted a Spanish-language contemporary hits format under the brand "Éxitos 96.5," utilizing the "Éxitos" name previously associated with W297BB's Spanish hot adult contemporary programming. The inaugural track aired was Marc Anthony's "Vivir Mi Vida."
Subsequently, on July 14, 2020, the station updated its call letters to WOEX to better reflect the "Éxitos" branding.
Bilingual Adult Contemporary
At 4 p.m. on October 17, 2024, WOEX transitioned from its Spanish contemporary hits format to a bilingual adult contemporary format branded as "Hits 96.5." The first song featured under the new "Hits" identity was Ricky Martin's "Bella."