WLHH (104.9 The Surf - Hilton Head's Greatest Hits) is a

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980s ...

radio station licensed to

Ridgeland, South Carolina Ridgeland is a town in Jasper and Beaufort counties, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,749 at the 2020 census, a 7.1% decrease from 2010. It has been the county seat of Jasper County since the county's formation in 1912. As defin ...

, with studios in

Hilton Head Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of Charleston. The island is ...

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 ...

located between Ridgeland and

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

History

104.9 was assigned as a construction permit to Mattox-Guest Broadcasting with the WXRY-FM calls in 1985. The station signed on in 1988 as WZBZ, then to an oldies station in 1990 as WSHG, "Shag FM". In 1997, Shag FM moved its format to what was then WHBZ (now WXST) and became the original home of WGZR "The Gator", a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

station. In 2003, modern rock WWVV, at 106.9 FM, traded frequencies with the Gator. Upon the station swap, WWVV ("Wave 104.9"), flipped formats and was a modern-based

Adult Album Alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...

station. The station enjoyed a small yet loyal following in the Savannah, GA and Hilton Head Island, SC markets. Ratings were usually higher in the Hilton Head market due to the limited signal over Savannah proper. WWVV was owned and operated by

Triad Broadcasting Triad Broadcasting Company, LLC was an owner of radio stations in small and medium markets in the United States. It is based in Monterey, California. At the end of November 2012, Triad announced the sale of its 32 radio stations in 5 markets to L ...

, known locally as Adventure Radio (the name of the company that owned WWVV before Triad), as Triad did not want to scare off potential advertisers and/or listeners by announcing new station owners. WWVV and six other stations were bought by Triad in May 2000. In the Savannah/Hilton Head area, Triad also owns stations Rock 106.1, BIG 98.3, Country 106.9, Y-107.9, and 1130 The Island. On June 15, 2006, Triad purchased 103.1 The Drive from Zip Communications. Triad had been operating WGZO under a LMA with Zip. In order to comply with FCC regulations, Triad decided to sell their lowest-powered radio station, WWVV-FM, to South Carolina-based Broomfield Broadcasting via their subsidiary company, JB Broadcasting. On November 21, 2006, the station began playing Christmas music as "104.9 John FM" with a new callsign, WWJN-FM. A male on-air voice could be heard in between songs stating "104.9 is John FM. John tells us what to play. Right now John wants to hear Christmas music so that's what we're playing. 104.9 John FM". JB Broadcasting sold the station to Low Country Radio LLC in January 2010 and signed off John FM on January 25. Until The Surf signed on on the 27th, the station

stunted Stunted growth is a reduced growth rate in human development. It is a primary manifestation of malnutrition (or more precisely undernutrition) and recurrent infections, such as diarrhea and helminthiasis, in early childhood and even before birth, ...

by broadcasting waves hitting the beach. JB Broadcasting resumed its '
online stream
'' of John FM on February 1. JB Broadcasting's sale of the station closed on March 15, 2010. The station changed its callsign to WLHH (We Love Hilton Head) on March 16, 2010, and shifted their format to classic hits. The station was sold to Apex Broadcasting, Inc. for the purchase price of $682,500; the transaction was consummated on May 30, 2014. In early 2017, Apex Broadcasting sold their radio stations in Charleston and Hilton Head. SC to Saga Communications for $23 million. The transaction was consummated on September 1, 2017.

References

External links

* {{coord, 32.436, N, 80.923, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title LHH Radio stations established in 1988 1988 establishments in South Carolina Classic hits radio stations in the United States