WHAP

Infobox Radio station
name = WHAP


city = Hopewell, Virginia
area =
branding =
slogan = "Heart & Soul of Hopewell"
airdate =
frequency = 1340 kHz
format = Variety
power = 1,000 watts unlimited
erp =
haat =
class = C
facility_id = 33900
coordinates = coord|37|17|46.00|N|77|18|50.00|W|region:GB_type:city
callsign_meaning = " Hopewell And Petersburg "
former_callsigns =
owner = P.T. Brown Broadcast Company, Inc.,
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast =
website = [http://www.whap.com whap.com]
affiliations =

WHAP (1340 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Variety format.Licensed to Hopewell, Virginia, USA. The station is currently owned by P.T. Brown Broadcast Company, Inc.,. [ cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=WHAP |title=WHAP Facility Record |work=United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division ]

History

The station signed on the air in 1949, broadcasting from the same building it does now, at 150 S. Mesa Dr in Hopewell.The Building was said to have originally been built as a take-out pizza restaurant. The call letters are said to mean " Hopewell And Petersburg "The station had been the flagship station for The local Hopewell Blue Devils of Hopewell High School and for a short time in the early 80s, also broadcast the New York Yankees, as well as the Motor Racing Network.

By the 1960s the station was a very popular Top 40 station in the Tri-cities, calling itself, for a while ," Happy Radio ". The station's popularity remained until being overcome in the early 70s by higher powered Top 40 competitors WSSV-AM/FM from Petersburg and WRVQ-FM in Richmond. In 1974 the station adjusted their format to adult contemporary. WHAP had been an ABC Radio Network affiliate for many years, but in 1979 switched to the CBS Radio Network.

Owners

In the 1970s the station went thru a trio of owners, first North Carolina businessman Roy Wooster, then The Chessie System ( who were forced to sell the station after it's merger with Seaboard Coast Lines ) , and finally , Ohio businessman Carl Adams in 1980. In 1985, Adams sold the station station to his General Manager , Bruce Connon.

Format Evolutions

In the late 1970s business started to fall off for many small AM stations, and WHAP was no exception . The station at first attempted to counteract by adding album cuts in with its normal adult contemporary playlist, next in the early eighties was a soft rock format. Then in late 1981, an uptempo oldies/beach music oriented Adult Contemporary format . In 1983 the station switched to a country music format . By the late eighties , the station was a hybrid of talk, sports, news , and some blocks of country music .

WHAP Falls On Hard Times

In the early 1990s the station had fallen on hard times. Business was bad overall for small stand alone AM stations during the early 1990s recession. The 1992 suicide death of owner Bruce Connon caused the station to sign off a few months after his death. It is unclear why Connon took his own life . Suspicions have been that due to the ever reducing advertising business he was getting for the station , he unable to continue to pay on his loan that he took out in 1985 to buy the station , which had been financed by former owner Carl Adams . Adams later took back possession of the station from Connon's estate, and in the 1993 the station was purchased by businessman Howard Keller and some partners , and signed back on with a news/talk format, largely from network sources. In the late 1990s the station was purchased by 4M Communications of Richmond , who already owned Richmond stations 990/WLEE, 1320/WVNZ, 1480/WTOX, and 1540/WREJ. 4M decided to simulcast the station with 990/WLEE, at that time doing a Big Band format. In 2004, MainQuad Broadcasting purchased the station.MainQuad at that time owned Richmond stations WBBT-FM, WLFV-FM, and WARV-FM. The company was not sure what to do with WHAP so they signed off the station until further notice,which was about 10 monthsIn 2005, Mainline Broadcasting of Philadelphia purchased the assets of MainQuad Richmond, but Mainline did not want WHAP. MainQuad had difficulty selling off WHAP. The first buyer was Silver Dolphin Communications, who signed the station back on with a Classic Country format June 1 2006, but was forced to sign the station off on August 8/17/06. The sale to the next potential buyer , Benjamin-Dane of Maryland never closed. The station was finally purchased in the spring of 2007 by Preston Brown , who also owned Richmond station WCLM-AM , which was doing a variety based format. The station began running some of the same programming as WCLM on a time delay basis. The station just recently began simulcasting Richmond R&B Legend Kirby Carmicheal' afternoon show from sister station WCLM .

Alumni

Many radio people got their start at WHAP. Some former staff members include current top rated WTVR-FM (Lite 98) morning man Bill Bevins, local "Sunday Night Beach Party " host Steve Leonard, local VCU Sports Anchor Terry Sisisky, Charlie Lake, who later programmed many successful stations all over the country and is currently Program Director at WMGK Philadelphia, Melissa Frampton Newcomer , later of WVOD & WRSF Nags Head, Garry Leigh,later of WRGM & WLEE Richmond ,WEGX Philadelphia , and now head of Snafu Consulting David Lee Micheals, who was later a top rated jock at WSSV & WRVQ, as well as morning host and program director in Roanoke Va at WXLK "K92" & WJJS "Jammin JJS", Kevin Kofax, who went to WPLZ, and later programmed WKJS "KISS-FM" ,Scott Stevens, who later went to WRVQ,WRVA, WKIK, WRCL, and finally Head Traffic Reporter for Clear Channel Richmond , Tom Ogburn,later of WTVR, WRVQ, and now with WBBT-TV, Brian Pecht, later with WCZY Detroit and G105 in Raliegh, and is currently afternoons on WILV / Chicago, Bill James, currently Production Director at WZEZ Richmond, Nick Allen, now Program Director of Lite 102.9 in Charlotte NC, Former WROV-AM Roanoke & WTVR-AM Richmond DJ Perry Woods, Dennis "Chris Stevens" Jennings,who aso worked for WTVR-AM , WRVQ, WSSV, and WEZS, Greg Rodriguz,later of WRNL & WRXL , and WVGO, Jon Seid,who later went to WBCI Williamsburg , WCMS Norfolk, WRXL. WMXB, WKIK, and WJRV , all in Richmond , John Harper, who later spent namy years as Program Director as WOBR Nags Head , NC Joe Van Ryper, whio was later at WSSV in Petersburg , and WBT, Charlotte , abnd is now a independent voice talent former, Matt Nicholls, who was later with WSSV in Petersburg , WLEE, WCDX, WMXB, WRCL , and WBBT all in Richmond ,and WRSF Nags Head , Angie Engle , who was later with WKHK, WCDX, WPLZ, WRVQ , and WJRV all in Richmond , Greg Goins,who later hosted The "Quiet Storm" show on WCDX Former WRXL, WVGO, and WMXB DJ Steve Mitchell, current WLEE/"All News 990" Richmond Program Director Kevin Ferrell, former WTVR-AM, WLEE,and WRNL Richmond DJ Mike Oliver, Randy Gill, who later spent 18 years, part of that as as Program Director at WRSF Nags Head, NC Former WHAP GM & Air Talent Tom Robinson, now owner of WXGM AM/FM in Gloucester Va, Steve Forrest who was later with WGOE, WRXL, And WVGO , and is current Director Of Production for Cox Radio Richmond, and Chip Cook, who was later with WSSV, WEZS, WRVQ, WRVA, and WMXB ( Chip Cook's uncle , George Gee, was a DJ at WHAP in the 1960s and was said to be the first to play a Beatles record on the station )

Some other longtime WHAP personalities included Mike Dawson, Tom Sawyer, Tina Woods, Steve King, Susan James, David Good, Chris Donovan, Marie "Bird" Dane, Monroe Harris, Don Sebera, Emmett Beasley, Former GM/Air Talent Gordon Finney, Ron Bear, Edward "Lee Micheals" Allen, Paul Ferguson, and "Cousin" Dave Adkins.

References

External links

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