WHOT-FM (101.1

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

, "Hot 101") is a commercial

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

. It airs a

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

format. It is one of seven radio stations in the Youngstown market owned by

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States ahead of Audacy and behind iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdi ...

. It carries syndicated shows from Adam Bomb on afternoons and

Carson Daly Carson Jones Daly (born June 22, 1973) is an American television host, radio personality, producer, and television personality. From 1998 to 2003, Daly was a VJ (media personality), VJ on MTV's ''Total Request Live'' (TRL), and a DJ for the Sou ...

on Sunday mornings. The studios and

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

are on Simon Road at Mayport Avenue in Boardman, using a Youngstown address.

History

In November 1959, the station signed on the air. Its first

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...

was WRED and it was the FM

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

to an AM station with the WHOT call letters. The two stations were owned by Myron Jones. FM 101.1 later had an

album rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM broadcasting, FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of Rock music, rock albums and is currently associated ...

format in the late-1970s under the branding "The Wizzard", which at the time used the call sign WSRD. The connection between the WHOT

and the Top 40/CHR format is one of the longest running in modern radio history, dating back to 1955. The AM version of WHOT was one of the first Top 40 stations in the country. That station was a daytime-only signal

licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

Campbell, Ohio Campbell (; ) is a city in eastern Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, along the Mahoning River. The population was 7,852 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located directly southeast of Youngstown, Ohio, Youngstown, it is a suburb i ...

, on 1570

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...

(currently home to the

Warren, Ohio Warren is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 39,201 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Mahoning River, Warren lies approximately northwest of Youngstown, Ohio, Y ...

-licensed WHTX). Despite its technical limitations, the station attained high ratings in the Youngstown

radio market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...

, which has lasted after several frequency moves... first to 1330

in 1963 (now

WGFT WGFT (1330 AM) – branded ''ESPN 94.7'' – is a commercial daytime-only Sports radio station licensed to Campbell, Ohio. The Station is an ESPN Radio Affiliate and airs other various sports play by play events from other networks. WGFT also ...

), then to 1390

(now

WNIO WNIO (1390 AM - branded 1390 The Gambler) — is an American radio station in Youngstown, Ohio with a sports talk radio format, serving as the Youngstown affiliate for Fox Sports Radio and VSiN Radio. WNIO also carries Ohio State University ...

) in 1990. On February 1, 1984, WSRD-FM changed its call letters to WHOT-FM and the station began simulcasting its Top 40 AM station. By 1991, the AM and FM stations broke into separate programming with the 1390 kHz facility taking an

adult standards Adult standards (also sometimes known as the nostalgia or Big Band format) is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations. Adult standards started in the 1950s and is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly tho ...

format (one that would be revisited in 1999 when WNIO's call letters and format moved to that dial position), while the 101.1 MHz became the exclusive home of the Top 40 format. Excluding a period of several months when WHOT-FM carried an

format in late 1991-early 1992, the station has since continued playing Top 40 contemporary hits. In August 1994, WHOT-FM and its AM counterpart, WBBW 1240 AM, were bought by

Connoisseur Media Connoisseur Media LLC is an American media company. It is based in Westport, Connecticut and led by Jeff Warshaw. As of May 2024, Connoisseur operates 13 radio stations and digital assets in four U.S. markets: Frederick, MD, Nassau-Suffolk, NY, Ne ...

for $5 million. In 2000, the stations were acquired by

.Broadcasting Yearbook 2010 page D-436
/ref> On August 15, 2006, WHOT became the first station in Eastern Ohio to broadcast in HD until it ceased HD transmission in 2015.

References

External links

* * {{Cumulus Media HOT-FM Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Cumulus Media radio stations Radio stations established in 1959