WHFS-FM
| City of license | Holmes Beach, Florida |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Tampa Bay Area |
| Branding | 98.7 The Fan |
| Frequency |
98.7 FM (MHz) (also on HD Radio) 98.7-2 FM: Simulcast of WFAN/New York (HD Radio) |
| First air date | 1989 (as WAYP) |
| Format | Sports |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 149 meters (489 ft) |
| Class | C2 |
| Facility ID | 18527 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 27°50′35″N 82°48′50″W / 27.843°N 82.814°WCoordinates: 27°50′35″N 82°48′50″W / 27.843°N 82.814°W |
| Callsign meaning |
W "High Fidelity Stereo" (see WHFS (historic) for more) |
| Former callsigns |
WAYP (12/07/1989-04/02/1992) WISP (04/02/1992-06/01/1998) WLLD (06/01/1998-08/19/2009) WSJT (08/19/2009-08/02/2012) |
| Owner |
CBS Radio (CBS Radio Stations Inc.) |
| Sister stations |
WLLD, WHFS, WQYK-FM, WRBQ, WYUU part of CBS Corp. cluster with TV station WTOG |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 987thefan.com |
WHFS-FM is a Tampa Bay area radio station that broadcasts a sports talk format on 98.7 FM. The station, owned by CBS Radio, is licensed to serve the community of Holmes Beach, Florida, with studios in St. Petersburg and transmitting facilities in Seminole. The station was assigned its current WHFS-FM call sign by the Federal Communications Commission on August 9, 2012.[1]
The station signed on the air on December 7, 1989 under the call letters WAYP. The call letters changed to WISP on April 2, 1992. Under the WAYP and WISP call letters, the station played mostly easy listening and adult contemporary music. On June 1, 1998, the rhythmic contemporary format of "WiLD 98.7" debuted under new call letters WLLD. (See the WLLD page for the history of "WiLD"). On August 19, 2009, at 5 PM, "WiLD 98.7" and "Smooth Jazz 94.1 WSJT" switched frequencies, with 94.1 becoming "WiLD 94.1" and 98.7 becoming "Smooth Jazz 98.7 WSJT." The smooth jazz format would evolve into a hybrid of Urban AC and Soft AC (essentially called a "Smooth AC" format).
On August 31, 2010, the station dropped Smooth AC in favor of Adult CHR as "Play 98.7."[2] The smooth jazz format was subsequently moved to HD Radio frequency 98.7-HD2. This would change on December 18, 2013, when the WFAN simulcast on 94.1-HD3 moved to 98.7-HD2, while the smooth jazz format was relocated to 94.1-HD2.
Due to low ratings with "Play", CBS Radio announced on June 20, 2012, WSJT will flip to sports talk in August, branded as "The Fan".[3] The station will simulcast sister station WHFS until January 3, 2013, when WHFS will become a 24/7 affiliate of the new CBS Sports Radio network. On July 25, CBS announced that the station will flip to the new format on August 2.
On that day at 11:00am, "Play" signed off with "Closing Time" by Semisonic, followed by an hour of stunting with songs usually played at sports games, as well as a history of sports teams in the Tampa Bay area, with the actual launch of "The Fan" at Noon. [4] At the same time as the format flip, WSJT changed call letters to WHFS. The WHFS call letters were held by former sister station WUUB in West Palm Beach and were heritage call letters for a long-time alternative rock station in the Washington, DC/Baltimore, MD area.
WHFS-AM/FM is an affiliate of University of South Florida sports.
References
- ↑ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
- ↑ http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/media/content/cbs-radio-drops-former-smooth-jazz-station-wsjt-fm-create-play-987
- ↑ http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/netgnomes/58232/cbs-to-launch-fm-sports-in-tampa/
- ↑ http://formatchange.com/98-7-the-fan-debuts/
External links
- 98.7 The Fan Website
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WHFS
- Radio-Locator information on WHFS
- Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WHFS
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