WZFT

WZFT

City of license	Baltimore, Maryland
Broadcast area	Baltimore, Maryland
Branding	"Z104.3"
Slogan	"Baltimore’s New Hit Music Channel"/"All the Hits"
Frequency	104.3 (MHz) (also on HD Radio) 104.3-HD2: The Beat! Hip-Hop and R&B
First air date	late 1940s
Format	Contemporary Hit Radio
ERP	13,000 watts
HAAT	294 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	8684
Callsign meaning	[W] Z 10 Four-three BalTimore
Former callsigns	WITH-FM (late 1940s-1970s) WDJQ-FM (Early 1970s-1980) WBSB (1980-1992) WVRT (1992-1996) WSSF (1996-1997) WOCT (1997-2002) WFXB (2002-2003) WSMJ (2003-2008) WCHH (2008-2009)
Owner	Clear Channel Communications
Sister stations	WCAO, WPOC, WQSR
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	z1043.com

WZFT (104.3 FM), known on-air as "Z104.3", is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is currently owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.

History

WITH-FM/DJ-104

104.3 signed on in the late 1940s as WITH-FM, the FM sister to WITH-AM 1230 (now WRBS). WITH-FM was Maryland's pioneer FM station, with local legend Jack Wells serving as its first announcer.

In the 1970s, WITH-FM became Top 40 WDJQ-FM "DJ-104". By the late 70s, DJ-104 made an attempt to do an all-Disco format, which failed in the ratings and the station went back to Top 40 at the end of 1979.

B-104

In June 1980, Scripps Howard Broadcasting acquired WDJQ-FM and 104.3 became WBSB under the handle "B-104", but retaining the previous Top 40 format. B-104 was one of Baltimore's top-rated FM stations during the 80s and was home to "Brian and O'Brien" one of Baltimore's most notable morning drive time shows.

Variety 104.3/Soft 104.3

In February 1992, the station underwent a series of changes, including format and call letters. During this time, the station had switched first to "Variety 104.3" WVRT as an AC competitor to Mix 106.5, then to "Soft 104.3" WSSF, created as a competitor to the well-established WLIF.

104.3 The Colt/Baltimore 104.3/B-104.3

After WSSF failed, the format switched to '70s classic rock as "104.3 The Colt" WOCT. This evolved into a classic hits format, which then evolved into a harder classic rock format as "104.3OCT." Eventually, the station returned to classic rock as "Baltimore 104.3" and then "B-104.3" WFXB.

Smooth Jazz 104.3/Channel 104.3

On September 5, 2003, the station flipped to Smooth Jazz as WSMJ. During WSMJ's (near) five-year run, it was nominated by the Radio & Records Industry for "Smooth Jazz Station of the Year" (2005), as well as, one nomnination and one win for "Program Director of the Year" (2005 & 2007)

On May 23, 2008 at 9am EDT, the station began stunting with Christmas music, after playing Neither One Of Us (Wants To Be The First To Say Goodbye) by Gladys Knight and the Pips. At noon the same day, the station launched into a 1990s-intensive modern rock format similar to other Clear Channel modern rockers in Grand Rapids, MI, Philadelphia, and Hartford, CT. On May 29, 2008, the station changed its call letters from WSMJ to WCHH as Channel 104.3, returning to the newest rock radio station in Baltimore. The WCHH call letters were last used in 2003 by an Urban Contemporary station in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In January 2009, the transmitter was moved from northeast of the city to Television Hill near downtown, with hopes of improving signal coverage in the Howard and Anne Arundel County suburbs.

Z104.3

Following the short-lived rock-based 104.3 (its playlist still survives on DC101, its sister Washington, D.C. station), the station became Z104.3, a vast departure which upset many fans. At 10AM on November 4, 2009, the station briefly stunted again as an R&B station as "Charm 104.3", before officially flipping to Top 40 at 12PM as "Z104.3". The station is modeled after Washington DC's WIHT 'Hot 99.5', New York City's WHTZ 'Z100', and Los Angeles' KIIS '102.7 KIIS FM', all of which are Clear Channel Top 40 Radio stations. The first song played on Z104.3 was '3' by Britney Spears, with the last song on Channel 104.3 being No Way Back by The Foo Fighters (which was also the first song played on the Channel 104.3 format). The station changed calls from WCHH to WZFT on November 20, 2009. Before Z104.3, Baltimore was without a top 40 station, although HOT 99-5 from the neighboring Washington, D.C. market routinely performed well in Arbitron ratings.

External links

• Official Web Site
• http://www.facebook.com/z1043
• http://twitter.com/z1043
• Query the FCC's FM station database for WZFT
• Radio-Locator information on WZFT
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for WZFT
• WBSB 1990 audio clip
• WSMJ becomes WCHH
• FMQB 11/4/2009 Z104.3 Launch Article