Summary
WHKT (1010 AM) was a radio station licensed to Portsmouth, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads. The station was owned by Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting Corporation.[2]
| Broadcast area | Hampton Roads |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1010 kHz |
| Programming | |
| Format | Defunct (was Christian talk) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting Corporation |
| WPMH, WJFV, WTJZ | |
| History | |
First air date | 1972 |
Last air date | January 3, 2024 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Hampton (Roads) (The Big) Kat" (location and former branding from 1650 AM) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 10759 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000 watts day 449 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 36°49′20.0″N 76°26′38.0″W / 36.822222°N 76.443889°W |
| Links | |
Public license information |
|
History edit
Although the station's initial application for a construction permit was filed in 1960, it did not sign on until December 12, 1971, as WPMH. It was a daytimer, allowed to broadcast only from sunrise to sunset, to avoid interference with other radio stations. AM 1010 is a Canadian clear-channel frequency. Years later, the station was permitted to stay on the air around the clock, using a lower power at night.
Expanded Band assignment edit
On March 17, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available "Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with WPMH authorized to move from 1010 to 1650 kHz.[3]
A construction permit for the expanded band station, also in Portsmouth, was assigned the call sign WAWT on January 9, 1998, which was changed to WHKT the next month, to WTJZ in 2021, and to WJFV in 2022.[4] The FCC's initial policy was that both the original station and its expanded band counterpart could operate simultaneously for up to five years, after which owners would have to turn in one of the two licenses, depending on whether they preferred the new assignment or elected to remain on the original frequency.[3] However, this deadline has been extended multiple times, and both stations remained authorized. One restriction was that the FCC has generally required paired original and expanded band stations to remain under common ownership.[5][6]
Later history edit
In 2004, the call sign was changed to WRJR. Chesapeake-Portsmouth purchased WRJR from The Walt Disney Company, along with WHKT, in January 2010.[7] In the interim, despite having previously brokered the station to Chesapeake-Portsmouth, Disney, in an FCC filing, stated that it took WRJR, along with five former Radio Disney stations slated to be sold (including WHKT), off the air on January 22.[8][9] WRJR did not leave the air.[10]
On July 1, 2010, the station's call sign was changed back to WPMH. On November 19, 2021, the call sign was changed to WHKT,[11] in a swap that moved the call sign WHKT from AM 1270 to AM 1010, and WPMH from AM 1010 to AM 1270.
WHKT went silent on December 15, 2021, "due to the loss of its transmitter site".[12] Responsibility for program origination of "The Lighthouse" religious format was assumed by WPMH on 1270 AM. WHKT briefly resumed operations on December 13, 2022, "utilizing equipment loaned by another broadcaster", but went silent again on January 4, 2023, because "that equipment had to be returned".[13] On July 28, 2023, the FCC granted a request for the station to remain silent until January 4, 2024, while it worked to establish a new transmission site.[14]
The Federal Communications Commission cancelled the station’s license on January 3, 2024.[15][16][17]
References edit
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WHKT". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "WHKT Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ a b "FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations" (FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997.
- ^ Call Sign History for 1650 AM (Facility ID: 87170)
- ^ "In re: WHLY(AM), South Bend, Indiana" (FCC DA 13-600, released April 3, 2013)
- ^ "Re: WDDD (AM) Application for Consent to Assignment of AM Broadcast Station License" (August 23, 2010, correspondence from Peter H. Doyle, Chief, FCC Audio Division, Media Bureau. Reference Number 1800B3-TSN)
- ^ "Application For Consent to Assignment of Broadcast Station Construction Permit or License". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. January 27, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- ^ "Radio Disney Takes Six Stations Silent". All Access. January 28, 2010. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- ^ Zucker, John W (January 26, 2010). "Notification of Suspension of Operations / Request for Silent STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
- ^ "Extension of Existing Engineering STA". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. June 18, 2010. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
- ^ Call Sign History: Facility ID 10759 (FCC.gov)
- ^ "Notification of Suspension of Operations and Request for Silent STA" WHKT(AM), Portsmouth, Virginia (Facility ID No. 10759), March 29, 2022.
- ^ "Request for Silent Authority of an AM Station Application", January 4, 2023, WHKT, Facility ID: 10759, (FCC.gov)
- ^ "Request for Extension of Special Temporary Authority to Remain Silent", July 28, 2023, WHKT(AM), Facility ID: 10759, (FCC.gov)
- ^ "Public Notice" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. January 5, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "AM License to Cover (302-AM)". Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System. January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ^ "License Cancelled". Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System. January 3, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
External links edit
- WHKT in the FCC AM station database
- WHKT in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FCC History Cards for WHKT (covering 1960-1980 as WPMH)