WBHK
 | |
| Broadcast area | Central Alabama |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.7 MHz |
| Branding | 98.7 Kiss FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban Adult Contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WAGG, WBHJ, WBPT, WENN, WPYA, WZZK | |
| History | |
First air date | 1991 (as WLBI) |
Former call signs | WLBI (1991-1996)[1] |
Call sign meaning | BirmingHam's Kiss[2] |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 65227 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 39,000 watts |
| HAAT | 408 meters |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 987kiss.com |
WBHK (98.7 FM, "98.7 Kiss FM") is an urban adult contemporary music formatted radio station owned by Summit Media that serves Birmingham, Alabama. It is currently ranked by the Arbitron rating system as the nation's highest rated urban adult contemporary station. 98.7 Kiss FM is licensed to Warrior and broadcasts on the 98.7 Megahertz (MHz) frequency at effective radiated power of 39 kilowatts (kW) from atop of Red Mountain. It is owned by Summit Media LLC along with six other stations, and all share studios in the Cahaba neighborhood in far southeast Birmingham.[3]
The station has an unusually strong signal that broadcasts on a class C1 that can be heard across the majority of North and Central Alabama and even in parts of eastern Mississippi and western Georgia. WBHK is sometimes mistaken for or confused with the former New York urban AC with the same moniker, WRKS-FM, 98.7 Kiss FM (now WEPN-FM with an ESPN sports format). The similar musical format and dial position of both stations have allowed them to share on-air liners and even TV commercials—but neither station shares the same corporate ownership. In 2005, WBHK began broadcasting in IBOC digital radio, using the HD Radio system from iBiquity.
History
98.7 began as WLBI, "Great 98", a 6 kW rimshot hot adult contemporary station licensed to Warrior. The station was assigned the WLBI call letters by the Federal Communications Commission on December 13, 1991.[1] Its tower was on a hill off Arkadelphia Road west of Warrior, and they broadcast from a small trailer also located in Warrior. The station was built by Terry Bentley Lowery and Danny Bentley, both with broadcasting interests in Oneonta, Alabama.
In 1994, the station became known as "98 Lite", and changed to a soft adult contemporary format. In 1995, the station began adding smooth jazz programming and eventually morphed into a smooth jazz format; the station continued to broadcast as "98 Lite".
In 1996, after many years as a low-rated AC, the station became an urban AC with the moniker and slogan, "98.7 Kiss FM, Smooth R&B and Classic Soul", changing to its current WBHK callsign on July 1, 1996.[1] With the format change the ratings for the frequency increased. In 2002, the transmitter was upgraded and moved to Red Mountain after many years of broadcasting from a choppy signal.
On February 14, 2013, WBHK-FM as well as the other Birmingham Cox stations were sold to Summit Media LLC.
Station management
- General Manager: Greg Reed
- Program Director: Daryl Johnson
- Marketing Director: Jason Jones
- Local Sales Manager: James Gettys
References
- ^ a b c "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
- ^ Nelson, Bob (2008-10-18). "Call Letter Origins". The Broadcast Archive. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
- ^ Ekman, Jennifer (September 1, 2006). "Cox rocks Birmingham". Birmingham Business Journal.
External links
- 98.7 Kiss FM WBHK official website
- Facility details for Facility ID WBHK ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database