WHIM
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WHIM AM 1520 is a Orlando, Florida U.S.A. area Christian radio station with a format of talk, news and music shows that focus on communicating and teaching the Christian religion. The station is licensed to Apopka, Florida and is owned by Salem Communications, with studios located in Altamonte Springs, Florida.
WHIM is currently known as "Christian Heritage Radio" and has been broadcasting on AM 1520 in the greater Orlando area since 1998. Previously AM 1520 was home to WTLN, sister station to WHIM, which started broadcasting its Christian format in May 1964. In 1998, WTLN moved to the regions AM 950 frequency where it continues to broadcast a Chirstian based format similar to that of WHIM.
[edit] WHIM 1110AM in Rhode Island
A noted Rhode Island U.S. radio station was issued the WHIM call sign by the United States government agency FCC, previous to AM 1520 in the Orlando, Florida market.
WHIM AM 1110 was a station broadcasting in the Southern New England area in the northeastern United States. Signing on in 1947, WHIM had a popular country music format from 1966 till 1995.
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[edit] WHIM 1110AM history
WHIM was first heard on April 15, 1947, when the new daytime-only station signed on for the first time on 1110kc. From 1958 to 1966, the station was a top 40 station competing with WPRO and WICE. Originally, it had a sister FM station: WHIM-FM on 99.9Mc., licensed to Cranston, Rhode Island, which later became WLOV and then left the air. A later WHIM-FM existed on 94.1Mc..
In 1966, WHIM began broadcasting the format it would keep in one form or another for 31 years: country music. WHIM competed against fellow daytimers WRIB Providence and WYNG Warwick for Rhode Island's country music audience. Eventually WRIB and WYNG changed formats to religious programming (the former also airs Spanish, the latter changed to WARV), and the WHIM stations became known as "The Country Giant."
As time progressed, the FM became current rock music station WHJY in 1981 after a stint as easy listening "Joy 94." From 1981 to 1988, WHIM was Rhode Island's only country station, but had to give this title up when New Bedford, Massachusetts station WCTK on 98.1 came onto the scene in 1988 (a daytimer in Hope Valley, Rhode Island - WJJF - entered the picture in 1985, but its signal didn't penetrate Providence well enough to compete). With 50,000 watts of FM stereo, WCTK was able to garner much of WHIM's fan base. In 1991, then-owner Urso Broadcasting changed WHIM to WWRX "1110 CNN", rebroadcasting the audio of CNN Headline News. The WHIM intellectual property moved to a new WICE, on 550 in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, while the callsign was warehoused on an FM station in Maine. This didn't last, as the Headline News format was gone within a year and the station returned to the WHIM callsign and previous format.
WHIM suffered further trouble on September 1, 1995, when the 1110 frequency was sold to a Spanish broadcaster known as "Poder 1110", sending WHIM to what had been WKRI, and switching 1110s callsign to WPMZ. This put the station's country programming on a 1450 West Warwick signal that didn't match continued branding from the days of 1110. The station remained on the air until December 19, 1997, when WHIM officially ceased to exist, as it was sold to ownership who converted the station to Radio Disney. Early in 1998, the callsign was changed and a religious station in Apopka, Florida picked it up to mean "W-HIM" (HIM meaning Jesus Christ), while the Providence/West Warwick station sold the record library. Radio Disney later moved to the former WICE (which promptly became WDDZ), while competitor WCTK picked up the 1450 signal that marked the end of an era in Rhode Island radio.
In its 50-year run, WHIM was the home to many DJs including Dan Williams, Charlie Huddle, Jeff Davis, Bill Friday, Jack Shannon, Vin Greco, Art Waterman, Mark Ambrose, and others. WHIM was also home to The Hayloft Jamboree, which at one point appeared on NBC. After WHIM's end, the show continued to air on WJJF. The hosts Eddie Zack & Cousin Richie died (Eddie in January 2001 & Richie in June 2004). On August 9 2004, WJJF became all-news WCNX (incidentally, also airing Headline News). As of November 2005, Rhode Island has no country music station licensed within it (WCTK is licensed to New Bedford, Mass.,WCTY 97.7 is licensed to Norwich, Connecticut) and WCTD-LP has picked up the calls & format from the former WBLQ (now WKIV).
The end of WHIM on 1110 later caused some issues for the successor to it on the frequency, WPMZ-East Providence. Originally, that station operated with WHIM's night authorization of 250 watts, but unfortunately for WPMZ, it was never changed from the old WHIM callsign. As such, over the next few years, WPMZ got into some trouble with the FCC, as the station applied for night authorization for their callsign, but never received it. The station later was fined for continuing to broadcast at dark. While the letter authorizing WHIM's night power did exist in 1997, its current whereabouts (as of March 2005) are unknown.
