- For the current AM radio station see: WHFS
WHFS was the call sign for three different FM stations in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Maryland markets on various frequencies for nearly 50 years. The first and longest run was a progressive rock station and was usually, and affectionately, referred to as 'HFS...
WHFS was the call sign for three different
FMIn telecommunications, frequency modulation conveys information over a carrier wave by varying its frequency . In analog applications, the instantaneous frequency of the carrier is directly proportional to the instantaneous value of the input signal...
stations in the
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
/
Baltimore, MarylandBaltimore is an independent city and the largest city in the state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore City in order to distinguish it from surrounding...
markets on various frequencies for nearly 50 years. The first and longest run was a
progressive rockProgressive rock is a radio station programming format that prospered in the late 1960s and 1970s, in which the disc jockeys are given wide latitude in what they may play, similar to the freeform format but with the proviso that some kind of rock music is almost always what is played...
station and was usually, and affectionately, referred to as
'HFS. For many local residents, it was the first place to hear such bands as
R.E.M.R.E.M. is an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by Michael Stipe , Peter Buck , Mike Mills , and Bill Berry . R.E.M. was one of the first popular alternative rock bands, and gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's unclear vocals. R.E.M...
, Pixies,
The SmithsThe Smiths were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the songwriting partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
,
The Monochrome SetThe Monochrome Set were an English post-punk band originally formed in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides...
,
The CureThe Cure are an English alternative rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976 by Robert Smith, Lawrence Tolhurst and Michael Dempsey. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
,
Echo & the BunnymenEcho & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk group, formed in Liverpool in 1978. Their original lineup consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their...
,
StereolabStereolab were an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes. Other long-time members include Andy Ramsay and Mary Hansen...
, and
New OrderNew Order were an English musical group formed in 1980 by Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris . New Order were formed in the wake of the demise of their previous group Joy Division, following the suicide of vocalist Ian Curtis...
.
1960s
WHFS began broadcasting on November 11, 1961, on a frequency of 102.3 FM in
Bethesda, MarylandBethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
. It was the first station in the Washington, DC, area to broadcast in FM-stereo; thus its call sign stood for
High
Fidelity
Stereo. It was originally located in a 20 × 20-foot space in the basement of the Bethesda Medical Building on Wisconsin Avenue with antenna on the roof. Its original format was a combination of MOR and classical, with jazz after 10 p.m. The original owners were considerably underfunded, and the station was sold in 1963. The station was initially moved to Norfolk Ave. in
BethesdaBethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
and later to Woodmont Ave. All these locations are within a three-block area. When Jacob Einstein became general manager and part-owner in 1967, the station had a broadcast signal of 2,300
wattThe watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units . It measures rate of energy conversion. One watt is equivalent to 1 joule of energy per second....
s.
"When Mr. Einstein became general manager of WHFS, the station had been on the air for six years and was lucky to draw 800 listeners a night with its format of pop, light classical and jazz. 'Then a guy named Frank Richards came in one day wearing cutoffs and a leather vest, played me a tape of rock music from
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
,' Mr. Einstein told
The Washington PostThe Washington Post is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Washington, D.C. and is the city's oldest paper, founded in 1877. Being located in the nation's capital, it has a particular emphasis on national politics and international affairs...
in 1983. 'We were losing so much money that another couple of dollars couldn't hurt, right? So we put him on. My God, the calls! I never knew we had an audience!' In 1969, three would-be DJs - Joshua Brooks, Sara Vass and Mark Gorbulew - approached Mr. Einstein with an idea for a free-form rock-and-roll program. They went on under the name Spiritus Cheese (derived from a cheese company in New York), and a new era was born. 'It was Jake's vision that FM radio and rock-and-roll were about to collide,' said Mr. Einstein's daughter Rose, who briefly worked at WHFS. 'He saw it as an all-night format that would sustain a station.' Within months, WHFS was drawing an average nightly audience of 32,700 listeners. Spiritus Cheese lasted just a year - someone complained about a four-letter word in a Firesign Theatre skit broadcast on the air - but by then the station had found its niche."
1970s
By the early 1970s, the station was broadcasting progressive music nearly all the time ( Sundays were given to foreign language programs). WHFS studios were now located in a second floor luxury condo at 4853 Cordell Avenue ("Broadcasting from
high atop the Triangle Towers..."; was a phrase often heard over the air). The station was also conveniently located directly across the street from the Psyche Delly, a venue for live performances by bands playing the club circuit. Local radio legends Don "Cerphe" Colwell and Jonathan "Weasel" Gilbert began their careers when they joined WHFS in the early 70s.
Many musicians, famous and not yet famous, traipsed across the street to do interviews and perform live at the station. Many cut WHFS-specific IDs. One classic example of a legal ID done by a bass-vocal centered rhythm & blues group went, "Of all the stations we like the best, it's W - Hhhhh---F-Sssss; we'll be rockin', we'll be rollin', on W - Hhhhh---F-Sssss - - - 102.3 - Bethesda." The enthusiastic and knowledgeable interviews by such deejays as "Weasel", who held down the drive-time afternoon weekday slot - about the time that bands setting up across the street were ready for a dinner break before a performance - provided fascinating details about the artists' experience, as well as providing plugs for the upcoming appearance. Weasel's obvious friendship with many of his guests elicited striking candor from them.
During the '70s, WHFS would broadcast music that other FM Rock stations normally would not, including cuts as long as 20 minutes. Artists like
Frank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral, and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album...
,
YesYes are an English progressive rock band that was formed in London in 1968. Their music is marked by sharp dynamic contrasts, extended song lengths, abstract lyrics, and a general showcasing of instrumental prowess. Yes blends symphonic and other 'classical' structures with their own brand of...
,
GenesisGenesis are a Grammy Award-winning English rock band formed in 1967, and are among the top 30 highest-selling recording artists of all time with approximately 150 million albums sold worldwide, including 21.5 million albums sold in the United States. In 1988, the band won the Grammy Award for Best...
,
Roxy MusicRoxy Music are an English art rock group initiated during the early 1970s by art school graduate Bryan Ferry . The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eno's replacement Eddie Jobson...
and other non-commercial artists, at that time, would be the normal format. The station made a policy of never playing a "hit" and broke with precedent by leaving the playlists strictly up to the DJs. Once in a while the DJ's would, as a joke, throw in a Top 40 hit just to throw the listeners off. Sometimes, late at night, the DJ might announce "and now we'll repeat that for those of you on drugs" and immediately replay the last song. It furthered the careers of then-undiscovered stars
Bruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss", is an American singer-songwriter. He records and tours with the E Street Band...
.
George ThorogoodGeorge Thorogood is a blues rock performer from Wilmington, Delaware, known for his hit song "Bad to the Bone" as well as for covers of blues standards such as Hank Williams' "Move It On Over" and John Lee Hooker's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer"...
and
Emmylou HarrisEmmylou Harris is an American country singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists.-...
, who sometimes showed up at the studio. WHFS played the records of many local groups as well, including The Diversions, Tru Fax & the Insaniacs, the
Bad BrainsBad Brains is an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1977. They are widely regarded as among the pioneers of the genre, though the band's members objected to the term "hardcore" to describe their music....
and
Root Boy SlimRoot Boy Slim Asheville, North Carolina; was an American singer-songwriter who attended Yale University, and afterward settled in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., gaining fame as the frontman for the band "Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band".The band favored a mix of Memphis-style boogie...
and the Sex Change Band."
In addition to the station's progressive rock and alternative music, jazz, and even bluegrass was prominently featured on their format. One of the show's features was "Thor's Bluegrass" hosted by DJ Thor. Local bluegrass band
The Seldom SceneThe Seldom Scene is an American bluegrass band formed in 1971 in Bethesda, Maryland.- Biography :The band formed out of the weekly jam sessions in the basement of banjo player Ben Eldridge. These sessions included John Starling on guitar and lead vocals, Mike Auldridge on resophonic guitar and...
would sometimes perform live from the station.
Fans of the station came to expect certain "regular" features. Listeners were treated to Weasel playing "
I Wanna Be Sedated"I Wanna Be Sedated" is one of the best known songs by the punk rock group the Ramones. It was released in 1978 and appeared on their fourth album, Road to Ruin. The song was released as a single in the U.S. in 1980 by RSO Records from the Times Square soundtrack album.-History:"I Wanna Be...
" by the
RamonesThe Ramones were an American rock band often regarded as the first punk rock group. Formed in Forest Hills, Queens, New York in 1974, all of the band members adopted pseudonyms ending with the surname 'Ramone', though none of them were actually related. They performed 2,263 concerts, touring...
every Friday towards the end of the work day. Weasel also filled his playlist with requests like local DC near hit "Washingtron" by Tru Fax & the Insaniacs. Weasel answered the telephone himself when requests were called in. WHFS made
Root Boy SlimRoot Boy Slim Asheville, North Carolina; was an American singer-songwriter who attended Yale University, and afterward settled in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., gaining fame as the frontman for the band "Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band".The band favored a mix of Memphis-style boogie...
's "Christmas at K-Mart" a holiday standard. Weasel was the first to play The Diversions first single "Get Up" backed with "Lil Lovin' Baby" which was aired only moments after the record was hand delivered to the station upon its release in 1982.
Among the station's more endearing traditions was the broadcasting of the entire "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" suite that makes up the bulk of the first side of
Frank ZappaFrank Vincent Zappa was an American composer, electric guitarist, record producer and film director. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa wrote rock, jazz, electronic, orchestral, and musique concrète works. He also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album...
's "
ApostropheThe apostrophe is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritic mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet or certain other alphabets. In English it has two main functions: it marks omissions, and it assists in marking the possessives of nouns and some pronouns...
" LP, when the Washington area would experience its first snowfall of the season. And every
ThanksgivingThanksgiving may refer to:*Thanksgiving , the holiday on the fourth Thursday in November.*Thanksgiving , the holiday on the second Monday in October.*Thanksgiving...
, 'HFS listeners could count on
Arlo GuthrieArlo Davy Guthrie is an American folk singer. Like his father, Woody Guthrie, Arlo often sings songs of protest against social injustice...
's "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" being played, usually by Bob "Here", all 18:20 of it.
According to the Washington Post, the 1978 DJ lineup at WHFS was: Damian Einstein, John "Weasel" Gilbert, David Einstein, Bob "Here" Showacre, Diane Divola, and Tom Grooms. ("Cerphe" left the station in 1976). Adele Abrams held weekend slots from 1974-1988 (and held a full-time shift for nearly two years following Damien's accident). She and Weasel also hosted a live show featuring local band performances called "Take One," which broadcast from the Sounds Reasonable studio in Washington, DC, during the late 1970s. Suzanne Gordon was the progressive format's first news director, hosting five "News of the Universe" segments, and various public affairs features, daily from 1975-1977.
1980s and 90s
In early 1983 Jacob Einstein sold the station to the owners of
WTOPWTOP is an all-news formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Washington, D.C., serving Metropolitan Washington, DC area. WTOP is owned by Bonneville Holding Company and operated by Bonneville International Corporation, a broadcasting company wholly owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of...
(AM) for $2 million which Einstein then used to purchase
WNAVWNAV is an AM radio station located in Annapolis, Maryland. The talk radio outlet broadcasts at 1430 kilohertz and is owned by Sajak Broadcasting Corporation, named after and part-owned by game show host Pat Sajak....
AM and WLOM FM
Annapolis, MarylandAnnapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It has a population of 36,524 , and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington D.C. Annapolis is part of the...
. WNAV-AM was sold to
Pat SajakPat Sajak , born Patrick Leonard Sajdak on October 26, 1946, is a television personality, former weatherman and a former talk show host, best known as the host of the American television game show, Wheel of Fortune.-Early life:...
, the game-show host. Einstein took the 'HFS call letters with him and WLOM-FM 99.1 became WHFS (FM) in Autumn 1983 with much higher power than the 102.3 facility. Eventually Einstein's group sold WHFS. When the station switched formats, it was located at the Infinity Broadcasting Center in
Lanham, MarylandLanham is an unincorporated community in Prince George's County in the State of Maryland in the United States of America. Because it is not formally incorporated, it has no official boundaries, but the United States Census Bureau has defined a census-designated place consisting of Lanham and the...
. The 102.3 frequency is now occupied by an Urban AC station in Washington, using the call letters
WMMJWMMJ is a top rated station Urban Adult Contemporary radio station owned by Radio One in the Washington, D.C. market. It is licensed to Bethesda, but its transmitter is located in Tenleytown...
and nicknamed "Majic 102.3".
A daily topical humor "news" show, "The Daily Feed", aired for much of the 1980s on WHFS. It featured the sarcastic "Max Nobny" exchanging wit with straightman and nominal narrator, the Baltimore-accented "Frank Benlin", discussing current issues and using classic passion plays such as
Star TrekStar Trek is an American science fiction entertainment series.The original Star Trek was an American television series, created by Gene Roddenberry, which debuted in 1966 and ran for three seasons, following the interstellar adventures of Captain James T. Kirk and the crew of the Federation...
parodies (during the Gulf shipping crisis of the mid-1990s when the U.S. reflagged Middle Eastern tankers) as a comedy vehicle. During Washington Mayor
Marion BarryMarion Shepilov Barry, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who served as the second elected mayor of Washington, D.C. from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995 to 1999. He was the target of a high-profile 1990 arrest on drug charges, which precluded him from seeking...
's drug case, a faux-Washington, D.C. tourism promo by the Feed referred to the mayor for life, adding that he "is featured on a totally hidden federal video program."
Sunday broadcasts featured paid foreign language/culture specialty shows in the morning. In the afternoon in the 1980s,
Tom TerrellTom Gerald Terrell was a music journalist, photographer, deejay, promoter, and NPR music reviewer. Born Tom Gerald Terrell, and later known as Scooter, King Pleasure, and Tom T., he was a life-long musicologist who recognized talent and trends long before they became popular, and, until his death...
would host Sunday Reggae Splashdown.
Since 1990, WHFS has hosted an event called the HFStival, an annual (sometimes semi-annual) day-long (sometimes two-day-long) outdoor concert. The concert, often held at Washington's RFK Stadium, features a variety local and national acts; for example, the 2004 lineup included
The CureThe Cure are an English alternative rock band formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976 by Robert Smith, Lawrence Tolhurst and Michael Dempsey. The band has experienced several line-up changes, with frontman, vocalist, guitarist and principal songwriter Robert Smith being the only constant member...
,
Jay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name, Jay-Z is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $150 million, shipping over 30 million copies of his albums in the United...
,
Modest MouseModest Mouse is an American alternative rock band formed in 1993 in the Seattle suburb of Issaquah, Washington by singer/lyricist/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green, and bassist Eric Judy. Since their 1996 debut album, This Is a Long Drive for Someone with Nothing to Think About, their...
, the
Yeah Yeah YeahsYeah Yeah Yeahs are a New York City-based indie rock band. The band consists of lead singer Karen O, drummer Brian Chase, and guitarist Nick Zinner. In 2000 they formed a trio, and were later joined by second guitarist Imaad Wasif in 2006 for touring purposes...
, and
Cypress HillCypress Hill is an American hip hop group from South Gate, California. Originally called DVX, the name was changed after Mellow Man Ace left in 1988. Cypress Hill was the first Latino group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums, selling over 18 million albums worldwide.-Early works:Cypress...
. Robert Benjamin, Bob Waugh and Bill Glasser took the HFStival from a small yearly concert in Fairfax, Virginia, to a large festival in Washington DC that was headlined by major acts and was surrounded by culturally significant booths, games, food, and rides, as well as an outdoor second stage. Amongst others,
Billy ZeroBilly Zero is a Radio and TV host.Billy Zero was born in Ft. Meade, Maryland in 1971. He performed in many bands in the 90's including Bovox Clown, Love Muffin Prowler, Mentle Gen and Naked Lunch....
was instrumental in growing the
HFStivalThe HFStival was an annual rock festival sponsored by Washington, D.C. / Baltimore, Maryland radio station WHFS. In the 1990s and early-mid 2000s, the HFStival was the largest yearly music festival on the East Coast. 55,000 to 90,000 people attended the annual event, which had traditionally been...
Locals Only Stage where bands like
Good CharlotteGood Charlotte is an American Pop Punk band from Waldorf, Maryland that formed in 1996. They took their name from the children's book called "Good Charlotte: The Girls of Good Day Orphanage," written by Carol Beach York....
and
Jimmie's Chicken ShackJimmie's Chicken Shack is an American alternative rock band from Annapolis, Maryland. They emerged through MTV as one of the first Post-Grunge bands of the era...
got their big break. The term Locals Only stuck and is still used today and the Locals Only Stage was copied by Modern Rock Stations across the Country.
In the mid-1990s, Liberty Broadcasting published a quarterly magazine titled "WHFS Press" that was mailed to listeners and available in local music outlets.
2000 to 2005
Though becoming famous as a cutting-edge station playing the latest underground music (and often beating the mainstream to the punch by months and even years), the station, under Infinity Broadcasting's
ownershipOwnership is the state or fact of exclusive rights and control over property, which may be an object, land/real estate or intellectual property. An ownership right is also referred to as title. The concept of ownership has existed for thousands of years and in all cultures...
, became the local modern alternative station in the mid 90s. In this period, WHFS featured a specialty show called "Now Hear This", hosted by Dave Marsh, that highlighted indie and local music. Though, in the few years before the infamous 2005 format switch the station did begin to combine more underground programming with its modern rock format, it never fully reverted to its prior all-indie status. In 1999, WHFS released a New Music New Video Compilation Volume 1 on VHS that was distributed free at Washington area
Tower RecordsTower Records is a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California, USA. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
outlets. It featured tracks by
CycleflyCyclefly were an alternative rock band from Cork, Ireland. The band had a cult underground following across the UK, Ireland, and the U.S., and were famous amongst fans for lead singer Declan O'Shea's wild on-stage persona and intense live presence. He was often known to climb to the top of...
,
FuelFuel is any material that is burned or altered to obtain energy and to heat or to move object. Fuel releases its energy either through a chemical reaction means, such as combustion, or nuclear means, such as nuclear fission or nuclear fusion...
,
FastballThe fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. Some "power pitchers," such as Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens, have thrown it at speeds of 95–104 mph and up to 107.9 mph , relying purely on speed to prevent the ball from being hit...
,
Elliott SmithSteven Paul "Elliott" Smith was an American singer-songwriter and musician. Smith was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and resided for a significant portion of his life in Portland, Oregon, where he first gained popularity...
,
Kid RockRobert James Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter with five Grammy Award nominations...
,
Eve 6Eve 6 is a rock band from Southern California who was most well known for their hits "Inside Out", "Leech", and the slow anthem "Here's to the Night"...
,
3 Colours Red3 Colours Red were a rock band from the United Kingdom. They achieved their biggest chart success at the end of the 1990s, along with other Britrock bands such as Ash and Feeder. The band was named by sticking a pin in a London listings magazine, Time Out...
,
PuyaPuya was a nu metal band from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Originally playing only instrumentals, they added vocalist Sergio Curbelo and in 1992 and moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida where they created their mix of salsa and rap metal...
, and
JoydropJoydrop was a Canadian alternative rock band in the late 1990s and early 2000s from Toronto, Ontario. The band consisted of vocalist Tara Slone, guitarist Thomas Payne, bassist Tom McKay and drummer Tony Rabalao....
.
No longer playing rather obscure progressive rock, nor the classic and hard rock of its Baltimore competitor
WIYYWIYY is a radio station in Baltimore, Maryland, owned by the Hearst Corporation. WIYY broadcasts an Album Oriented Rock/Active Rock format that mixes music popular in the modern rock, heavy metal and classic rock genres...
, HFS was now formatted more towards a younger set of fans who were more apt to listen to
Green DayGreen Day is an American rock trio formed in 1987. The band has consisted of Billie Joe Armstrong , Mike Dirnt , and Tré Cool for the majority of its existence....
and
FuelFuel is any material that is burned or altered to obtain energy and to heat or to move object. Fuel releases its energy either through a chemical reaction means, such as combustion, or nuclear means, such as nuclear fission or nuclear fusion...
than less mainstream artists such as Fugazi or
Lou ReedLewis Allan "Lou" Reed is an American rock musician best known as the guitarist, vocalist and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground as well as a successful solo artist whose career has spanned several decades. The Velvet Underground gained little mainstream attention during their career,...
. The station played much of the alternative hits that were touted by the mainstream press and MTV, turning off many old-school HFS listeners, but in turn gaining many listeners in the 18-24 age demographic.
Abrupt format switch to tropical Latin music
At noon on January 12, 2005, 99.1 WHFS was switched to a Tropical Latin music format. Its call letters were soon changed to WZLL for a few days, and then again to
WLZLWLZL is a radio station broadcasting an Spanish language format. Licensed to the suburb of Annapolis, Maryland, it serves the Baltimore, Maryland/Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. It first began broadcasting in 1983 under the call sign WLOM. The station is currently owned by CBS...
, and the station was rebranded as "El Zol 99.1 FM". Although a format change had been rumored to some extent for years—due to slipping ratings (22nd) in its primary market of Washington (although its ratings in Baltimore remained high)--the switch was not publicized beforehand and took many long-time fans, and even most of the station's staff, by surprise. Most of the station's staff were not told of the change until less than an hour before it happened, and new management presided in the air studio as the former format was playing its last few songs. Though nearly always met with harsh criticism, such abrupt format changes are a common practice in the radio industry.
AOLAmerica Online, LLC is an American global Internet services and media company operated by Time Warner. It is headquartered at 770 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City...
, which had a partnership with Infinity Broadcasting and recognized that many people would miss the old WHFS format, quickly launched an internet-only streaming radio station with a playlist much like that of WHFS..
Live 105.7: a new WHFS
In September 2001, 105.7 FM in Baltimore became the home of WXYV, a
hip-hopHip hop music is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on concepts of loop, rapping, freestyle, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues...
station called "X105.7," when
WQSRWQSR is a radio station broadcasting on 102.7 FM. The station is licensed to Baltimore and serves that market. It is under ownership of Clear Channel Communications. The station offers an adult rock hits format known as Jack FM.-History:...
, an
oldiesOldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on a period 15 to 55 years before the present day.In the 1980s and 1990s, "oldies" meant the 15 years from the birth of rock n roll to the beginning of the singer-songwriter era of the early 1970s, or about 1955 to 1972.In...
station, moved to 102.7 FM(now JACK FM) to broadcast a better signal in the Baltimore area. Both stations were owned by Infinity Broadcasting (now
CBS RadioCBS Radio Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, fourth behind main rival Clear Channel Communications , Cumulus Media and Citadel Broadcasting...
). Although X105.7 had taken a small share of listeners from rival station
WERQ-FMWERQ-FM is an urban radio station located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is owned and operated by Radio One. 92Q is one of the few Radio One urban stations that uses the slogan "The People's Station", and it also uses the slogan "92Q Jams the Most Hip-Hop and R&B"...
, WXYV later changed to a more lucrative
talk radioTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format. During the morning hours, the station simulcasted the
Howard SternHoward Allan Stern is an American radio and media personality most notable for his radio show which since January 9, 2006, has been broadcasting on Sirius XM, an uncensored satellite radio service...
program. In the afternoons, the Don and Mike Show was simulcast for the Baltimore area. The station adopted the name "Live 105.7".
Meanwhile, Infinity Broadcasting saw an unexpected public reaction to their decision to change the format of 99.1 FM in Washington. The story was covered by local TV stations for many days afterwards, and mentioned nationally by
The Washington PostThe Washington Post is the newspaper with the largest circulation in Washington, D.C. and is the city's oldest paper, founded in 1877. Being located in the nation's capital, it has a particular emphasis on national politics and international affairs...
, the
Howard SternHoward Allan Stern is an American radio and media personality most notable for his radio show which since January 9, 2006, has been broadcasting on Sirius XM, an uncensored satellite radio service...
Show, and The Today Show. The corporate offices of Infinity Broadcasting in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
were flooded with phone calls and e-mails from irate listeners. An online petition protesting the format change gathered tens of thousands of signatures in only a few days. Media attention was attracted by a public protest in downtown Washington, outside a skate shop where WHFS maintained a remote storefront studio in its last few months. WHFS' main competitor,
DC101WWDC is a commercial radio station in Washington, D.C., broadcasting to the Washington, DC-Baltimore, Maryland area. WWDC airs an alternative rock format on 101.1 FM branded as DC101.-History:WWDC-FM signed on in 1947 as a beautiful music station...
, paid tribute to the station, airing many memories of WHFS from its DJs and listeners.
Infinity Broadcasting responded by resurrecting the WHFS format on nights and weekends at 105.7, beginning at 7 p.m. on January 21, 2005 with former WHFS afternoon DJ Tim Virgin. The station rebranded itself as "The Legendary HFS, Live on 105.7", Infinity Broadcasting moved the WHFS call letters to the station days later. 105.7 HFS ceased broadcasting mainstream music on February 1, 2007 immediately before KMS on HFS premiered, yet retained the WHFS call letters traditionally associated with the music the station used to broadcast. Currently, HFS2 remains the only tie to WHFS's original format on any of its frequencies.
When Radio One flipped Rocker Y100 in Philadelphia, former DJ's and staff used the success of the HFS listeners to rally their listeners to try and bring back its station to the air. Although it wasn't as successful in the end, the website was launched as an online music station maxing out its bandwidth within hours of launching.
Move from 105.7 FM to 1580 AM
On November 3, 2008, WHFS flipped to a sports talk format, similar to that of sister station
WFANWFAN , also known as "Sports Radio 66" or "The FAN", is a radio station in New York City. The station broadcasts on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio...
in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. Along with the format change came a new callsign:
WJZ-FMWJZ-FM is a radio station licensed to Catonsville, Maryland, and broadcasting from studios in suburban Towson, Maryland. The station is owned by CBS Radio.-History:...
. On November 10, 2008, the
WHFSWHFS was the call sign for three different FM stations in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore, Maryland markets on various frequencies for nearly 50 years. The first and longest run was a progressive rock station and was usually, and affectionately, referred to as 'HFS...
callsign was moved to 1580 AM which dropped its long time call letters WPGC. The format was changed to
talkTalk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
, with programs hosted by
Michael SmerconishMichael A. Smerconish is an American radio and television personality, newspaper columnist, and author. His talk radio show broadcasts from WPHT 1210 AM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania from 5:30 a.m. until 9 a.m., Monday through Friday; the show has been nationally syndicated since January 2009...
(from sister station
WPHTWPHT is a CBS Radio station located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania broadcasting on 1210 kHz. The station broadcasts with 50 kW power omnidirectionally, and uses the nickname " The Big Talker 1210." The station is owned by CBS Radio. Its transmitter is located in Moorestown Township, New Jersey...
),
Glenn BeckGlenn Lee Beck is an American talk radio and television host, conservative political commentator, author, and entrepreneur. He hosts the nationally syndicated Glenn Beck Program on Premiere Radio Networks, while also hosting the Glenn Beck Show every weekday on the Fox News Channel...
,
Bill O'ReillyWilliam James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator...
,
Lou DobbsLouis "Lou" Dobbs is an American radio and television host, managing editor for CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight, and editorial columnist.- Background and family life :...
, and
Laura SchlessingerLaura Catherine Schlessinger is an American radio host, author, and socially conservative commentator. Once a professional counselor, Schlessinger offers advice to callers every day on The Dr...
.
102.3 WHFS (1968–1983)
- Josh Brooks
- Don "Cerphe" Colwell
- Diane Divola
- Adele Abrams
- Sarah Gillies
- Mark Gorbulew
|
Thomas Grooms
John Hall
Larry Harris |
Sarah Vass
Johnnie Walker (DJ) Johnnie Walker MBE is a popular British veteran radio disc jockey and broadcaster....
|
99.1 WHFS (1983–2005)
- Adele Abrams
- Tony Aquaviva "Aq"
- Mark Avery
- Mark Bejarano
- Meg Brulatour
- Lou Brutis
- Michael Butscher
- Mark Daley "The Alien"
- Mike Dawson
- Susan Desmeris
- Jim "Bubba Lewis" Dunbar
- DJ Milk
- Damien Einstein
- David Einstein
- Shari Elliker
Shari Elliker hosts her own morning show on WBAL Radio in Baltimore. It airs daily from 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM and is heard on the internet at wbal.com...
- Pat "Freeze" Ferrise
- Mike G.
|
Jonathan "Weasel" Gilbert
Bill "Will Robinson" Glasser
Graeme
Guido in a Speedo
Dave Issing
"Wild" Wes Johnson Wes Johnson is a North American actor, cartoonist, comedian and voice artist, who has appeared in such films as A Dirty Shame, Head of State, The Invasion, For Richer or Poorer and Hearts in Atlantis....
The JunkiesThe Sports Junkies, also known as The Junkies, is a morning-drive radio show broadcast in the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area, hosted by John Auville, Eric Bickel, Jason Bishop and John-Paul Flaim. It is heard on WJFK-FM 106.7 the Fan...
Khan
Kim KirkpatrickKim Kirkpatrick is a landscape photographer who lives and works in the Washington, D.C. area.Kirkpatrick earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Corcoran College of Art and Design and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Maryland. In 1993, the Aaron Siskind Foundation awarded Kirkpatrick...
Lori Landon
Kathryn Lauren
Janet Little
Dave Marsh
Matty
Milo (Bob Shepperdson)
Pauly Simone
Kim Pelis |
Tom Perry
Pogo
Zach Overking
Rich Rudel
Paula Sangeleer
Allen Scott
Bob "Here" Showacre
Steve Stec
Steele
Tom Terrell Tom Gerald Terrell was a music journalist, photographer, deejay, promoter, and NPR music reviewer. Born Tom Gerald Terrell, and later known as Scooter, King Pleasure, and Tom T., he was a life-long musicologist who recognized talent and trends long before they became popular, and, until his death...
Rob Timm
John "JB" Trimmer
Bob Waugh
Scott Thomas aka Tom Wilson
Billy ZeroBilly Zero is a Radio and TV host.Billy Zero was born in Ft. Meade, Maryland in 1971. He performed in many bands in the 90's including Bovox Clown, Love Muffin Prowler, Mentle Gen and Naked Lunch....
Zoltar "The brotha from another planet"
Gina Crash |
105.7 WHFS (2005–2008)
- Cane
- Gina Crash
- Neci Crowder
- Chad Dukes
Chad Dukes is a radio personality co-host of the "The LaVar Arrington show with Chad Dukes" and formerly a co-host of the Big O and Dukes Show on WJFK-FM in Washington, D.C..-Early life:...
- Pat Kain
|
Libby
Oscar "Big O" Santana
Reada
Rich Rudel
Johnny Riggs
Jeff Shamrock |
Spam
Josh Spiegel
Chris Steele
Tim Virgin
Lisa Worden |
Trivia
- Jacob Einstein Jr., born in Baltimore on August 5, 1917, grew up in Catonsville, Maryland
Maryland is a state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to the south and west, Pennsylvania to the north, and Delaware to the east. It is comparable in size to the European country of Belgium. According to the U.S...
, one of 13 children. He died September 12, 2007, at his home in Potomac, MarylandPotomac is a census-designated place in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, named for the nearby Potomac River. The population was 44,822 at the 2000 census. The Potomac area is known for its very affluent and highly-educated residents. CNNMoney.com placed Potomac seventh on its list of...
, from emphysema and complications from an aneurysm. He was 90.
- After passing ownership of WHFS to other hands, Jake Einstein formed a new company named Cardinal Broadcasting and considered buying the former Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. , formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States, founded on July 16, 1790...
Top FortyThe Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. When used without qualification, it typically refers to the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music songs of the previous week...
powerhouse WEAM-AM in Arlington, Virginia (the CardinalThe Cardinals or Cardinalidae are a family of passerine birds found in North and South America. The South American cardinals in the genus Paroaria are placed in another family, the Thraupidae ....
is the VirginiaThe Commonwealth of Virginia is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" because it is the birthplace of eight U.S. presidents. The geography and climate of the state are shaped by the Blue...
state bird) for conversion to an 'HFS format. When this fell through, he was a partner purchasing WLOM-AM and FM in Annapolis, MarylandAnnapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It has a population of 36,524 , and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington D.C. Annapolis is part of the...
in 1983 and changed the FM side over to a reborn WHFS. In 1989 when Duchussois Broadcasting purchased the station, Einstein departed, and in 1993 he bought WNAV-AM and FM, transmitting from Grasonville, MarylandGrasonville is a census-designated place in Queen Anne's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 2,193 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Grasonville is located at ....
, across the Chesapeake BayThe Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's watershed covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia...
from Annapolis, and recast the FM side as a reborn 'HFS securing the call letters WRNRWRNR-FM has its studios in Downtown Annapolis on Main Street and they transmit from Grasonville, on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. They are a "Class-A" radio station, meaning that they transmit at 6,000 watts from a 300 foot tower...
(Rock & Roll) for it and hiring some of the old Bethesda staff. However, it had a limited throw of 6,000 wattThe watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units . It measures rate of energy conversion. One watt is equivalent to 1 joule of energy per second....
s and only reached the eastern edge of Washington, D.C.
- David Einstein, former program director
In service industries such as education, a program director researches, plans, develops and implements one or more of the firm's professional services...
of WHFS-FM Bethesda, probably has all of the old "102.3" jingle spots in his archive. On his last morning on the air at the station in the fall of 1989, he aired a number of retro ID spots, even though the station was now broadcasting from a frequency of 99.1 FM. He has moved on to other music industry-related jobs.
- Damian Einstein suffered serious head injuries on December 13, 1975, when the pick-up truck he was in hit a low bridge while driving in Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:...
, east of BethesdaBethesda is a census designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House , which in turn took its name from Jerusalem's Pool of Bethesda...
. His two companions were killed. This accident left him with a pronounced condition of aphasiaAphasia is an acquired condition in which there is an impairment of any language modality. This may include difficulty in producing or comprehending spoken or written language....
, noted by a slight delay in speech diction. Despite his thorough knowledge of music canon and intelligent interviews with visiting artists, new station management attempted to remove him from the air in 1989. This led to a support rally sponsored by Joe's Record Paradise in Silver Spring, MarylandSilver Spring is an urbanized, unincorporated area in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. After Baltimore and Columbia, the Silver Spring CDP is the third most populous place in Maryland....
, held at Plaza Del Mercado, also called the Del Mercado Shopping Center, on Bel Pre Road in the Aspen Hill area, in which bluesman Catfish Hodge and musicians from Little FeatLittle Feat is an American rock band formed by singer-songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist Lowell George and keyboardist Bill Payne in 1969 in Los Angeles....
and Bonnie RaittBonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter, born in Burbank, California. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially accessible...
's band played live for the protest benefit. An estimated 10,000 supporters showed up to hear Junior Cline and the Recliners, Jimmy ThackeryJimmy Thackery is a blues singer and guitarist.-Career:Known for his gritty, blue-collar approach and marathon live shows, Thackery spent fourteen years as part of The Nighthawks, the Washington D.C.-based blues and roots rock ensemble...
from The NighthawksThe Nighthawks are an American blues and roots music band, based in Washington, D.C. The Nighthawks currently comprise Mark Wenner , Paul Bell , Johnny Castle , and Pete Ragusa .-History:...
, Danny GattonDanny Gatton was an American guitarist who committed suicide at his Maryland home in 1994. A biography, Unfinished Business: The Life and Times of Danny Gatton by Ralph Heibutzki, was published in 2003. It has a voluminous discography...
as well as the Rosslyn Mountain BoysRosslyn Mountain Boys was a band that backed up a number of nationally-known singers, and released two albums of their own.Joe Tripplet was a member of the Washington D.C. counterculture band Claude Jones with Happy Acosta and Jay Sprague. Joe and Happy began performing as an acoustic duo calling...
and FreeboFreebo is a bass and tuba player, guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer noted primarily for his work with Bonnie Raitt. He is also a respected session musician who has recorded and performed with Ringo Starr, John Mayall, John Hall, Aaron Neville, Dr...
, among others, to protest the action of the new management. He filed a discrimination suit through the State of Maryland and it found that he was fired without cause. Damian was ultimately restored to the air.
- During the Einstein-owned era of the station, air personalities were allowed to play "theme" tunes at the start of their shows. This posed licensing issues with ASCAP/BMI as the tunes were played regularly.
- Adele Abrams went on to host a cable television show, Takoma Tempo, that featured performances of Washington-area musicians from 1985-1989. She is now an attorney, practicing in Maryland and D.C.
- When the original Bethesda WHFS ownership broke up in the 1980s, the station's extensive library of music was divvied up and thus only certain components accompanied the Einstein family onto their new enterprises. (This item of fact provided by an overnight deejay, circa 1989, in a phone call as to why he could no longer pull out a copy of Keith Emerson
Keith Noel Emerson is a British keyboard player and composer. Formerly a member of the Keith Emerson Trio, John Brown's Bodies, The T-Bones, V.I.P.s, P.P. Arnold's backing band, and The Nice , he started Emerson, Lake & Palmer , one of the early supergroups, in 1970...
's pre-Emerson, Lake & PalmerEmerson, Lake & Palmer were an English progressive rock supergroup. In the 1970s, the band was extremely popular, selling over 35 million albums and headlining huge concerts...
band, The NiceThe Nice were an English progressive rock band from the 1960s, known for their unique blend of rock, jazz and classical music. Their debut album, The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack was released in 1967 to immediate acclaim. It is often considered the first progressive rock album...
.)
- After an a cappella "Join The Band," Cerphe Colwell can be heard leading the crowd in spelling out "F-E-A-T" on track one, side one, record one of Little Feat's live album "Waiting For Columbus" recorded largely at George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational university located in Washington, D.C...
's Lisner Auditorium August 8–10, 1977 and released in 1978.
- The last song played on WHFS in its 102.3 incarnation was "After Hours" by the Velvet Underground after Weasel read the sign off.
- The first song on October 20, 1983 at 99.1 was at "After the Rain" by Bruce Cockburn
Bruce Douglas Cockburn, OC is a Canadian folk/rock guitarist and singer-songwriter. His 29th album was released in summer 2006, and he has written songs in styles ranging from folk to jazz-influenced rock to rock and roll.-Biography:...
by Diane at around 6 a.m.
- When the station started up in Annapolis, it was known as 'Progressive 99 WLOM' until Jake Einstein got the WHFS calls around Thanksgiving of 1983.
- WHFS is featured prominently in the John Waters
John Samuel Waters, Jr. is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, journalist, visual artist and art collector, who rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films...
movie "Serial MomSerial Mom is an American satirical comedy written and directed by John Waters, starring Kathleen Turner as the titular character, Sam Waterston as her husband, and Ricki Lake and Matthew Lillard as her daughter and son. Despite statements to the contrary in the movie, the story is completely...
".
- In 1998, Mark "The Alien" Daley and Jonathan "Weasel" Gilbert created Zero24-7 Web Radio, the world’s first internet radio station to mix progressive music with a progressive "green" message. The station that "streamed globally and played locally" won the 1999 OMB Watch Innovation and Technology Award Grand Prize for its use of new media as an advocacy tool.
- The first song played by Tim Virgin on WHFS at 105.7 FM was "This Is Radio Clash" by The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk rock. Along with punk, they experimented with reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap and rockabilly...
.
- Johnny Riggs closed out his final show hosting HFS music at midnight February 1, 2007 with, "I'll miss you little friend", thus ending the 3rd incarnation of HFS MUSIC.
- At 5:28 a.m. on Thursday, February 1, 2007 the last song played on 105.7 HFS was again, "Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley
Jeffrey Scott Buckley , raised as Scotty Moorhead, was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. He was the son of Tim Buckley, also a musician...
and was programmed by HFS DJ Pat "Freeze" Ferrise who sneaked into the studio to change the playlist the Infinity Broadcasting managers had originally programmed. This was also the last song played on 99.1 before the format flip on January 12, 2005.
External links