WWWE and WDOK were sold to the Independent Group Ltd.—owned by Tom Embrescia, Tom Wilson and Larry Pollock—on November 30, 1987, where WWWE once again took the 3WE brand. Shock jock Gary Dee was hired as afternoon drive host, only to be fired on August 18, 1989, after multiple indecency complaints filed against him and the station as part of an anti-indecency campaign by the FCC, WWWE later paid an $8,000 fine. In the wake of the investigation, Independent Group Ltd. and Booth American swapped AM licenses for an undisclosed amount; on June 25, 1990, Booth American took over WWWE, and Independent Group Ltd. took over WRMR (850 AM), with some on- and off-air personnel being reassigned between the two stations.