WHOM (94.9 FM, "94.9 WHOM") is an American radio station which airs an adult contemporary format. It transmits from atop Mount Washington in New Hampshire and has a broadcast area of five states and Quebec. While the signal can be heard all over northern New England, the station broadcasts from and considers itself part of the Portland, Maine radio market. It also claims on its website that it has the largest FM coverage area in the USA. The station also broadcasts their radio program over the internet from their official web page. It is owned by Cumulus Media.
WHOM promotes its programming as "safe for the whole family."
History [edit]
WHOM signed on the air July 9, 1958[1] as WMTW-FM, owned by Mount Washington Television (an ownership group that included former Maine governor Horace Hildreth) along with WMTW-TV (channel 8).[2] The WMTW stations were sold to Jack Paar of Tonight Show fame in 1963;[3] Paar, in turn, sold them to Mid New York Broadcasting in 1967.[4]
WMTW-FM was sold to Alpine Broadcasting in 1971; Mid New York retained WMTW-TV, and as a result the radio station changed its call letters first to WWMT,[5] then to WMTQ in 1973,[6] and then finally to the current WHOM in 1976[7] (previously used by New York City radio stations 1480 AM; now WZRC, and 92.3 FM; now WNOW-FM).
The station offered a beautiful music format consisting of instrumental versions of pop songs from artists like Henry Mancini, Ray Conniff, Percy Faith, Chet Atkins, and Herb Alpert, as well as several soft vocals per hour like The Carpenters, Dionne Warwick, Johnny Mathis, and Perry Como. This format continued through the 1980s. In January 1990, WHOM abruptly dropped the easy listening format for a soft adult contemporary format, though it continued to market as an easy listening station and retained its airstaff. In the mid 1990s, the station began adding softer songs by hot AC and CHR artists and began playing current product. By 2000, WHOM was more of a mainstream adult contemporary station.
The station was sold to Fuller-Jeffrey Broadcasting by Barnstable Broadcasting in 1996;[8] Fuller-Jeffrey then sold most of its stations, including WHOM, to Citadel Broadcasting in 1999.[9] Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[10]
References [edit]
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1981 (PDF). 1981. p. C-147. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1958 (PDF). 1958. p. A-320. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Marsters, Jack (October 11, 1963). "Jack Paar Buys WMTW-TV". The Gazette (Montreal). p. 6. Retrieved March 12, 2010. "Included in the deal, … is the affiliated FM radio station WMTW-FM."
- ^ "Bits of Show Business". The Milwaukee Journal. November 10, 1967. p. 15. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1973 (PDF). 1973. p. B-125. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1974 (PDF). 1974. p. B-132. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 (PDF). 1977. p. C-132. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ Fybush, Scott (June 18, 1996). "Portland Consolidates". New England RadioWatch. Retrieved March 12, 2010.
- ^ Fybush, Scott (April 30, 1999). "Fuller-Jeffrey Sells Out". North East RadioWatch. Retrieved February 23, 2010.
- ^ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
External links [edit]
Coordinates: 44°16′12″N 71°18′14″W / 44.270°N 71.304°W / 44.270; -71.304
