WIHT (99.5
FM) is a
Top 40 (CHR) formatted
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 ...
that serves the greater
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
. Located on the fifth floor of 1801
Rockville Pike
Rockville may refer to:
Places
Australia
*Rockville, Queensland, a suburb in the city of Toowoomba
Canada
* Rockville, Nova Scotia
* Rockville, Ontario, a community in Northeastern Ontario
Iceland
* Rockville Air Station (Iceland), a ...
in
Rockville, Maryland
Rockville is a city that serves as the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, and is part of the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area. The 2020 census tabulated Rockville's population at 67,117, making it the fifth-largest community in ...
, the station broadcasts 24 hours a day and is licensed to, and owned by,
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
. The transmitter is located on
River Road in
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...
.
History
Early years (1960s–1999)
Long known as WGAY (named for its owner,
Connie B. Gay
Connie Barriot Gay (August 22, 1914 – December 3, 1989) was renowned as a "founding father" and "major force" in country music. He is credited for coining the country music genre, which had previously been called hillbilly music. Gay was the f ...
, a well-known country music promoter) and located in
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...
, the station ran a
beautiful music
Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator musi ...
format in the 1960s and 1970s, which evolved to an
easy listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
format by the 1980s (though it would initially air a
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...
format for a year when it signed on in 1960). During that era, WGAY-FM typically simulcast its AM sister station, 1050
WQMR "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+
Arbitron
Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...
radio 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 relaxing 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 then
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
's favorite radio station. WGAY was one of the last remaining major-market
easy listening
Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
stations in the United States, as the format, which targeted older demographics, evolved towards a more mainstream
adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
format, or was dropped altogether.
At midnight on December 26, 1991, WGAY changed branding to "Easy 99.5", and shifted towards mainstream AC.
David Burd of
WASH-FM
WASH (97.1 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station owned and operated by iHeartMedia and located in Washington, D.C. Known on-air as "WASH-FM," the station airs an adult contemporary radio format. Studios and offices are on Rockville Pike ( Mary ...
and Beverly Fox of
WARW became the new morning hosts in 1994, replacing Steve Schy.
On September 1, 1995, at 8 a.m., WGAY re-branded as "Star 99.5" with new call sign WEBR, and shifted towards
Hot AC
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet s ...
, but listeners didn't accept the more up-tempo music, and the station switched back to branding themselves under the WGAY calls, though with a
soft rock
Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...
format, on June 24, 1996.
Jam'n 99.5 (1999–2001)
WGAY switched from the still ratings successful format permanently by the late 1990s, although not because its listeners were too few, but because
demographically, they were getting too old and therefore less desirable for radio advertisers. At 2:00 p.m. on April 13, 1999, "
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
" by
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers List ...
was faded out with a liner touting a change, bringing the end to WGAY. After three days of simulcasting sister stations
WTJM in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
KCMG KCMG may refer to
* KC Motorgroup, based in Hong Kong, China
* Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George, British honour
* KCMG-LP, radio station in New Mexico, USA
* KCMG, callsign 1997-2001 of Los Angeles radio station KKLQ (FM) ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, and
WUBT
WUBT (101.1 FM, "101.1 The Beat") is an American urban contemporary radio station broadcasting in the Nashville, Tennessee market, under ownership of iHeartMedia. Though the station is licensed to Russellville, Kentucky, its studios are locate ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, the station changed to an
urban oldies
Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...
format at 3:00 p.m. on April 16, known as WJMO-FM ("Jam'n 99.5"). At the time, they were co-owned with AM station
WJMO
WJMO (1300 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Cleveland, Ohio, and featuring an urban gospel format known as "Praise 94.5". Owned by Radio One, the station covers Greater Cleveland. In addition to a standard analog transmissio ...
in
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
. 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 (now
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
) (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)
![Logo of WIHT Hot 99](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Logo_of_WIHT_Hot_99.5_%282001%E2%80%932014%29.png)
"Jam'n" signed off at 7:00 a.m. on April 2, 2001; the last song played on "Jam'n" was "
Last Dance" by
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...
. That was followed by a "Survivor Radio 99.5" stunt before the current
CHR format debuted as "Hot 99.5" at 5:00 p.m. on April 6. The first song on "Hot" was "
Survivor" by
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...
.
With the change of format came a change in call sign to the current WIHT on April 18, 2001.
WIHT's full market signal helped competitor 104.1 WWZZ (Z104) evolve into a more
modern AC
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet s ...
direction in late 2001; WWZZ would be driven out of the format entirely in 2006 as a result of
WTOP moving to
WGMS' former 103.5 FM frequency. The station was also considered to be
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
's default Top 40 station since their previous Top 40 station, WXYV (102.7 FM, now
WQSR
WQSR (102.7 FM, "102.7 Jack FM") is a commercial radio station licensed Baltimore, Maryland. The station is owned by iHeartMedia through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC. It broadcasts an adult hits radio format, using the syndicated "Jack FM" ser ...
), would flip in September 2001, and promos for Clear Channel's Baltimore stations would occasionally air on WIHT. (Baltimore finally got a Top 40 station in November 2009, when sister station
WCHH flipped from
modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
to Top 40 as "Z 104-3.") The station's main competitors are
Entercom
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
's combination of
urban-leaning Rhythmic Contemporary WPGC-FM
WPGC-FM (95.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Morningside, Maryland and serving the Washington metropolitan area. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs an urban contemporary format.
WPGC-FM has studios in the Navy Yard neighbo ...
95.5 and for years
adult top 40
The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...
WIAD
WIAD (94.7 FM, "94.7 The Drive") is a commercial radio station licensed to Bethesda, Maryland, and serving the Washington metropolitan area. ("94.7 Fresh FM", now
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 ...
"94.7 The Drive"), and
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 ...
's
adult top 40
The Adult Pop Airplay (formerly known as Adult Pop Songs and Adult Top 40) chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and ranks "the most popular adult top 40 as based on radio airplay detections measured by Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems ...
WRQX ("Mix 107.3", now
K-Love station
WLVW
WLVW (107.3 FM) – branded as ''K-Love'' – is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary radio station licensed to serve Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by the Educational Media Foundation, WLVW does not broadcast any local programmi ...
).
HD Programming
WIHT-FM's
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
HD2 format was flipped to
iHeartMedia
iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...
's successful
Pride Radio
Pride Radio (stylized as PRIDE Radio) is an LGBTQ+ lifestyle and top 40 radio network launched by Clear Channel Communications Format Lab under the direction of Michael Albl, who conceived the format, on terrestrial HD2 & HD3 stations and onlin ...
format at Midnight on July 16, 2013, replacing the "Hot Spot"-branded "New! Music" format that had been running on the HD2 signal since 2007.
The Kane Show
Kane resigned from his programming position at
WFLZ
WFLZ-FM (93.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Tampa, Florida. It airs a contemporary hit radio (CHR/Top 40) radio format and is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. The station's studios and offices are located on Gandy Boulevard in South ...
/
Tampa
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...
on October 31, 2006, to start "The Kane Show" during the morning drive programming block on WIHT. He replaced the existing show ''The Hot Morning Mess'' with Mark Kaye, Kris Gamble and producer Ron Ross, who exited the station on November 1, 2006. The ''Kane Show'' officially 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). 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. 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. Soon after she was replaced by Rose. On February 11, 2016, Danni Starr left halfway during the show. After weeks of being off air and many speculations on multiple media sites, Program Director Tommy Chuck confirmed that Danni had left the show.
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 magazine ''FMQB''. The ''Kane Show'' was broadcast on seven additional radio stations, such as
WNRW
WNRW (98.9 FM) - branded as 98.9 Kiss FM - is a Top 40 (CHR) radio station located in Prospect, Kentucky, serving the Louisville, Kentucky area. The station is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast on 98.9 FM wi ...
in
Louisville
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border.
...
, and
WZFT
WZFT (104.3 FM), known on-air as "Z104.3", is a Top 40 (CHR) radio station located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is currently owned and operated by iHeartMedia. Its studios are located at The Rotunda shopping center in Baltimore, and the transmi ...
in
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
. After 18 years,
WFLZ
WFLZ-FM (93.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Tampa, Florida. It airs a contemporary hit radio (CHR/Top 40) radio format and is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. The station's studios and offices are located on Gandy Boulevard in South ...
's ''MJ Morning Show'' ended on February 17, 2012. It was announced that the Kane show would replace that show three days later.
The Kane Show debuted on
iHeartRadio
iHeartRadio (often shortened to just "iHeart") is an American freemium broadcast, podcast and radio streaming Computing platform, platform owned by iHeartMedia. It was founded in August 2008. , iHeartRadio was functioning as the national umbr ...
as a 24-hour on-demand channel in January 2010. Listeners were able to stream the ''Kane Show'' through both the iHeartRadio website and its respective smartphone applications.
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. Kane died less than a year after the show was cancelled.
See also
*
WKYS
WKYS (93.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Washington, D.C. The station is owned by Urban One through licensee Urban One Licenses, LLC, and broadcasts an Urban Contemporary radio format. It is co-owned with WMMJ, WOL, WPRS-FM, a ...
*
WPGC-FM
WPGC-FM (95.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Morningside, Maryland and serving the Washington metropolitan area. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs an urban contemporary format.
WPGC-FM has studios in the Navy Yard neighbo ...
References
External links
*
Live streamWIHT-HD2WIHTat ''Facebook''
WIHTat ''Twitter''
*
WIHT's top of the hour sounder in July 2003*
*
{{IHeartMedia
IHT
Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States
IHeartMedia radio stations
Radio stations established in 1960
1960 establishments in Maryland