WJHM

Infobox Radio Station


name = WJHM
city = Daytona Beach/Orlando
airdate = November 1, 1967
frequency = 101.9 MHz HD Radio
101.9 HD-2 for Rhythmic Contemporary
area = Central Florida
format = Mainstream Urban
owner = CBS Radio "(sale pending)"
erp = 56,000 watts
haat = 483 meters
branding = "102 Jamz"
slogan = "Orlando's #1 for Hip Hop and R&B!"
"Blazing At Least 18 Jamz in a Row!"
sister_stations = WOCL, WOMX-FM
class = C
facility_id = 73137
webcast = [http://player.play.it/player/player.html?id=486&onestat=wjhm Listen Live]
website = [http://www.102jamzorlando.com/ www.102jamzorlando.com]
callsign_meaning = We're Jammin' Hit Music

WJHM is a radio station that is licensed to Daytona Beach but primarily serves the Orlando and Space Coast areas of Central Florida. It is owned by CBS Radio. It was a so-called Rhythmic CHR that programmed as a typical Mainstream Urban with a playlist consisting of hip-hop, R&B, and gospel on Sunday mornings. It has since gotten real and moved to R&R's Urban Contemporary Airplay panel. It's signal can be picked up as far north as St. Augustine, Florida, south as Sebastian, Florida, and as far west as Spring Hill, Florida, which is north of Tampa.

History

101.9 began as WMFJ-FM on November 1, 1967. Sister to AM 1450 in Daytona Beach, WMFJ-FM was an automated Beautiful Music station known as "Stereo 102". The station's calls were changed to WQXQ in 1973 and the format became automated Album Oriented Rock as "Q102". Despite the rock format's success, management felt that a Top 40 hit station would have more mass appeal, and so "Q102" changed from rock to Top 40 in 1976; initially the station remained automated, but by the end of the 1970s it employed a staff of live and local announcers. The station changed its calls to WDOQ in 1980, but the format remained Top 40, the moniker remained "Q102", and the ratings remained high. Due to new competition in the Daytona market from WNFI-FM in 1982, "Q102" began to more aggressively target the Orlando market as opposed to only Daytona Beach. Although plans for a big 100,000-watt signal that would have extended to St. Augustine, Gainesville and Ocala were scrapped, WDOQ's listenership continued to grow.

In 1984, WDOQ was sold and adopted the new calls WCFI, with a satellite-fed adult contemporary format from Transtar (now Dial Global), using the "I-4" (a tribute to Miami's WINZ-FM) and later "Sunny 102" monikers. In 1985 the station was purchased by Duffy Broadcasting for $7.7 million. By 1986, the format and calls changed again to WORZ, "Z-102FM", a classic rock station. In 1987, it was sold to Beasley-Reed Broadcasting for $9.2 million. In early 1988, the call letters were changed to WJHM and the station adopted an Urban contemporary format as "102 Jamz" under the direction of Program Director Duff Lindsey and consultant Jerry Clifton. The station was an immediate success with listeners and within two years ascended to the top of the 12+ Arbitron Ratings. Some of the djs included Joe Nasty doing mornings and Cedric Hollywood as mid-day jock (also Music Director). WJHM was purchased by Chancellor Media in 1997. In late 1998, longtime music director Cedric Hollywood, who had been with the station since its inception in 1988, left "102 Jamz" to go to WEDR in Miami. Soon after it started adding urban based songs to it playlist and was labeled as a rhythmic although it remained an urban at its core. It has since dropped rhythmic-based songs, being re-labeled urban.

The late 1990s brought a time of mergers with Chancellor merging with Evergreen and forming AMFM, Inc., who hold ownership of WJHM until it merged with Clear Channel in 2000. In 2001, Clear Channel sold WJHM to Infinity Broadcasting (now CBS Radio), and they have held ownership since.

Given WJHM's Urban heritage status in Orlando, it is in current competition with Urban AC rival WCFB and Rhythmic rival WPYO (both owned by Cox Radio). Although it is still one of the top ranking radio stations in the market, in recent months WJHM has suffered the rare setback of ranking behind WPYO in the Arbitron ratings - rare to have an Urban format rank behind a Rhythmic.

External links

* [http://www.102jamzorlando.com 102 JAMZ]
*FMQ|WJHM
*FML|WJHM
*FMARB|WJHM