| WZOC | |
| City: | Plymouth, Indiana |
| Country: | US |
| Area: | South Bend / Michiana |
| Branding: | Z94.3 |
| Frequency: | 94.3 MHz |
| Airdate: | July 20, 1966 (as WTCA-FM)[1] [2] |
| Format: | Classic rock |
| Erp: | 11,500 watts |
| Class: | B1 |
| Facility Id: | 12999 |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
| Coordinates: | 41.528°N -86.266°W |
| Former Callsigns: | WTCA-FM (1966–1981) WNZE (1981–1994)[3] WLTA (1994–1996) |
| Affiliations: | Chicago Bears Radio Network |
| Owner: | Mid-West Family Broadcasting |
| Licensee: | WSJM, Inc. |
| Sister Stations: | WSBT, WQLQ, WNSN |
WZOC (94.3 FM, "Z94.3") is a radio station licensed to Plymouth, Indiana, serving Michiana and the South Bend area. WZOC has a classic rock format and is owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting.
The station began broadcasting on July 20, 1966, holding the call sign WTCA-FM, a sister station to AM 1050 WTCA.[1] [2] [4] The station was owned by the Kunze family's Community Service Broadcasters.[2] [4] Its transmitter was located one mile south of Plymouth, Indiana, and it had an ERP of 3,000 watts at a HAAT of 220 feet.[2]
In 1981, the station's call sign was changed to WNZE.[2] As WNZE, the station aired a country music format.[5] [6] In 1992, the station's transmitter was moved to Lakeville, Indiana, and it ERP was increased to 11,300 watts at a HAAT of 150 meters.[7] [8]
In 1994, the station's call sign was changed to WLTA, and the station adopted a soft AC format.[3] [6] The call sign WLTA had been held by 100.7 in Elkhart, Indiana, which changed formats from soft AC to country as WBYT "B-100".[6]
In spring 1996, the station adopted an oldies format, and its call sign was changed to WZOC.[9] [3] The station was branded "Oldies 94.3".[10] In summer 1996, the station was sold to Plymouth Broadcasting for $575,000.[11] In March 2012, WZOC was sold to Douglas Road Radio for $2,100,000.[12] [13]
On February 28, 2014, after the station had shifted from an oldies format to a classic hits format, it was re-branded from "Oldies 94.3" to "Z94.3".[14]
In September 2015, Schurz Communications, which previously held a minority interest in Douglas Road Radio, agreed to acquire full ownership of the company. The transaction is part of the $442.5 million acquisition of Schurz' broadcast interests, including WZOC, by Gray Television.[15] [16] [17] Though Gray initially intended to keep Schurz' radio stations, on November 2, it announced that Mid-West Family Broadcasting would acquire WZOC and Schurz' other South Bend radio stations for $5.5 million.[18] [19] [20] The sale to Mid-West was consummated on February 16, 2016.[21]
In February 2022, WZOC shifted its format from classic hits to classic rock.[22]