WFHM-FM
Encyclopedia
WFHM-FM — branded 95.5 The Fish — is a commercial radio station
licensed to Cleveland, Ohio
serving much of surrounding Northeast Ohio
. The station is owned by Salem Communications
and broadcasts a Christian contemporary
format. The station's transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of Warrensville Heights
.
and began construction on a new 50,000 watt
FM radio station: WTOF-FM at 98.1 Megahertz
(MHz). Mortenson had tired of losing his radio ministry whenever a new station owner would come along and flip his affiliate's format; he resolved to build his own radio station to keep his religious shows on the air — WTOF-FM was that station. Broadcasting a Christian format under the name Tower of Faith (the origin of the "WTOF" call letters
), the station served the Canton area for decades, and was just the first of several stations to come under Mortenson's ownership — the start of Mortenson Broadcasting
.
In 1997, Mortenson opted to sell off WTOF-FM, and Akron-licensed station WHLO
640 AM, to California
-based Salem Communications
; soon the West Coast firm would change the station's callsign to WHK-FM (not to be confused with nearby noted Cleveland rock
station WMMS
which had used the same callsign prior to September 1968). Salem had already purchased WHK-AM the previous year and flipped its format from news/talk to religious progamming; the new WHK-FM would simulcast its sister station's content for the next few years.
, while 98.1 went to WKDD
. A little more than a month later, on August 16, 2001, WHK-FM dropped its callsign and adopted the call letters WFHM-FM. This was done to firmly establish its own identity as the station no longer simulcast
the programming of its AM sister station, WHK; instead, the new WFHM-FM opted to incorporate "The Fish" Christian contemporary
format already in use on other Salem stations.
's nationally syndicated evening radio show.
Since 2005, WFHM switches to an all Christmas
music format from Thanksgiving
week until right after Christmas.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed to Cleveland, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
serving much of surrounding Northeast Ohio
Greater Cleveland
Greater Cleveland is a nickname for the metropolitan area surrounding Cleveland, Ohio and is part of what used to be the Connecticut Western Reserve.Northeast Ohio refers to a similar but substantially larger area as described below...
. The station is owned by Salem Communications
Salem Communications
Salem Communications is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S....
and broadcasts a Christian contemporary
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
format. The station's transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of Warrensville Heights
Warrensville Heights, Ohio
Warrensville Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 13,542 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Warrensville Heights is located at ....
.
Early years
In 1960, Edwin Mortenson moved to Canton, OhioCanton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
and began construction on a new 50,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
FM radio station: WTOF-FM at 98.1 Megahertz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
(MHz). Mortenson had tired of losing his radio ministry whenever a new station owner would come along and flip his affiliate's format; he resolved to build his own radio station to keep his religious shows on the air — WTOF-FM was that station. Broadcasting a Christian format under the name Tower of Faith (the origin of the "WTOF" call letters
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
), the station served the Canton area for decades, and was just the first of several stations to come under Mortenson's ownership — the start of Mortenson Broadcasting
Mortenson Broadcasting
Mortenson Broadcasting is an independent media company based in Lexington, Kentucky. Mortenson primarily owns Christian radio stations in several market areas.-Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas:* KHVN - "Heaven 97"* KGGR - 1040 AM...
.
In 1997, Mortenson opted to sell off WTOF-FM, and Akron-licensed station WHLO
WHLO
WHLO is an AM radio station in Akron, Ohio, USA, operating on 640 kHz, and owned by Clear Channel Communications.The station has a news/talk format with Jim Quinn's program from WPGB in Pittsburgh, and a schedule of syndicated talkers during the day, headed by Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity, with a...
640 AM, to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-based Salem Communications
Salem Communications
Salem Communications is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S....
; soon the West Coast firm would change the station's callsign to WHK-FM (not to be confused with nearby noted Cleveland rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
station WMMS
WMMS
WMMS — branded 100.7 WMMS: The Buzzard — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, widely recognized as one of the most influential rock stations in America throughout much of the history of FM broadcasting...
which had used the same callsign prior to September 1968). Salem had already purchased WHK-AM the previous year and flipped its format from news/talk to religious progamming; the new WHK-FM would simulcast its sister station's content for the next few years.
2001 frequency swap
On July 3, 2001, WHK-FM was one of seven Cleveland/Akron area radio stations involved in a major frequency swap. WHK-FM dropped 98.1 in exchange for 95.5 MHz: 95.5 came from WCLVWCLV
WCLV — branded WCLV 104.9 — is the classical radio station licensed to Lorain, Ohio serving Greater Cleveland and western parts of surrounding Northeast Ohio; WCLV is one of the few remaining classical music stations in the United States....
, while 98.1 went to WKDD
WKDD
WKDD — branded The New 98.1 'KDD — is a commercial hot adult contemporary radio station licensed to Munroe Falls, Ohio serving the Akron and Canton metro areas. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications...
. A little more than a month later, on August 16, 2001, WHK-FM dropped its callsign and adopted the call letters WFHM-FM. This was done to firmly establish its own identity as the station no longer simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
the programming of its AM sister station, WHK; instead, the new WFHM-FM opted to incorporate "The Fish" Christian contemporary
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
format already in use on other Salem stations.
Current programming
95.5 The Fish (as the station is branded) also is Cleveland's affiliate for John TeshJohn Tesh
John Frank Tesh is an American pianist and composer of pop music, as well as a radio host and television presenter. His 10-year-old 'Intelligence for Your Life Radio Show' reaches 14.2 Million listeners/week, and is syndicated by Teshmedia on 400 stations in US, Canada, and the UK...
's nationally syndicated evening radio show.
Since 2005, WFHM switches to an all Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
music format from Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
week until right after Christmas.