OUR JOURNEY BEGINS IN 1955

On May 2, 1955, WFOS signed on the air as a 10-watt operation at the old Oscar Smith High School in South Norfolk, Virginia. WFOS started with the help of the widow of the school's namesake, who made a donation to the school for an antenna bought from a station in Florida along with some other equipment. They wanted the station's call-sign to be WOFS, for Oscar Frommel Smith, but those were taken. They settled for WFOS—“F” for FM and “OS” for Oscar Smith. The idea was that running the station would allow students to learn the ins and outs of broadcasting to see if they were interested in radio as a career.

In 1963, the city of South Norfolk merged with Norfolk County to form the city of Chesapeake, and Chesapeake Public Schools took over as the station licensee. Students took on-air shifts to run hour-long shows or to read news or sports. The station also sent students to cover local elections, even sending a contingent to Richmond to cover state elections. By the late 1990s, the station also featured eight rotating hosts playing their own music throughout the day without advertisements.

The school system operated the station for 65 years and played a mix of blues, beach music, R&B and classical. It is known as the first public school FM station in Virginia and one of the nation’s oldest public school radio stations. The station helped launch the career of several local broadcast personalities including Pete Michaud, sports announcer for the Norfolk Tides, and WHRO FM’s own Raymond Jones who started at the station as a student in 1961.

In 2015, due to advances in technology and diminishing interest from students, Chesapeake Public Schools stopped offering a radio program for students. In 2020, the school system announced they would stop funding the station and they began discussions with WHRO Public Media to take over operations.

AN EXCITING FUTURE

WHRO Public Media took over operations of the station on May 1, 2021 and announced a new name for WFOS - Time Machine Radio Network. The station’s reach was expanded to all of Norfolk, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. Additionally, the station became available not only at its old frequency, 88.7 FM, but also at a new one 99.3 FM. WHRV host Paul Shugrue, known for his program Out of the Box, was named as music coordinator for the station.

What hasn't changed is that WFOS is still where music lovers come to hear the most diverse offerings in music. Here the music takes center stage. Highlighting an immense array of musical styles, programming and broadcast memorabilia, Time Machine Radio Network is a salute to the golden age of radio. Through nearly five decades of musical content, listeners experience the spirit and excitement which made radio a staple in daily life the world over.

Tune in over the air, or listen online at whro.org/timemachine