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WHPT 102-5 The Bone call letters
- Thread starter icycool7227
- Start date
larkin said:WSUN--97X
Also Cox...hmmmm
The call letters WSUN are heritage Tampa Bay call letters, originally on AM 620 (now WDAE). When AM 620 dropped those calls, Cox moved them to AM 910 (now WTWD) to park the calls to prevent another station from getting them. When Cox sold AM 910 to Salem, Cox took the heritage WSUN call letters with them and placed them on FM 97.1 for lack of anywhere else to place those call letters while at the same time retaining the heritage WSUN call letters on a Cox station.
sbe1 said:
Originally 102.5 was WTSP-FM co-owned with WTSP-AM 1380 (now WWMI Radio Disney) and both licensed to Saint Petersburg. When the frequency 102.5 was re-assigned to Sarasota, it went on the air, I believe in 1972, as WQSR (Quality Stereo Radio) and was co-owned with WQSA-AM 1220. The original WQSR format was 24 hour beautiful music but soon began airing progressive rock at night, retaining BM during the day. Later WQSR flipped to 24 hour progressive rock and broadcast in quad.
WQRS indeed was doing Quad, they were called Quad Quarters, 15 minutes or so of 4 channel sound. Couple of comments, WQSR went on the air as
more of a middle of the road -Sinatra, big band, etc format than beautiful music. They carried Chicago White Sox baseball and at some point, Don Brady
know as Jason came on board doing Night Song .. a couple of hours of album rock, leaning more to mellow than hard rock. At the time, no other station
in Tampa Bay was playing album rock, although WFSO may have been doing that on AM... Jason's program grew, adding hours, until WQSR was daytime
MOR and nighttime AOR .. 90% of the billing was on AOR. and a programmer by the name of Mark Beltaire from WMMR in Cleveland came on board as
PD, he took the station 24 hour album rock, very free format, jocks (air guides) could pretty much play anything, even an occasional classical cut...
Ted Rogers and his partner Carrol Newton sold WQSR to Cosmo's in 1979, but kept WQSA well into the 80's.
WQSR was at one time number one in 18-24 males in Tampa TSA... 98 Rock came along and took a lot of that audience as they had a much better
signal in North Tampa.
more of a middle of the road -Sinatra, big band, etc format than beautiful music. They carried Chicago White Sox baseball and at some point, Don Brady
know as Jason came on board doing Night Song .. a couple of hours of album rock, leaning more to mellow than hard rock. At the time, no other station
in Tampa Bay was playing album rock, although WFSO may have been doing that on AM... Jason's program grew, adding hours, until WQSR was daytime
MOR and nighttime AOR .. 90% of the billing was on AOR. and a programmer by the name of Mark Beltaire from WMMR in Cleveland came on board as
PD, he took the station 24 hour album rock, very free format, jocks (air guides) could pretty much play anything, even an occasional classical cut...
Ted Rogers and his partner Carrol Newton sold WQSR to Cosmo's in 1979, but kept WQSA well into the 80's.
WQSR was at one time number one in 18-24 males in Tampa TSA... 98 Rock came along and took a lot of that audience as they had a much better
signal in North Tampa.
When I moved to Sa-ra-so-ta! in 1988, 570 was talk as WTKN and 102.5 was jazz as WHVE.
Susq bought 570 and changed to news and the calls to WHNZ to reflect co-ownership with "102.5, The Wave". In 1989, WHVE upgraded to the 1,667 foot antenna.
When Paxton bought the pair in 1991, they changed the calls to WHPT to reflect the new R&R imaging as "102.5, The Point".
Paxton was bought by CCU. CCU bought Jacor and spun off 102.5 to Cox. Cox owned 620. Swap of formats. Talk to 570, News (simul of CNN headlines) to 620. CC purchases 620 and gives up 570. Moves 570 calls to 1250. Moves WDAE heritage calls from 1250 to 620. WTBN (Tampa Bay News) 620 calls go to 570. Heritage WSUN calls get parked on 97.1.
Cox leaves R&R format but drops Point imaging. Picks it up for 101.5 after changing that format from "Jammin' Oldies" that replaced "Love 101.5" that replaced the WKES calls when Keswick moved the calls down the dial to 91.1 to replace WCIE in 1996or7. Cox left 102.5 hanging as just "102-5" until somebody there picked up "The Bone".
I realize I used "heritage" twice. WDAE was Florida's first station. 620 WSUN was one of the first AM directionals.
Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta.
Susq bought 570 and changed to news and the calls to WHNZ to reflect co-ownership with "102.5, The Wave". In 1989, WHVE upgraded to the 1,667 foot antenna.
When Paxton bought the pair in 1991, they changed the calls to WHPT to reflect the new R&R imaging as "102.5, The Point".
Paxton was bought by CCU. CCU bought Jacor and spun off 102.5 to Cox. Cox owned 620. Swap of formats. Talk to 570, News (simul of CNN headlines) to 620. CC purchases 620 and gives up 570. Moves 570 calls to 1250. Moves WDAE heritage calls from 1250 to 620. WTBN (Tampa Bay News) 620 calls go to 570. Heritage WSUN calls get parked on 97.1.
Cox leaves R&R format but drops Point imaging. Picks it up for 101.5 after changing that format from "Jammin' Oldies" that replaced "Love 101.5" that replaced the WKES calls when Keswick moved the calls down the dial to 91.1 to replace WCIE in 1996or7. Cox left 102.5 hanging as just "102-5" until somebody there picked up "The Bone".
I realize I used "heritage" twice. WDAE was Florida's first station. 620 WSUN was one of the first AM directionals.
Jeff in Sa-ra-so-ta.
102.5 in Sarasota went on the air in 1960 as WYAK. They were 3kw, horizontal only, at 250 feet, located on 5th Street at Central Avenue in Sarasota. The tower was located in a junk yard next door. In 1970, 102.5 was silent, WSPB bought the tower and moved it to City Island. That tower is still in use by 1450 today.
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