WFOY: Can you hear me, now?

Historic City News broadcast news partner, Newstalk WFOY, has received a full-power upgrade from the Federal Communications Commission and has amped up its FM signal locally, from the 148 watts previously allowed, to 250 watts — a signal so much stronger that Station Manager, Matt Kraycinovich, explained that the station to adjust its frequency, slightly.

Phillips Broadcasting of St Augustine, owner and operator of WAOC and sister station WFOY, has served as the hometown voice of St Johns County for over 75 years.

“This is the fullest power upgrade we can receive, by license, and it accomplishes our objective to blanket our original and network programs across the entirety of St Johns County,” station president, Kris Phillips, told Historic City News editor, Michael Gold, today. “The investment made in engineering this enhancement demonstrates our commitment to serving the entire community; a commitment which remains as strong today as it did when WFOY first signed on more than seven decades ago.”

Armed with maps provided by the FCC and the station’s FCC licensed engineer, Kraycinovich, Phillips and other station employees, went out over the weekend; driving the county to determine exactly how the combination of signal amplification and antenna directionality have affected reception.

Kraycinovich told Gold that everyone at the station “is all smiles” today. The signal and reception is now “much stronger” in the northwest around Julington Creek and to the northeast around Ponte Vedra Beach.

The programing for WFOY is, and will continue to be, produced for the landmark dial position, 1240 AM. It is digitally simulcast from AM to the FM band. To avoid bleed-over onto channels used by existing radio broadcasters in nearby towns, WFOY FM is moving,

This is a difficult year, when the light maxes us out on signal-strength, so, unless we are forced to move the broadcast tower from its present location on Lewis Point Road for whatever reason, there is no need for our dial position to change any further,” Kraycinovich explained.