WHTP

WHTP
City Kennebunkport, Maine
Broadcast area Southern Maine Coast, Portland, Maine
Branding Hot 104.7
Slogan Southern Maine's Hit Music Channel
Frequency 104.7 MHz
First air date December 1, 1994 (1994-12-01) (as WQEZ)[1]
Format Rhythmic Top 40
ERP 6,000 watts
HAAT 87 meters
Class A
Facility ID 69855
Transmitter coordinates 43°24′16.00″N 70°26′15″W / 43.4044444°N 70.43750°W / 43.4044444; -70.43750
Callsign meaning HoT Portland
Former callsigns WQEZ (1994–2004)
WHXQ (2004–2008)
WBQW (2008–2012)
Owner Mainestream Media, LLC
Webcast Listen Live
Website hot1047maine.com

WHTP (104.7 FM; "Hot 104.7") is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Kennebunkport, Maine. Its signal is broadcast from the same location. Established in 1994, WHTP is owned by Mainestream Media. The station broadcasts a Rhythmic Top 40 format.[2]

History

WHTP began broadcasting December 1, 1994 as WQEZ, an easy listening/adult contemporary station owned by Vega Corporation, which also owned WBQQ (99.3 FM).[1][3] Vega sold the stations to Mariner Broadcasting on June 16, 1997.[4] Mariner sold its stations to Nassau Broadcasting Partners in 2004.[5] That April, Nassau relaunched the station as WHXQ, a classic rock station branded as The Bone and simulcasting with WHXR (106.7 FM, now WXTP).[6] During the summer of 2006, WHXQ/WHXR expanded their playlist and shifted to active rock. WHXQ and WHXR had planned to switch to sports talk provided by Boston's WEEI in January 2008,[7] but the deal between Nassau and WEEI owner Entercom ended up collapsing.[8]

WHXQ swapped formats and call signs with WBQW (106.3 FM, now the current WHXR) on October 6, 2008, and began to carry WBACH's classical music programming (which had originated on WBQQ in 1991; concurrent with the WHXQ/WBQW swap, WBQQ became a simulcast of WTHT).[9] Nassau Broadcasting entered bankruptcy in 2011, which culminated in an auction of its stations. Prior to the conclusion of the auction, the Maine Public Broadcasting Network expressed interest in running the WBACH stations.[10] As part of the bankruptcy proceeding, WBQW was auctioned in May 2012 to local owner Mainestream Media for $150,000, while the other WBACH stations (WBQX in Thomaston and WBQI in Bar Harbor) went to Bill Binnie's WBIN Media Company.[11][12][13] Mainestream Media dropped WBACH's programming at 5 p.m. on September 13, 2012[14][15] and began stunting with Christmas music, making the claim of being the first station to switch to Christmas music in 2012, and promoting the "104 Days Of Christmas", saying they would give Portland special "gifts" through the holidays, with the first to come the following day at 5 PM.[16] [16] At that time, the station adopted its permanent Rhythmic Top 40 format, branded as "Hot 104.7".[2][17][18] WHTP currently competes with longtime Top 40 station WJBQ, owned by Townsquare Media, which has a more mainstream feel to it as compared to WHTP's Rhythmic approach (similar to the former WRED). On October 1, WBQW's call letters were changed to WHTP, fitting the "Hot" branding. In February 2013, WHTP was added to Mediabase's Rhythmic panel, reflecting its choice of musical direction.

References

  1. 1 2 Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1995 (PDF). 1995. p. B-182. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  2. 1 2 "WBQW Lights Up Top 40 'Hot 104.7'". All Access. September 14, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  3. ↑ Fybush, Scott. "Maine Radio History, 1971–1996". Archives @ BostonRadio.org. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  4. ↑ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-199. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Stations sold". Sun Journal. Associated Press. December 12, 2003. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Stern's The "Maine Man" For Nassau". FMQB. April 14, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  7. ↑ Whitehouse, Randy (October 23, 2007). "Boston's WEEI coming to Maine". Sun Journal.
  8. ↑ "Entercom-Nassau Deal Falls Through". Radio Ink. January 4, 2008. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Atlantic Coast, Nassau Shake Up Maine". August 25, 2008. Retrieved January 28, 2009.
  10. ↑ MPBN Going Commercial? Al Diamon, Downeast.com, April 23, 2012
  11. ↑ Nassau’s Maine Stations Split Up Al Diamon, Downeast.com, May 4, 2012
  12. ↑ Venta, Lance (May 22, 2012). "Nassau Broadcasting Auction Results". RadioInsight. Retrieved September 14, 2012. (updated May 23, 2012)
  13. ↑ https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/70388/104-7-wbqw-portland-to-launch-new-format/
  14. ↑ "104.7 Change of Ownership". wbachradio.com. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  15. ↑ "Southern Maine radio station to stop airing classical music". Portland Press Herald. September 7, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  16. 1 2 "Radio’s first all-Christmas station arrives.". Inside Radio. September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  17. ↑ https://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/netgnomes/70469/september-means-christmas-in-maine/
  18. ↑ http://formatchange.com/wbqw-becomes-hot-104-7/
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