WIHT

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This article is about the Washington, D.C. area radio station. For the Ann Arbor, Michigan television station, see WPXD-TV.

WIHT

City of license	Washington, D.C.
Broadcast area	Washington, D.C. metropolitan area
Branding	HOT 99.5
Slogan	"D.C.'s Hottest Music"
Frequency	99.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) HD-2 Pride Radio
First air date	1960 (as WGAY) April 6, 2001 (as WIHT)
Format	Top 40 (CHR)
ERP	22,000 watts
HAAT	229 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	25080
Callsign meaning	WashIngton's HoT
Former callsigns	WGAY-FM (1960-1993) WGAY (1993-1999) WGAY-FM (5/1999-6/1999) WJMO-FM (1999-2001)
Owner	Clear Channel Communications
Sister stations	WASH, WBIG, WMZQ, WWDC
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	hot995.com

WIHT (99.5 FM; "HOT 99.5") is a Top 40 (CHR) formatted radio station that serves the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Located on the fifth floor of 1801 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland, the station broadcasts 24 hours a day and is licensed to, and owned by, Clear Channel Communications.

History

Early years (1960s–1999)

Long known as WGAY and located in Silver Spring, Maryland, the station ran a beautiful music format in the 1960s and 1970s, which evolved to an easy listening format by the 1980s. WGAY would often finish at number one in the Persons 12+ Arbitron 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 Ronald Reagan's favorite radio station.

At midnight on December 26, 1991, WGAY changed branding to "Easy 99.5". In 1995, WGAY switched its calls and became "Bright 99.5", but listeners didn't accept the more up-tempo music, and the station switched back to WGAY within 10 months.

Jam'n 99.5 (1999–2001)

WGAY switched from the still ratings successful format permanently by the late-90s 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 PM on April 13, 1999, "Evergreen" by Barbra Streisand was faded out with a liner touting a change, bringing the end to "Easy 99.5". After two days of simulcasting WTJM in New York City, the station changed to an urban oldies format at 3 PM on April 15, known as WJMO-FM ("Jam'n 99.5"). At the time, they were co-owned with AM station WJMO in Cleveland, Ohio. 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 (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)

"Jam'n" signed off at 7 AM on April 2, 2001; the last song played on "Jam'n" was "Last Dance", by Donna Summer. That was followed by a "Survivor Radio" stunt before the current contemporary hit radio format debuted as "Hot 99.5" at 5 PM on April 6, 2001. The first song on "Hot" was "Survivor" by Destiny's Child.^[1] With the change of format came a change in call sign to the current WIHT on April 18, 2001.^[2]

WIHT's full market signal helped competitor 104.1 WWZZ (Z104) evolve into a more modern AC 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's default Top 40 station since their previous Top 40 station, WXYV (102.7 FM, now WQSR), would flip in September 2001. (Baltimore finally got a Top 40 station in November 2009, when WCHH flipped from modern rock to Top 40 as "Z 104-3.") The station's main competitors are CBS Radio urban-leaning Rhythmic Contemporary WPGC-FM 95.5, CBS Radio's adult top 40 WIAD (94-7 Fresh FM) and Cumulus Media's adult top 40 WRQX (Mix 107.3).

WIHT-FM's HD Radio HD-2 format was flipped to Clear Channel's successful Pride Radio format at Midnight on July 16, 2013, replacing the "Hot Spot"-branded "New! Music" format that had been running on the HD-2 signal since 2007.

The Kane Show

Kane also known as Peter, resigned his programming position at WFLZ/Tampa on October 31, 2006 to host morning drive at WIHT. He replaced The Hot Morning Mess with Mark Kaye, Kris Gamble and producer Ron Ross, who exited the station on November 1, 2006. The Kane Show hit the Washington, D.C.-area airwaves on November 13, 2006. The show now includes cast members Danni, Intern John, after Sammy, Melanie, and Sarah left the program. The show was named "Best Local Morning show" in 2009 by industry magazine FMQB. The Kane Show is broadcast on seven additional radio stations, such as WNRW, "Radio Now 98.9", Louisville, and KWNW, Memphis. After 18 years, WFLZ'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 as a 24-hour on-demand channel in January 2010. Listeners are able to stream the Kane Show through both the iheartradio website and its respective smartphone applications.^[3]

On air line-up

Mornings

5:30 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.: "The Kane Show"

Middays

11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.: "On Air With Ryan Seacrest"

Afternoons

3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.: Toby Knapp

Nights

7:00 p.m. - Midnight: Elizabethany

References

↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
↑ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database. Retrieved June 28, 2009.
↑ http://fmqbinsider.com/article.asp?id=299758

External links

Official website
- Kane Show Official Site
- WIHT-HD2
WIHT at Facebook
WIHT at Twitter
Iheart Radio- HOT995 Mobile
WQMR/WGAY Memories

Query the FCC's FM station database for WIHT

Radio-Locator information on WIHT

Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for WIHT
WIHT at the Wayback Machine (archived April 7, 2001)

v t e Radio stations in the Washington, D.C. market

By AM frequency	Washington DC Washington DC 630 980 1120 1260 1340 1450 1500 Maryland 540 570 900 950 1030 1050 1160 1540 1560 1580 1600 Northern Virginia 730 780 920 1190 1220 1250 1310 1390 1460 1480

By FM frequency	Washington DC 88.5 89.3 90.1 90.9 93.9 96.3 97.1 98.7 99.5 100.3 101.1 103.5 107.3 Maryland 88.1 91.9 92.7 94.7 95.5 99.1 99.9 102.3 104.1 107.9 Northern Virginia 87.7 89.9 94.3 104.3 105.1 105.9 106.7 107.7

NOAA Weather Radio	162.45 162.55

By callsign	KHB36 WACA WAMU WASH WAVA WAVA-FM WBIG-FM WBQH WCRW WCSP WCTN WDCN-LP WDCT WETA WFAX WFED WFRE WGOP WGTS WHUR-FM WIAD WIHT WILC WJFK WJFK-FM WKDL WKDV WKIK WKIK-FM WKYS WLXE WLZL WMAL WMAL-FM WMET WMMJ WMUC WMZQ-FM WNEW-FM WNG736 WOL WPER WPFW WPGC-FM WPRS-FM WPWC WRQX WSPZ WTEM WTNT WTOP-FM WURA WUST WWDC WWGB WWRC WWWT-FM WWXT WWXX WYCB WZHF

Defunct Stations	WCAP WGMS WTWP WWZZ WHFS (FM)

Satellite radio local traffic/weather XM Channel 214 Sirius Channel 152 Washington DC metro markets Frederick, MD Fredericksburg, VA Baltimore See also List of radio stations in Washington, D.C. List of radio stations in Virginia List of radio stations in Maryland

Coordinates: 38°57′50″N 77°06′18″W / 38.964°N 77.105°W / 38.964; -77.105

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