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WIHT

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Coordinates:38°57′50″N77°06′18″W/ 38.964°N 77.105°W/38.964; -77.105
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WIHT
HOT 99.5 logo
Broadcast areaWashington, D.C. metropolitan area
Frequency99.5MHz(HD Radio)
RDSHOT995
BrandingHOT 99.5
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatTop 40 (CHR)
SubchannelsHD2:Pride Radio(Top 40/Dance)
AffiliationsPremiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
WASH,WBIG-FM,WMZQ-FM,WUST,WWDC
History
First air date
1960;64 years ago(1960)(as WGAY)
Former call signs
  • WGAY-FM (1960–1993)
  • WGAY (1993–1995)
  • WEBR (1995–1996)
  • WGAY (1996–1999)
  • WGAY-FM (1999)
  • WJMO-FM (1999–2001)
Call signmeaning
anagram of "hit"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID25080
ClassB
ERP22,000watts
HAAT229 meters (751 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
38°57′50″N77°06′18″W/ 38.964°N 77.105°W/38.964; -77.105
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live(viaiHeartRadio)
Websitehot995.iheart
HD2:prideradiodc.iheart

WIHT(99.5FM) is aTop 40 (CHR)formattedradio stationthat serves the greaterWashington, D.C.metropolitan area.Located on the fourth floor of 1801Rockville PikeinRockville, Maryland,the station broadcasts 24 hours a day and is licensed to, and owned by,iHeartMedia.The transmitter is located onRiver RoadinBethesda, Maryland.

History

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Early years (1960s–1999)

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Long known as WGAY (named for its owner,Connie B. Gay,a well-known country music promoter) and located inSilver Spring, Maryland,the station ran abeautiful musicformat in the 1960s and 1970s, which evolved to aneasy listeningformat by the 1980s (though it would initially air acountry musicformat for a year when it signed on in 1960). During that era, WGAY-FM typically simulcast its AM sister station, 1050WQMR"Washington's Quality Music Radio," continuing the WQMR programming after the AM station signed off. Eventually, the FM came to be considered the primary signal, and WGAY would often finish at number one in the Persons 12+Arbitronradio ratings for the Washington, D.C. area during the 1970s and 1980s.

Television ads for the station in the 1970s and 1980s featured station programmer Bob Chandler rela xing in a recliner, while listening to his station's light mix of music playing in the background. During the 1980s, WGAY was reported to be thenPresidentRonald Reagan's favorite radio station. WGAY was one of the last remaining major-marketeasy listeningstations in the United States, as the format, which targeted older demographics, evolved towards a more mainstreamadult contemporaryformat, or was dropped altogether.

At midnight on December 26, 1991, WGAY changed branding to "Easy 99.5", and shifted towards mainstream AC.

David Burd ofWASH-FMand Beverly Fox ofWARWbecame the new morning hosts in 1994, replacing Steve Schy.[2]

On September 1, 1995, at 8 a.m., WGAY re-branded as "Star 99.5", shifted towardshot AC,and announced plans to change its call sign.[3][4]The "Star" name was dropped by the end of the month, following a lawsuit byWSMD-FMinMechanicsville, Maryland(which has branded as "Star 98.3" since 1988); the station then took on the "Bright 99.5" branding,[5]and changed its call sign to WEBR in November.[6]Listeners did not accept the more up-tempo music, and the station switched back to branding themselves under the WGAY calls, though with asoft rockformat, on June 24, 1996.[7][8]

Jam'n 99.5 (1999–2001)

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WGAY switched from the still ratings successful format permanently by the late 1990s, although not because its listeners were too few, but becausedemographically,they were getting too old and therefore less desirable for radio advertisers. At 2:00 p.m. on April 13, 1999, "Evergreen"byBarbra Streisandwas faded out with a liner touting a change, bringing the end to WGAY. After three days of simulcasting sister stationsWTJMinNew York City,KCMGinLos Angeles,andWUBTinChicago,the station changed to anurban oldiesformat at 3:00 p.m. on April 16, known as WJMO-FM ( "Jam'n 99.5" ).[9]At the time, they were co-owned with AM stationWJMOinCleveland, Ohio.The format lasted for almost two years. However, with ratings on the decline due to the arguable burnout factor of the music, combined with competition from WBIG-FM (which at the time played an oldies format; they now play a classic rock format), Clear Channel Communications (nowiHeartMedia), (who acquired the station in 2000 due to a merger with AMFM Media and had dropped the format in other markets due to similar factors) decided to take the station in a different direction. Unlike other stations that dropped the format, however, WJMO gave its listeners the weekend to say goodbye.

Hot 99.5 (2001–present)

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WIHT's station logo from April 2001 to September 2014.

"Jam'n" signed off at 7a.m. on April 2, 2001; the last song played on "Jam'n" was "Last Dance"byDonna Summer.That was followed by a "Survivor Radio 99.5" stunt before the currentCHRformat debuted as "Hot 99.5" at 5p.m. on April 6. The first song on "Hot" was "Survivor"byDestiny's Child.[10][11]With the change of format came a change in call sign to the current WIHT on April 18, 2001.[12]

At the time, the only CHR station in the market was the relatively popularWWZZ(104.1 FM), which was hampered by a transmitter located inWaldorf, Maryland,southeast of Washington, that had difficulty covering the entire market; at WIHT's launch, some of its on-air material repeatedly jabbed WWZZ for its "continuous, annoying static".[13]WWZZ moved toward amodern ACdirection in late 2001, before being driven out of the format entirely by a series of frequency swaps just five years later. The station was also considered to beBaltimore's default Top 40 station since their previous Top 40 station, WXYV (102.7 FM, nowWQSR), would flip in September 2001, and promos for Clear Channel's Baltimore stations would occasionally air on WIHT.[14](Baltimore finally got a Top 40 station in November 2009, when sister stationWCHHflipped frommodern rockto Top 40 as "Z 104-3." ) The station's main competitors wereAudacy's combination ofurban-leaning Rhythmic ContemporaryWPGC-FM95.5 and for yearsadult top 40WIAD( "94.7 Fresh FM", nowclassic hits"94.7 The Drive" ), andCumulus Media'sadult top 40WRQX ( "Mix 107.3", nowK-LovestationWLVW).

HD Programming

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WIHT-FM'sHD RadioHD2 format was flipped toiHeartMedia's successfulPride Radioformat at Midnight on July 16, 2013, replacing the "Hot Spot" -branded "New! Music" format that had been running on the HD2 signal since 2007.[15]

The Kane Show

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Kane resigned from his programming position atWFLZinTampaon October 31, 2006, to start "The Kane Show" during the morning drive programming block on WIHT. He replaced the existing showThe Hot Morning Messwith Mark Kaye, Kris Gamble and producer Ron Ross, who exited the station on November 1, 2006. TheKane Showofficially hit the Washington, D.C.-area airwaves on November 13, 2006.

The show originally started off with Kane as the host and Sarah Fraser and Samy K as his co-hosts. After Samy left the show in August 2011 to work on his musical career with his band, Bonnie Rash, he was replaced by Intern John in 2012 (who got his stage name from the intern position he was holding at the time).[16]During this time period, Melanie Glazener joined the show as a fourth co-host operating remotely out of Tampa, Florida. Sarah announced she was leaving the show in January 2013 to pursue a TV career in New York.[17]She officially left the show later that Spring and was soon replaced by Danni Starr. After a period of absence, on January 20, 2014, Melanie announced on Instagram that she had left the show due to workplace differences.[18][19]Soon after she was replaced by Rose. On February 11, 2016, Danni Starr left halfway during the show. After3+1⁄2weeks of being off air and many speculations on multiple media sites, Program Director Tommy Chuck confirmed that Danni had left the show.[20]

The full lineup as it stands today is Intern John, Rose, and Riley (who joined in early 2017) as co-hosts.

The show was named "Best Local Morning show" in 2009 by industry magazineFMQB.TheKane Showwas broadcast on seven additional radio stations, such asWNRWinLouisville,andWZFTinBaltimore.After 18 years,WFLZ'sMJ Morning Showended on February 17, 2012. It was announced that the Kane show would replace that show three days later.

The Kane Show debuted oniHeartRadioas a 24-hour on-demand channel in January 2010. Listeners were able to stream theKane Showthrough both the iHeartRadio website and its respective smartphone applications.[21]

On April 11, 2020, “The Kane Show” abruptly ended as Kane left the station after the previous day's show. On April 13, the show was rebranded as “Your Morning Show”, featuring remaining members Intern John, Riley Couture, Rose and Erick.[22][23]Kane died less than a year after the show was cancelled.[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^Stark, Phyllis (June 4, 1994). "Vox Jox".Billboard.Vol. 106, no. 23. p. 129.
  3. ^"RR-1995-09-08"(PDF).americanradiohistory.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  4. ^Yorke, Jeffrey (September 5, 1995)."At WGAY-FM, 'easy' come, 'easy' go".Washington Post.RetrievedJuly 18,2023.
  5. ^Yorke, Jeffrey (October 3, 1995)."WGAY's 'star' flames out".Washington Post.RetrievedJuly 18,2023.
  6. ^Yorke, Jeffrey (November 7, 1995)."Dennis Owens, high achiever".Washington Post.RetrievedJuly 18,2023.
  7. ^"R&R-1996-06-28"(PDF).americanradiohistory.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  8. ^Yorke, Jeffrey (June 25, 1996)."Bright 99.5 eclipsed".Washington Post.RetrievedJuly 18,2023.
  9. ^"RR-1999-04-16"(PDF).americanradiohistory.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  10. ^"RR-2001-04-13"(PDF).americanradiohistory.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  11. ^"Station Information Profile".Arbitron.RetrievedJune 28,2009.
  12. ^"Call Sign History".FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.RetrievedJanuary 23,2024.
  13. ^https://formatchangearchive /995-wjmo-drops-jammin-oldies-for-chr/Hot 99.5 sign on, including Z104 reference
  14. ^http://tophour /audio/Washington%20DC/fm0995_2009-08_wiht_wharms.mp3At the very beginning, tail end of promo for WCHH Baltimore airs prior to legal ID
  15. ^"HD Radio Guide for Washington D.C."Archived fromthe originalon October 2, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  16. ^Swartz, Daniel (August 31, 2012)."Samy K Toasted At Jack Rose During Surprise" Good Bye Kane Show's Rose "Farewell Party".Revamp.RetrievedJune 21,2016.
  17. ^Regan, Tim (January 22, 2013)."Sarah Fraser Leaving The Kane Show".Northern Virginia Magazine.RetrievedJune 21,2016.
  18. ^"Instagram".instagram.Retrieved2024-01-28.
  19. ^"Drama at the Kane Show?".Pulsefeedz.January 21, 2014.RetrievedJune 21,2016.
  20. ^"Danni Starr Exits As 'The Kane Show' Co-Host".All Access Music Group.March 7, 2016.RetrievedJune 21,2016.
  21. ^"FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!".Archived fromthe originalon August 16, 2011.RetrievedMay 4,2011.
  22. ^"The Kane Show Becomes Your Morning Show as Kane Exits".radioinsight.RetrievedJanuary 28,2024.
  23. ^"After HOT 99.5 removes 'The Kane Show', Intern John, former co-host Danni Starr react".wjla.April 11, 2020.
  24. ^"Longtime Radio DJ Peter 'Kane' Deibler Dies After Long Illness".March 9, 2021.
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