WHHY
Encyclopedia
WHHY-FM is a radio station
licensed
to serve Montgomery, Alabama
, USA. The station is owned by Cumulus Media
.
It broadcasts a Top 40 music format and some voice-tracked airshifts
. The WHHY-FM studios are located on the 3rd floor of The Colonial Financial Center in downtown Montgomery. The broadcast signal can be heard as far away as Birmingham, Alabama
, and is generally clear south of there along Interstate 65
.
In the early 1980s, the FM became the focus station of the pair. The FM was changed to CHR. The AM format was changed to adult contemporary. During the 1990s Holt/Robinson broadcasting began to have money problems. Longtime morning show host Larry Stevens exited to rival Colonial Broadcasting. The format was shifted to "New Rock" and known as "Live 101.9". In May 1993, Holt-Robinson Communications Corporation was placed into receivership. Thomas M. Duddy was approved by the FCC as receiver on June 21, 1993. In May 1995, receiver Thomas M. Duddy made a deal to sell this station to McDonald Investment Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 3, 1995, and the transaction was consummated on September 15, 1995. McDonald in turn sold it to Cumulus Broadcasting. The FM station's format was changed to country music
by McDonald then back to CHR by Cumulus. The AM had several formats, including late 1970s AC with Larry King
overnights and oldies
. Cumulus Broadcasting changed the format of the AM to talk ("News Radio 1440") and ended the heritage call letters WHHY.
The station was re-assigned the heritage WHHY-FM call letters by the Federal Communications Commission
on January 22, 1999
.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to serve Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, USA. The station is owned by Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
.
It broadcasts a Top 40 music format and some voice-tracked airshifts
Voice-tracking
Voice-tracking, also called cyber jocking and referred to sometimes colloquially as a robojock, is a technique employed by some radio stations in radio broadcasting to produce the illusion of a live disc jockey or announcer sitting in the radio studios of the station when one is not actually...
. The WHHY-FM studios are located on the 3rd floor of The Colonial Financial Center in downtown Montgomery. The broadcast signal can be heard as far away as Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, and is generally clear south of there along Interstate 65
Interstate 65
Interstate 65 is a major Interstate Highway in the United States. The southern terminus is located at an intersection with Interstate 10 in Mobile, Alabama, and its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 , U.S. Route 12, and U.S...
.
History
The station first operated in downtown Montgomery. During the late 1960s the station moved from the Frank Leu Building downtown, into a house on Norman Bridge Road. A broadcast wing was added to the back of the building in the early 1970s. The original "WHHY" was an AM station (1440 AM) owned by Holt/Robinson. The FM station on 101.9 was an automated FM country music station before becoming a rock station. It would be known as "The Music FM - Y-102". The FM station would simulcast the AM's morning show hosted by long time personality and Program Director Larry Stevens. During the 1970s Y-102 would split from the AM at 10am each morning and would broadcast light classic rock (Elton John, ELO, Billy Joel, Bob Seger, etc.) The AM was CHR.In the early 1980s, the FM became the focus station of the pair. The FM was changed to CHR. The AM format was changed to adult contemporary. During the 1990s Holt/Robinson broadcasting began to have money problems. Longtime morning show host Larry Stevens exited to rival Colonial Broadcasting. The format was shifted to "New Rock" and known as "Live 101.9". In May 1993, Holt-Robinson Communications Corporation was placed into receivership. Thomas M. Duddy was approved by the FCC as receiver on June 21, 1993. In May 1995, receiver Thomas M. Duddy made a deal to sell this station to McDonald Investment Company, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on July 3, 1995, and the transaction was consummated on September 15, 1995. McDonald in turn sold it to Cumulus Broadcasting. The FM station's format was changed to country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
by McDonald then back to CHR by Cumulus. The AM had several formats, including late 1970s AC with Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
overnights and oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
. Cumulus Broadcasting changed the format of the AM to talk ("News Radio 1440") and ended the heritage call letters WHHY.
The station was re-assigned the heritage WHHY-FM call letters by the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
on January 22, 1999
1999 in radio
The year 1999 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*January 1 - 102.1 The Zone stopped played at 6AM and 102.1 FM played a stunt of waves and announcement voice over of our newest radio station....
.