WHGB (1400 AM) is a commercial radio station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts a sports radio format. Most programming is supplied by ESPN Radio.

WHGB
Broadcast areaHarrisburg metropolitan area
Frequency1400 kHz
BrandingESPN Harrisburg
Programming
FormatSports radio
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WNNK-FM, WQXA-FM, WTPA-FM, WWKL
History
First air date
May 28, 1945; 79 years ago (1945-05-28)
Former call signs
  • WHGB (1945–1963)
  • WFEC (1963–1984)
  • WHGB (1984–1990)
  • WNNK (1990–1993)
  • WTCY (1993–2008)
[1]
Call sign meaning
Harrisburg (B and G reversed)
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID32944
ClassC
Power1,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates
40°14′58.32″N 76°52′0″W / 40.2495333°N 76.86667°W / 40.2495333; -76.86667
Translator(s)See § Translators
Repeater(s)93.5 WTPA-HD2 (Mechanicsburg)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Websitewww.sportsradioharrisburg.com

Programming is also heard on two FM translators, W237DE at 95.3 MHz and W243BR at 96.5 MHz.[3][4]

History

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On May 28, 1945, the station first signed on, owned by the Harrisburg Broadcasting Company.[5] It was given the call sign WHGB and broadcast at 250 watts, as a network affiliate of ABC. In 1963, it became WFEC (for its owner Florida East Coast Broadcasting) featuring a Top 40 format. By 1977, it tried several unsuccessful formats, including country music, disco and urban contemporary.

In 1982, owned by Great Scott Broadcasting, it returned to Top 40, adopting Mike Joseph's Hot Hits format in response to that format's national success.[6] Although WFEC featured the jingles and other high-energy basics of the Hot Hits format, it was not consulted by Joseph himself. During the Hot Hits era, the station was known as Fire 14.

By the last quarter of 1984, the station changed its call sign back to WHGB. For much of the 1980s it featured Al Ham's "The Music of Your Life" adult standards format along with substantial local sports play by play.

On October 31, 1990, the station changed its call sign to WNNK as "Wink 1400", a sister station to 104.1 WNNK-FM. On August 27, 1993, WNNK 1400 changed its call sign to WTCY and its format switched to Urban Adult Contemporary, branded as "1400 The Touch," using a satellite-delivered syndicated service known as "The Touch."

On July 24, 2008, WTCY began simulcasting "The Touch" programming on an FM translator, 95.3 W237DE.[7]

On August 20, 2008, WTCY changed back to its original call letters, WHGB, which it had used in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s and again from 1984 until 1990. The station changed format to sports radio as an ESPN Radio affiliate, while the Urban AC format was moved to the HD2 subchannel of sister station WNNK-FM, which allowed W237DE to continue to simulcast "The Touch."[8] On September 1, 2011, the translator's simulcast was switched back to WHGB, bringing ESPN Radio to FM in Harrisburg, and ending "The Touch."[9][10]

On January 2, 2013, the station switched to the CBS Sports Radio network.[11]

On March 2, 2015, WHGB changed its format from sports to country, branded as "95.3 Nash Icon."[12] Nash Icon is heard on dozens of Cumulus-owned stations, featuring country artists who first achieved fame in the 1980s, 90s and early 2000s. Then, about a year later, the sports format returned, once again using CBS Sports Radio as its primary programming source.

In August 2024, WHGB switched affiliations from Infinity Sports Network back to ESPN Radio.[13]

Translators

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WHGB programming is broadcast on the following translators:

Broadcast translator for WHGB
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W237DE 95.3 FM Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 158598 250 194 m (636 ft) D 40°18′59.3″N 76°57′2.9″W / 40.316472°N 76.950806°W / 40.316472; -76.950806 (W237DE) LMS
Broadcast translator for WTPA-HD2
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) HAAT Class Transmitter coordinates FCC info
W243BR 96.5 FM Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 144131 200 223 m (732 ft) D 40°10′38.3″N 76°52′36.9″W / 40.177306°N 76.876917°W / 40.177306; -76.876917 (W243BR) LMS

Previous logos

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References

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  1. ^ "Call Sign History WHGB". Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WHGB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ Radio-Locator.com/W237DE
  4. ^ Radio-Locator.com/W243BR
  5. ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1947 page 170
  6. ^ Heim, R. "The R.J. Heim Collection". REEL TOP 40 RADIO REPOSITORY. Reelradio.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  7. ^ Venta, Lance (July 24, 2008). "The Touch is now on FM dial". RadioInsight.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  8. ^ Fybush, Scott (December 31, 2008). "2008 The Year in Review". NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  9. ^ Venta, Lance (August 29, 2011). "ESPN Moves To FM In Harrisburg". RadioInsight.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  10. ^ Dunkle, David (August 30, 2011). "Harrisburg market's only R&B radio station, The Touch, will switch to ESPN Radio format this week". Pennlive.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  11. ^ Tuscano, John (January 2, 2013). "Cumulus Media's switch from ESPN to CBS Sports Radio was business decision, regional vice president says". Pennlive.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  12. ^ Venta, Lance (March 2, 2015). "Nash Icon Launches in Harrisburg". RadioInsight.com. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  13. ^ ESPN Radio Returns to Harrisburg Radioinsight - August 9, 2024
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FM translators