WHOT-FM (101.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

, "Hot 101") is a commercial

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of ...

. It airs a Top 40 (CHR)

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

. It is one of seven radio stations in the Youngstown market owned by

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...

. It carries syndicated shows from Adam Bomb on afternoons and

Carson Daly Carson Jones Daly (born June 22, 1973) is an American television host, radio personality, Television producer, producer, and celebrity, television personality. Prior to 2003, Daly was a VJ (media personality), VJ on MTV's ''Total Request Live'', ...

on Sunday mornings. The studios and

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

are on Simon Road at Mayport Avenue in Boardman, using a Youngstown address.

History

In November 1959, the station signed on the air. Its first

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

was WRED and it was the FM

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

to an AM station with the WHOT call letters. The two stations were owned by Myron Jones. From the late 1970s, FM 101.1 had an

album rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-orient ...

format. It called itself "The Wizzard" and used the call sign WSRD. The connection between the WHOT

and the Top 40/CHR format is one of the longest running in modern radio history, dating back to 1955. The AM version of WHOT was one of the first Top 40 stations in the country. That station was a daytime-only signal

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

Campbell, Ohio Campbell (; ) is a city in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 7,852 at the 2020 census. Located directly southeast of Youngstown, it is a suburb of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area. ...

, on 1570

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...

(currently home to the

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in and the county seat of Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. Located in northeastern Ohio, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown and southeast of Cleveland. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 census. The his ...

-licensed WHTX). Despite its technical limitations, the station attained high ratings in the Youngstown

radio market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television station, television and radio broadcasting, ra ...

, which has lasted after several frequency moves... first to 1330

in 1963 (now

WGFT WGFT (1330 AM) – branded ''Star 94.7'' – is a commercial daytime-only urban adult contemporary radio station licensed to Campbell, Ohio. Owned by Helen Bednarczyk through licensee Y-Town Radio Broadcasting, LLC, the station serves the Young ...

), then to 1390

(now

WNIO WNIO (1390 AM - branded 1390 The Gambler) — is an American radio station in Youngstown, Ohio with a sports talk radio format, serving as the Youngstown affiliate for Fox Sports Radio and VSiN Radio. WNIO also carries Ohio State University ...

) in 1990. By 1991, the AM and FM stations broke into separate programming with the 1390 kHz facility taking an adult standards format (one that would be revisited in 1999 when WNIO's call letters and format moved to that dial position), while the 101.1 MHz became the exclusive home of the Top 40 format. Excluding a period of several months when WHOT-FM carried an

format in late 1991-early 1992, the station has since continued playing Top 40 contemporary hits. In August 1994, WHOT-FM and its AM counterpart, WBBW 1240 AM, were bought by

Connoisseur Media Connoisseur Media LLC is an American media company. It is based in Westport, Connecticut and led by Jeff Warshaw. Connoisseur operates radio stations and digital assets in markets across the U.S. cities of Billings, Fredrick, Maryland; Bay Shore, H ...

for $5 million. In 2000, the stations were acquired by

.Broadcasting Yearbook 2010 page D-436
/ref> On August 15, 2006, WHOT became the first station in Eastern Ohio to broadcast in HD until it ceased HD transmission in 2015.

References

External links

* * {{Cumulus Media HOT-FM Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Cumulus Media radio stations