WQHT

WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared services agreement.

WQHT's studios are located in the Hudson Square neighborhood of lower Manhattan, and its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.

History

WQHT began as an experimental station, W2XWG, licensed to the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) and located at the Empire State Building in New York City. W2XWG started operations in April 1939, initially as an "Apex" station, used for determining the coverage area of transmitting frequencies higher than those used by the standard AM broadcast band."NBC New York FM Station to go to 10,000 Watts"
by O. B. Hanson, ''Radio-Craft'', March 1942, pages 402-403. These tests also compared amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions with the then-new technology of wide-band frequency modulation (FM). On January 11, 1940, W2XWG began regular FM broadcasts, and that July, it was reported that the station was broadcasting on 42.6 MHz from 3 to 11 p.m. on Mondays through Fridays.

In May 1940, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced the establishment, effective January 1, 1941, of an FM band operating on 40 channels spanning 42–50 MHz. The first fifteen commercial FM station construction permits were issued on October 31, 1940, including one to NBC for 45.1 MHz in New York City, which was issued the call sign W51NY. However, NBC reported that equipment shortages resulting from the outbreak of World War II meant it was unable to get delivery of W51NY's high powered transmitter, and on June 10, 1942, the construction permit for commercial operation was canceled, and the W51NY call sign deleted. Meanwhile, the station continued broadcasts under its W2XWG experimental authorization, using its original, lower powered, transmitter, now on 45.1 MHz.

Effective November 1, 1943, the FCC modified its policy for FM station call letters. Thus, when the construction permit for commercial operation was reactivated, it was assigned the call letters WEAF-FM. The station's last broadcast as W2XWG took place on September 23, 1944, with its debut as WEAF-FM coming the next day, now with seven-day-a-week programming from 3-11 p.m. that was an expansion over W2XWG's schedule of only operating Saturday through Wednesday.

The FCC later reassigned the original FM band frequencies to other services, and ordered existing stations to move to a new band from 88 to 106 MHz, which was later expanded to 88–108 MHz. During a transition period from the original FM "low band" to the new "high band", some stations for a time broadcast simultaneously on both their old and new frequencies. However, WEAF-FM did not, and in October 1945, it was announced that the station was shutting down the broadcasts on 45.1 MHz and was temporarily going silent while it made the technical adjustments needed to operate on its new assignment at 97.3 MHz.

WNBC-FM / WRCA-FM / WNWS-FM (1946–1977)

In late 1946, the station's call letters were changed to WNBC-FM. Programming was usually simulcasts of WNBC (AM)'s programming. A reallocation in the fall of 1947 moved the station to its current frequency assignment of 97.1 MHz. In the 1950s, WNBC-FM played classical music, later switching to pop music. It ran network programming for some time, such as the NBC Monitor weekend series. On October 18, 1954, the call letters were changed to WRCA-FM, reflecting NBC's then-parent company, the Radio Corporation of America, but returned to WNBC-FM on May 22, 1960.

By the 1970s, the station was playing a pop-rock format. Beginning on June 4, 1973, it experimented with fully automated programming with local inserts known as "The Rock Pile", a forerunner of today's DJ-free adult hits format, with a wide diversity of pop, rock and R&B that proved to be 30 years ahead of its time. However, technical glitches were frequent and listenership dropped. For a brief period starting in late 1974, the station attempted a fully automated beautiful music format for a younger demographic, called "The Love of New York".

In 1975, NBC Radio launched the '' NBC News and Information Service'' (NIS), a network service providing up to 50 minutes an hour of news programming to local stations that wanted to adopt an all-news format without the high cost of producing large quantities of local news content. WNBC-FM's small audience was deemed expendable to allow NIS to have a New York outlet, and on June 18, 1975, the station became WNWS-FM, branding itself ''NewsCenter 97'', an allusion to sister station WNBC-TV's ''NewsCenter 4'' local newscasts. Ratings were low — at the network's peak, only 57 stations across the country carried NIS, most of them already NBC Radio News affiliates — and the service did not attract enough stations to allow NBC to project that it could ever become profitable.

On December 31, 1976, the station discontinued carrying NIS (which NBC would end by June 1977). The final story on ''NewsCenter 97'', was reported by Wayne Howell Chappelle, known professionally as Wayne Howell. The station then went to a commercial break and, after airing the hourly legal ID at midnight, switched to an adult contemporary music format with a rock lean, under the moniker ''Y-97''. The first song played under the new format was "Tonight's the Night" by Rod Stewart.

WYNY (1977–1988)

Shortly after adopting the new music format, the station call letters were changed to WYNY. The station was now primarily competing against WKTU. Ratings were fair at best, and by the end of 1978, after toying briefly with an all- Beatles format, WYNY evolved to an MOR format featuring Frank Sinatra, The Carpenters, Elvis Presley, Barry Manilow, Tony Bennett, Neil Diamond, Elton John, Carly Simon, and Billy Joel among others. They were an easy listening station without all the elevator music heard on WRFM or WPAT-AM- FM. Ratings went up gradually.

By 1980, WYNY moved away from Frank Sinatra and the Lettermen, though they continued running "Saturday with Sinatra" hosted by Sid Mark. Musically, they added Motown songs, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, the Doobie Brothers, Donna Summer, and soft hits by hard rockers. By 1981, the station format was that of pop hits from 1964 to what was then current music, with an occasional pre-'64 rock & roll song. Ratings went up from 1981 through 1983. By 1982, WYNY trimmed the '60s music slightly. Some of the air personalities included Dan Daniel, Bill St. James, Bruce Bradley, Randy Davis, Carol Mason, Mike McCann, Floyd Wright, Steve O'Brien, Bill Rock, Margaret Jones, Paulie, and Ed Baer.

On Sunday evenings, the station aired a pioneering advice show, "Sexually Speaking", which made host Dr. Ruth Westheimer (also known as "Dr. Ruth") a national celebrity. The station was also a pioneer of contemporary Christian music in the city, airing the weekly show ''Masterpeace'', hosted by Steven Joseph. Sid Mark continued hosting "Saturday with Sinatra". On weekend evenings call-in talk shows, such as "Mouth Versus Ear" with Dick Summer, was an alternative to other stations mundane public service shows.

In 1983, WHTZ and WPLJ both adopted a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format, attracting younger listeners. WYNY continued with its AC format. Then in January 1984, WLTW signed on, taking away older listeners. WYNY's ratings plummeted, and in 1986, the station was revamped with the music staying " Hot AC", but marketed as a "Z-100 for Yuppies". The station had new jingles and imaging, and became known as "The NEW 97.1 WYNY". The format, however, was that of the same pop hits from 1964 to the then-present. The station continued to rate low. Station owner NBC had problems with sister station WNBC as well.

In April 1987, country music station WHN announced plans to go to sports full-time on July 1, becoming all-sports WFAN. In response, WYNY announced it would change to country music on the same day. This format change was announced to the press in advance, but not over the air except on ''Saturday With Sinatra''. At 12:01 a.m. on July 1, WYNY ended its AC format with " Hello, Goodbye" by The Beatles and went country, playing " Think About Love" by Dolly Parton. The airstaff all remained, though some gradually left later in the year. Dan Daniel (who had left WYNY in the mid-1980s and returned), Randy Davis, Carol Mason, Lisa Taylor, Floyd Wright, and others survived the format change and remained with WYNY's country unit even after it left 97.1 FM and moved to 103.5 FM, where it remained until its 1996 demise.

WQHT (1988–present)

In 1988, NBC began to sell its roster of radio stations, and Emmis Communications made arrangements to buy its two New York City stations, WYNY and WNBC (AM). However, at this time, FCC regulations limited owners to just one AM and one FM station per market, and Emmis already owned stations WQHT (then at 103.5 FM), and WFAN (1050 AM). Because the NBC stations had better coverage, Emmis decided to move the call letters and formats from its current stations to its new ones, then divest the two original stations.

Emmis sold the 103.5 FM license for the original WQHT to Westwood One, as well as the intellectual property for WYNY, which resulted in the WYNY call letters and country format transferring from 97.1 to 103.5 FM. Conversely, Emmis transferred the WQHT call sign and rhythmic contemporary format from 103.5 to the former WYNY at 97.1 FM, becoming "Hot 97" at 5:30 p.m. September 22, 1988. The last song played on "Hot 103" was Debbie Gibson's "Stayin' Together"; the first song played on "Hot 97" was MARRS' " Pump Up the Volume". After the transition to Hot 97, Stephanie Miller and Howard Hoffman were brought in to do the morning show, J. Paul Emerson

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