WHAT (AM)
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|
Spanish | |
Format | Contemporary hits and reggaeton |
---|---|
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
History | |
First air date | October 17, 1922 |
Former call signs | WNAT (1922-1929) |
Call sign meaning | The hat of the William Penn statue atop Philadelphia City Hall |
Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
Facility ID | 33686 |
Class | C |
Power | 1,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°00′6″N 75°12′35″W / 40.00167°N 75.20972°W |
Translator(s) | 99.9 W260CZ (Philadelphia) |
Links | |
Public license information | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | elzolphilly.com |
WHAT (1340
. It was one of the first radio stations in Philadelphia, going on the air in 1922.WHAT is powered at 1,000
It uses its FM dial position for its moniker "La Kalle 99.9" (The Street).History
WNAT / WHAT (1922–1944)
On October 17, 1922, a new Philadelphia radio station was authorized, as WNAT, by the government to the Lennig Brothers Co., a radio supply company headed up by Frederick Lennig at 827 Spring Garden Street.[4] The call sign was randomly assigned from a roster of available call letters. In late 1929, the call sign was changed to WHAT.[5]
In the 1930s, WHAT was powered at only 100 watts and was heard on 1310
Ownership of the station changed twice within a two-year span. In 1939, the Bonwit Teller department store replaced The Evening Ledger newspaper as owner; in July 1940, J. David Stern, who published The Philadelphia Record newspaper bought the station from Bonwit Teller. At that time, WHAT operated with 100 watts of power.[7]
Banks ownership (1944–1986)
On February 12, 1944, former radio station WIP salesman William Banks purchased WHAT for $22,500 from the Philadelphia Record and became the station's new president. His sister, Dolly Banks, became program director and expanded on the ethnic format while ending time-brokered programming.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, WHAT was known for innovation. "In 1945, WHAT became the first U.S. radio station to hire a full-time black announcer, the first to program a regular show featuring a black woman as hostess and the first station in the city to hire black newscasters. It also was the first in the nation to feature a black as host of a daily talk show."
In 1954, the station moved its studios and transmitters to a new structure at 3930-3940 Conshohocken Ave in Wynnefield Heights and was dubbed "The WHAT Radio Center."
Ownership changes (1986–2007)
In October 1986, Reginald N. Lavong and Miller Parker, owners of Main Line Communications purchased WHAT from Independence Broadcasting for $625,000. The sale included the station's office building and 4.5 acres of land on Conshohocken Ave. Former sister station WWDB-FM was sold to lawyer Ragan A. Henry around the same time. In 1989, the station, now running an African American-oriented talk and Nostalgia format, was sold to Philadelphia radio veteran Cody Anderson. Anderson had been general manager of WDAS-AM-FM and his company "KBT Communications" paid $1.65 million to obtain WHAT. Anderson moved the WHAT offices and studios to North 54th Street near City Line Avenue in nearby Wynnefield.
In 2007, WHAT was sold to Marconi Broadcasting, who ended the station's longtime African American-focus. Known for years as the "Voice of the African American Community," all station employees, including hosts Albert Butler, Elmer Smith, and Mary Mason were let go.
New formats (2007–present)
WHAT programmed an
WHAT flipped formats to an
On August 1, 2011, WHAT ceased broadcasting without any announcement, leading to speculation that the station had been sold. One month later, on September 12, 2011 at 12 P.M., WHAT changed their format to Spanish-language music, branded as "El Zol 1340 AM". On September 3, 2018, the station rebranded itself as "Z99.9".
On March 19, 2020, WHAT was sold to investor Matthew Braccili and Programmer Victor Martinez. (VM Broadcasting LLC) rebranded as "La Kalle 99.9".[9]
Previous logos
References
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WHAT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/WHAT
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/W260CZ
- ^ "New Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, November 1, 1922, page 3.
- ^ "Alterations and corrections", Radio Service Bulletin, November 30, 1929, page 10.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1935 page 54
- ^ "J.D. Stern Enters Radio; Jars Philly" (PDF). Billboard. July 17, 1940. p. 6. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
- ^ WHAT Becomes "Skin Radio"
- ^ WHAT Philadelphia Relaunches as La Kalle 99.9 Radioinsight - March 19, 2020
External links
- FCC History Cards for WHAT (covering 1927-1981 as WNAT / WHAT)
- Official website
- WHAT in the FCC AM station database
- WHAT in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- W260CZ in the FCC FM station database
- W260CZ at FCCdata.org
- Skin Radio. Internet-Only version of WHAT's previous Modern Rock Format.
- Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia web page