History Of WDFL
Thanks to Marc Tyll for this history of WDFL.
WDFL-FM 106.3 began operations in 1987 from Cross City, approximately 50 miles West of Gainesville. The station was constructed and owned by long time Lakeland resident and broadcaster Duane F. McConnell. The original WDFL-FM operated on 106.3mhz with 3,000 watts from a 180 foot tower located about 5 miles South of Cross City. WDFL-FM was co-owned with WDFL-AM 1240 which re-broadcast all programming from WDFL-FM. The programming consisted of 24-hours of mainstream country provided by the Satellite Music Network and the station covered most of Dixie and Levy counties. In 1989, McConnell and his consulting engineer, Jim Johnson, determined WDFL-FM could get a power upgrade from 3,000 watts to 100,000 watts as a class C1 by moving the frequency from 106.3 to 106.9. Plans went in to action and a petition was filed with the FCC to amend the FM Table of Allotments. Ben Dickerson, who owned WEAG-FM 106.3 in Starke, filed a petition to deny McConnell’s request and asked that the FCC grant the frequency 106.9 as a Class 2 station to Starke. The FCC denied Dickerson’s petition and granted McConnell’s petition for Cross City. McConnell and Johnson made plans to move the WDFL-FM tower to Trenton, located about 25 miles West of Gainesville. A new 469 foot tower was constructed at the WDJY-FM 101.7 Trenton location and the power was increased to 100,000 watts in the year 2000.