| City of license | Hampton, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Atlanta metropolitan area |
| Branding | "Hot 107.9" |
| Slogan | Atlanta's Hottest Hip Hop |
| Frequency | 107.9 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| Translator(s) | W275BK 102.9 Decatur |
| First air date | 1980s |
| Format | Mainstream urban |
| Language | English |
| ERP | 27,000 watts |
| HAAT | 176 m (577 ft) |
| Class | C2 |
| Facility ID | 52548 |
| Callsign meaning | W HoT 107.9 Atlanta |
| Former callsigns | WCRY-FM (1978-1981) WPEZ (1981-2001) WEGF (2001)[1] |
| Owner | Radio One of Atlanta (Radio One Licenses, LLC) |
| Sister stations | WAMJ/WUMJ, WPZE |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | www.hotspotatl.com |
WHTA FM 107.9, "Hot 107.9") is a mainstream urban radio station that plays hip-hop & R&B. It has done so since the autumn of 2001, after the programming format and callsign were moved by owner Radio One from "Hot 97.5" (now WUMJ FM, "Majic 97.5"). Its city of license is Hampton, Georgia, and its radio tower is located in Tyrone, while its studios are located in downtown Atlanta.[2] It also launched the career of the now famous rapper, Ludacris, when he was known as on-air personality, "Chris Lova Lova" and the careers of MTV VJ La La and former VJ K-K Holiday.
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To facilitate a move-in to add metro Atlanta coverage, Lite Rock WPEZ FM ("Z108") in Macon moved its format from 100,000 watts ERP at 107.9 to an existing frequency at 93.7 in Jeffersonville. The original top-40 format then on 93.7 moved to new Macon-area station WMGB FM 95.1. The broadcast license for 107.9 was then realloted by the FCC, at the request of the original owner, from Macon to Hampton. Prior to this, "Hot 97.5" was to simulcast on (and already had banners printed for) "Hot 107.5", which is now occupied by Radio One's WAMJ instead.
The station signed on with Atlanta coverage as WEGF "107.9 the End" with a modern rock format. Stunting on its first day, it played "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm and "Rollin'" by Limp Bizkit continuously.
As WHTA, what is now "Hot 107.9" originated on 97.5 as a mainstream urban station in 1995. After several weeks with the rock format on this frequency, "Hot 97.5" morning show host Ryan Cameron announced to his audience that his station was moving to 107.9, and it was realized that the rock format was a publicity stunt. WHTA switched frequencies indeed on October 22, 2001; 97.5 later took on a gospel format as WPZE (now on 102.5) and now utilizes an urban AC format as a simulcast of WAMJ as WUMJ.
The station has had many complaints to it and the FCC from residents near its radio tower, because the station's audio has been coming through on just about every electronic device imaginable, from telephones to computer loudspeakers. It got a subsequent construction permit from the FCC to increase the height of the antenna on the tower, but this only reduced the problem rather than eliminating it.
On July 31, 2007, they began a new concept: "Digital Hip Hop". Their new slogan is "Hot 107.9, Your Digital Hip Hop Station."
This station is broadcasting in IBOC digital radio, using the HD Radio system from iBiquity.
As of October 2008, WHTA is the Atlanta affiliate of the Rickey Smiley Morning Show. It was originally based from its sister station KBFB in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex; it still airs on that station also but WHTA is now the flagship station for the show as of 2011.
As Radio One moved WAMJ from 102.5 to 107.5 (and also simulcast 107.5 on 97.5's signal), and WPZE from 97.5 to 102.5, WHTA is the only station in the company's Atlanta cluster that is left intact by the change.[3]
The station is also heard on 102.9 via "translator" station W275BK, which came to Radio One via an unusual legal saga. While it could be used to serve the community with entirely different programming according to FCC rules, it is still broadcasting WHTA entirely within its own city-grade broadcast range. Thus, it appears the only purpose of that station is to cause radio tuners doing a channel scan to stop immediately before getting to competitor V-103 (WVEE FM 103.3), two channels (0.4MHz) directly above the "translator".
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