The Washington all-news station will leave its dedicated Frederick County frequency on August 1 while remaining on 103.5 FM, 107.7 FM and multiple digital platforms.

By Radio News Now Staff

WTOP is ending a nearly two-decade chapter in its Washington-area distribution strategy.

Beginning Saturday, August 1, at 12:01 a.m., the station’s 24-hour news programming will no longer be heard on 103.9 FM in Frederick County, Maryland. WTOP has leased the frequency to K-LOVE, which will place its adult contemporary Christian music programming on the signal.

The change ends a simulcast that began in 2007.

WTOP is not leaving the Washington market—or even abandoning Frederick County. Its all-news programming will continue on the primary 103.5 FM signal, 107.7 FM, and 103.5 HD-1. The station also remains available through WTOP.com, its Apple and Android apps, YouTube, Alexa, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Still, the removal of a dedicated Frederick-area simulcast is more than an ordinary frequency change. It illustrates the decisions radio operators increasingly face as they balance traditional over-the-air coverage with streaming, mobile apps and connected-car distribution.

Hubbard Says the Main Signal Still Reaches Most Frederick Listeners

WTOP General Manager and Hubbard DC President Joel Oxley said the station’s main signal “covers most of Frederick County’s population,” with streaming making the programming available beyond the terrestrial coverage area.

That is the business case behind the change: WTOP believes 103.5 FM and its growing collection of digital platforms can continue serving most listeners who previously depended on 103.9 FM.

For Hubbard Broadcasting, the lease also creates a new use for a secondary signal while keeping WTOP concentrated on its principal frequencies and digital products.

Hubbard, a family-owned broadcasting company based in Minnesota, acquired WTOP in 2011. The company also operates Federal News Network and The Gamut in the Washington region.

K-LOVE Gains Another Washington-Area Signal

The agreement gives K-LOVE another outlet in the broader Washington and Maryland region. WTOP’s announcement identifies K-LOVE as the incoming adult contemporary Christian music service.

For listeners, the most immediate change is straightforward:

  • WTOP news leaves 103.9 FM in Frederick County.

  • K-LOVE programming takes over the frequency.

  • WTOP remains on 103.5 FM and 107.7 FM.

  • WTOP’s digital and connected-car options remain available.

What This Change Says About Radio Distribution

Radio has spent years telling listeners that a station is no longer just a frequency. WTOP has built that argument into its product by distributing news through FM, HD Radio, streaming, mobile apps, smart speakers, YouTube and vehicle dashboards.

This transaction puts that strategy to a practical test.

Digital distribution can extend a station far beyond the limits of a transmitter, but over-the-air radio still offers something streaming cannot always duplicate: immediate access without a subscription, data plan, app or account.

For a news operation, signal redundancy can also matter during traffic emergencies, severe weather and other breaking events. The question is not whether WTOP remains available—it clearly does—but whether listeners in Frederick will find 103.5 FM and the station’s digital options as convenient and dependable as the local 103.9 FM simulcast they have used since 2007.

That answer will come after the switch.

For now, WTOP is betting that its primary signal and digital reach can replace a 19-year terrestrial arrangement, while K-LOVE gains another valuable path into the region.