WSFR-AM 1360 
Sanford

Original Call Letters: WSFR 

Originally Licensed: April 5, 1956

Original City of License: Sanford 

Original Frequency: 1360

Origin of Call Letters: Location; Sanford Florida Radio                      Meisch Building, 1st St. Sanford. First home of WIOD

Original Power: 1,000 watts daytime

Original Location: Meisch Building, 1st Street 

Original Format: MOR


Network Affiliation(s): 


Owner(s):
1956-Sanford Broadcasting Company 

1959-Sanford-Seminole Broadcasting, Inc.

History Of Call Letters and Formats:
WSFR-1956-MOR "Sanford Florida Radio"
WIOD-1959
WSFR-1961
WSFR-1962 (June)-Silent


WSFR History
Mr. Doug Douglass was kind enough to supply information for these pages. In a copy of pages for Sanford from the 1958 Broadcast Annual I found a listing for station WIOD in Sanford. I thought this was a misprint. Bill Reck co-owner of 
WTRR-AM 1400 in Sanford verified that there was in fact a second radio station would take to the air in Sanford in 1956. 
In 1946, Miami station (on the air originally in 1926) WIOD, changed their call letters to WCKR and Sanford Broadcasting Company saw an opportunity to “cash in” on those famous call letters. The Sanford station would later return to the WSFR calls. Their first studios were in the Meisch Building next to "old" post office, then library.

 1956: NEW RADIO STATION (By Tammy Wersinger of The Sentinel Staff - Flashback Column - November 5, 1989)
IN SANFORD. Mr. and Mrs. Emerson Browne and John Bolling filed an application for a new radio station in Sanford. Browne was former chief engineer of WTRR-AM 1400 in Sanford, but left to start his own station. The new station would broadcast daytimes at 1,000 watts.

WSFR-AM 1360 would move to West 1st Street near where the Auto Train now operates. WSFR went “dark” in 1962 and the frequency was "deleted" by the FCC after the station was off the air for over one year.


WSFR Personalities



Tom Haley Biography

Gene Pope

Lonny Padron-Chief Engineer

Dick Ravenhill-1959-Program Director-Sanford-Seminole Broadcasting, Inc.
From Tom Haley; "...between 1960 and 1962 Dick was Program Director at WSFR.  If you say anything about Dick, you would be completely accurate in saying he was one of the most gentle men in Central Florida radio.  This was so early in my radio career that Dick had to tape labels on the microphone and turntable switches to help novices like myself.  Heck, I was only in the eleventh grade at Maynard Evans High School!  Dick Ravenhill taught me enough to get through an entire radio show without any assistance and for that I will always be grateful. I don't know exactly how long, but he played beautiful music overnights at WDBO in that same time period..."  In Memory


                      Dickra~2.jpg (129939 bytes)  Dick Ravenhill 1960's WDBO.jpg (106735 bytes)
                     These shots of Dick Ravenhill were taken at WDBO   courtesy of Tom Haley   click pictures for full sized view

Other names in WSFR History

Emerson Browne-1955-Co-owner-Sanford Broadcasting Company 

John Bolling-1955-Co-owner-Sanford Broadcasting Company 

Max Tavel-1959-President-Sanford-Seminole Broadcasting, Inc.

Elsie MacDougall-1959-Commerecial Manager-Sanford-Seminole Broadcasting, Inc.

Robert Walton-1959-Chief Engineer-Sanford-Seminole Broadcasting, Inc.

Fred Ball-1962-Chief Engineer-Sanford-Seminole Broadcasting, Inc.


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