WAHR

WAHR
City Huntsville, Alabama
Broadcast area Huntsville, Alabama
Branding Star 99.1
Slogan "Your Music, Your Station"
Frequency 99.1 MHz (RDS)
First air date July 28, 1959
Format Adult Contemporary
ERP 100,000 watts
HAAT 300 meters (980 ft)
Class C0
Facility ID 70501
Transmitter coordinates 34°47′53″N 86°38′24″W / 34.79806°N 86.64000°W / 34.79806; -86.64000
Callsign meaning With Arnold Hornbuckle's Records[1]
Owner Black Crow Media Group
(BCA Radio, LLC)
Sister stations WRTT-FM, WLOR
Website Website

WAHR (99.1 FM, "Star 99.1") is an American mainstream adult contemporary music-formatted radio station licensed to serve Huntsville, Alabama.[2] The station is owned by the Black Crow Media Group and the broadcast license is held by BCA Radio, LLC.[3]The signal covers most of northern Alabama and southern central Tennessee. WAHR is one of the top-rated radio stations in the Huntsville market.[4]

History

WAHR was founded in 1959 by Arnold Hornbuckle. It was Alabama's first stand-alone FM radio station. The call letters stood for 'Arnold Hornbuckle Records.'[1] At the time of licensing, he owned Hornbuckle's Record Shop, also in Huntsville, Alabama. Shortly after the station began broadcasting, Bill Lane became the station's manager and a minority shareholder. Lane retired in 1990.

In the early 1960s a signature phrase was "Broadcasting from the top of the Times Building". Some of the station operators were servicemen stationed at Redstone Arsenal and promotional literature included a letter from Dr. Wernher von Braun complimenting the station on its classical music programs. After nearly 40 years serving the Tennessee Valley, Hornbuckle retired, selling the station in July 1999. In 2009, Hornbuckle was inducted into the Alabama Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.

WAHR is currently owned by Black Crow Media Group whose other local radio stations include WRTT-FM and WLOR. In November 2001, due to a proposed refinancing of the parent company, license holder STG Media, LLC, applied to the FCC to transfer the licenses of WAHR, WLOR, and WRTT-FM to Black Crow Media Group subsidiary BCA Media, LLC.[5] Just two days later, another application was filed to shift the licenses to BCA Radio, LLC.[6] The FCC approved the moves on November 15, 2001, and the consummation of the transaction occurred on November 19, 2001.[5]

In June 2009, the station transitioned from an adult contemporary music format to a Hot AC music mix. As of May 2013, though, the station had returned to its former mainstream AC format.

In January 2010, Black Crow Media Group and its subsidiaries filed for "Chapter 11" bankruptcy, seeking to reorganize rather than be broken up. Their filing with the FCC notified the Commission of the involuntary transfer of the license from BCA Radio, LLC, to an entity known as BCA Radio, LLC, Debtor-In-Possession.[7]

In November 2011, Black Crow Media Group announced that it was reorganizing its radio holdings and consolidating the four subsidiaries acting as debtors in possession (including BCA Radio, LLC) into a new company named Southern Stone Communications, LLC. The FCC approved the transfer on December 19, 2011.[8]

Notable people who have worked at WAHR include longtime Huntsville personalities DeeDee Morgan and Mark Hunter. Both were unceremoniously let go by the station. Major market jock Scott Thrower's last radio job before leaving the industry was at WAHR. He is now a Registered Nurse in Little Rock.

Awards

In November 2007, WAHR won the American Cancer Society's Mid-South Division award for best radio supporter for 2006-07. The station was cited for having "strongly supported" the ACS's Relay for Life, gala, golf tournament and other events sponsored by the national and local cancer organizations.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 Nelson, Bob (2008-02-02). "Call Letter Origins". The Broadcast Archive.
  2. ↑ "Fall 2007 Station Information Profile". Arbitron.
  3. ↑ "FM Query". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
  4. ↑ "WDRM-FM still king of area radio". The Huntsville Times. December 9, 2007.
  5. 1 2 "Application Search Details (BALH-20011113AAJ)". FCC Media Bureau. November 19, 2001. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Application Search Details (BALH-20011113AAN)". FCC Media Bureau. November 15, 2001. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Application Search Details (BALH-20100114ABW)". FCC Media Bureau. January 21, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Application Search Details (BALH-20111208DMM)". FCC Media Bureau. December 19, 2011. Retrieved December 25, 2011.
  9. ↑ "American Cancer Society recognizes Times, WAHR". The Huntsville Times. 2007-11-21.
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