WHCY
Encyclopedia
WHCY, known as Max 106.3, is a hot adult contemporary class A FM radio station broadcasting on 106.3 FM. The format is now satellite programming along with some syndicated shows. The station is licensed to Blairstown, New Jersey
and serves Sussex County
and Warren County
in western New Jersey
, and Monroe County
in eastern Pennsylvania
. The station still is owned by Clear Channel Communications
but is currently up for sale. The station's transmitter is located near Blairstown while their studios and offices are currently co-located with currently co-owned WTOC
, WNNJ
, and WSUS
in a state-of-the-art facility in Franklin, New Jersey
.
. From October 1973 to Early 1977, the station was called "Golden FMV" and featured such D.J.s as Sy Marsh, Chucky B,Wayne Scott, Scott O'Connor, Tommy John, Rod Baumann and others. In January 1977, Kurt Gebauer was hired as VP/General Manager and the station became "FM 106" retaining the oldies format, but updating to a more 60s-centric sound. The DJ's at the time were: Mark Austin, Steve Altemus, Tommy John, George Fuller, Rod Baumann, Ron Kaplan, Bill Chamberlain, Patty Martene and others. In 1980, with Russ Long as GM, the station switched to a Top 40/Rock hybrid format much deeper than the format on the frequency today. WFMV was sold to Clearview Broadcasting in 1981. By 1984 though WFMV evolved into more of a Hot Adult Contemporary format. Ratings were always mediocre to below average. At the time advertising tended to be from the Stroudsburg and Pocono area. With Stroudsburg-based WSBG
switching to a similar format in 1984, WFMV lost more advertising but survived. In the summer of 1988 due to environmental issues and the drought the station was force to leave the air from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily for several summer months. Eventually that problem was resolved. By then the station became more of a gold based adult contemporary format.
On- Air staff members included Rockin' T Tom Rocco, Paul Maason, Kevin Roe, Corey Hansen, Chris Maget, Mark West, Gerrie Burke, Paul LaFever, Chris DeBello, Jo-Ann (Holden) George and Sean O'Casey
In the Spring of 1990 WFMV dropped this format in favor of an oldies format playing the hits of 1964 to 1984 with a few pre-1964 oldies mixed in along with a few late '80s songs mixed in. They became known as "Classic Hits 106". In the Fall of 1990 the station moved to more of an oldies format playing the music of 1955 to about 1983. Ratings were very low and the station at this point began to lose money. In the Fall of 1992 the owners hired a new general manager, Rick Musselman who decided several weeks later to fill a hole in the market.
Since May 1988, Sussex and Warren counties had no country music station but could get New York City
-based WYNY 97.1. Later that year WYNY moved its unit to 103.5. Since then because of 103.7 WNNJ-FM's close proximity to 103.5 WYNY simply could not reach most of the listening area. Country music fans were without any way to receive country music in the area. So on October 24 at 8 p.m. WFMV Classic Hits 106 ended with 99 Luftballons
by Nena
. After that they ran American Country Countdown
(which they had been running since 1991 at this time slot on Sundays as an oldies station). At midnight the station became "WHCY Hot Country 106.3". WHCY stood for Hot Country which are still the call letters today. The country format immediately made FM 106.3 profitable and the station received mediocre to above average ratings over the years.
Initially the station was live morning and afternoon drives during the week and middays on Saturdays and Sundays. The rest of the time they ran Jones Satellite Country music programming. In the Spring of 1994 they dropped satellite programming for a live local presentation. At this point the airstaff included Bob O., Rich Wilson, Jo-Ann Holden, Christa Robinson, Doctor J, Tony Lawrence, Matt Black, Tom Rocco, Biii E Dow, Doug Hall, Dave The Rave, Johnny Randolph, and others. Paul LeFevre continued to do voiceovers on the station.
In March 1996 the station was sold to Nassau Broadcasting. A few people including Bob O exited but most of the staff stayed on and the Country format continued. More on air changes were made in 1997 with the addition of Rod Bauman as middays and program director. Matt Black, Doctor J, and Tony Lawrence would exit at this point. Chris Debello and Simon Knight would also arrive on staff.
Ratings had always had huge rises and falls over the years on this station. While ratings were always decent there was concern of the long term viability of the country format. There was a mostly automated country music station on 107.1 FM which was called WRNJ-FM. They signed on with a country format shortly after WHCY adopted the format back in 1992. They pulled low ratings but still this was taking from WHCY. In the Summer of 1997 WLEV
on 96.1 FM in the nearby Lehigh Valley
became known as Cat Country with the WCTO
calls. WLEV's calls moved to the other AC
station in that market on 100.7 FM. An FM country station in the Lehigh Valley was speculated to adversely affect WHCY. Nassau toyed with the idea of adopting a rock format for the station in the Fall of 1997. After deciding against this. They then considered an all news format for WHCY later that fall of 1997 but decided against that option as well. At the end of the year it was decided that WHCY would keep the country format but would use more syndicated shows and automation part of the day to cut costs.
In 1998 the station became automated part-time and live part-time with satellite programming in evenings. The station would later that year replace Rich Wilson with former WYNY airstaff member Frank Bruno for mornings along with long time air staff member Jo-Ann George... but the format continued for a couple more years.
The country format continued with moderate success. But on August 25, 2000, Nassau shut the station down after a lot of planning. The WHCY call letters stayed but a straight ahead Contemporary Hit Radio format would replace the country format. The Hot Country airstaff was spread to other Nassau radio stations while the new airstaff moved there from several other Nassau stations. The station became known as "Max 106.3" Today's Hit Music. The station featured Chaz and initially Kara in the Morning. Jo-Ann George would return to the station in that slot with Chaz in the fall of 2001. The station was automated on overnights only initially. Other staffers included Matt Sneed, Mark Myles, Trish Davis, Jason Barsky, Kyle D., and Kenny Hoyt of Channel X and others.
Initially the station played a blend of Rock, Adult Contemporary Crossovers, Dance music, R & B, and a limited amount of Rap. Ratings became slightly more consistent. Nassau then sold the station along with 3 other stations and 2 local marketing agreement deals to Clear Channel
in exchange for cash plus WODE and WEEX in the Lehigh Valley in the winter of 2001. Matt Sneed would stay with Nassau and go to WPST
. Jason Barsky stayed with Clear Channel as PD and eventually Mornings in Harrisburg, PA and is currently at KDND in Sacramento, CA doing Mornings with the same team.
Under Clear channel the station changed only slightly initially. In 2002 the station began to lean younger and play more Rap and R & B product. At that point the airstaff gradually changed and the station gradually began automating more timeslots during the day. "Borasio" moved into the afternoon slot and Mark Myles exited. Kyle continued with the station at night assisting "Borasio" with the station (leaving in 2004 to head to WBHT.) In January of 2003, they began simulcasting Z100's Elvis Duran and the Morning Zoo and made a few more airstaff changes. Until the Summer of 2004 Max 106.3 was playing a large amount of rap along with a lot of alternative rock and R & B material. One of the large contributors to the alternative rock portion of the programming during 2003 was the Channel X program, originally created and hosted by "Borasio", a host named "Uncle Kenny" (Hoyt-singer for a local metal band named Crushpile with no known former radio experience) was recruited. This name, however, was used only once and "Kenny" was the on-air name to be used during the short-lived period of the program (Jan 2003-Sept 2003). The original time slot for the program was 10pm to midnight. Due to high demand, the program was extended to 9pm. Within the 9 months of the programs existence, it peaked at an astounding 37 percent market share(Arbitron 2003). Many contribute the shows success to both the musical content(which could range from modern day rock such as Linkin Park to old thrash bands like Anthrax and Slayer, and the antics of the host). Kenny's approach was far different from the cardboard cut-out standard of today's commercial radio. The entire 3 hour show was done live with no preparation, additional writers or hosts. Although fictitious "record label executives" had been known to drop by the station for "exclusive interviews". Bizarre on-air comments, stories, blank-outs, spasms, sound effects and more were not uncommon for the program. Despite the success of this program and others, since 2002 advertising was becoming a tough sell because the format leaned too young.
As a result Max 106.3 dropped all the rap and R & B product, the Channel X program, added more pop rock from the 1990s, and became an Adult CHR format. They use the phrase "90s and Now". The station was heavily automated as well. On Monday, July 28th, 2008, Max 106.3 dropped most local operations in favor of "Today's Best Hits" from ABC Radio. Friday, December 19, 2008 was the last day Elvis Duran and the Morning Show was aired on WHCY. In 2009, ABC Radio's format was dropped and Clear Channel's Premium Choice Adult CHR's format was picked up with Valentine In The Morning. It is currently in the process of being sold. As of October 11, 2010, They are once again broadcasting Elvis Duran and The Morning Show.
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
and serves Sussex County
Sussex County, New Jersey
The County of Sussex is the northernmost county in the State of New Jersey. It is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 Federal decennial census, 149,265 persons resided in Sussex County...
and Warren County
Warren County, New Jersey
Warren County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 108,692. Its county seat is Belvidere...
in western New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, and Monroe County
Monroe County, Pennsylvania
-National protected areas:* Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area * Middle Delaware National Scenic River -Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there are 176,567 people, 49,454 households, and 36,447 families residing in the county. The population density was 228 people per square mile...
in eastern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The station still is owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
but is currently up for sale. The station's transmitter is located near Blairstown while their studios and offices are currently co-located with currently co-owned WTOC
WTOC (AM)
WTOC was a radio station licensed to Newton, New Jersey. They offered an oldies music format with songs from the 1960s and 1970s along with a small amount oldies from 1955 to 1964 and a small amount of hits from the 1980's. They were a full-time affiliate of Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel...
, WNNJ
WNNJ
WNNJ is a Class B FM radio station licensed to Newton, New Jersey broadcasting on 103.7 FM. They serve the Sussex County, New Jersey radio market while also reaching northeastern Pennsylvania and Orange County, New York. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications. WNNJ offers a Rock...
, and WSUS
WSUS (FM)
WSUS is a Class A radio station serving the Sussex County, New Jersey, area. The station is licensed to Franklin, New Jersey, is owned by Clear Channel Communications and has an adult contemporary music format...
in a state-of-the-art facility in Franklin, New Jersey
Franklin, New Jersey
Franklin is a Borough in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,045.Franklin, known as the "Fluorescent Mineral Capital of the World," is located over a rich ore body containing more than 150 minerals, many of them fluorescent and...
.
History
The station signed on in October 1973 with Oldies format with the WFMV call letters. The station was owned by the Warren Broadcasting Corporation and was co-owned with WCRV 1580 in Washington, New JerseyWashington, New Jersey
Washington is a borough in Warren County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 6,461. The borough is located in the eastern most region of the Lehigh Valley....
. From October 1973 to Early 1977, the station was called "Golden FMV" and featured such D.J.s as Sy Marsh, Chucky B,Wayne Scott, Scott O'Connor, Tommy John, Rod Baumann and others. In January 1977, Kurt Gebauer was hired as VP/General Manager and the station became "FM 106" retaining the oldies format, but updating to a more 60s-centric sound. The DJ's at the time were: Mark Austin, Steve Altemus, Tommy John, George Fuller, Rod Baumann, Ron Kaplan, Bill Chamberlain, Patty Martene and others. In 1980, with Russ Long as GM, the station switched to a Top 40/Rock hybrid format much deeper than the format on the frequency today. WFMV was sold to Clearview Broadcasting in 1981. By 1984 though WFMV evolved into more of a Hot Adult Contemporary format. Ratings were always mediocre to below average. At the time advertising tended to be from the Stroudsburg and Pocono area. With Stroudsburg-based WSBG
WSBG
WSBG is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. For the last couple of years, the station offered a mainstream adult contemporary format moved from 107.1 FM. Licensed to Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, USA, the station serves the Stroudsburg area. The station is currently owned...
switching to a similar format in 1984, WFMV lost more advertising but survived. In the summer of 1988 due to environmental issues and the drought the station was force to leave the air from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily for several summer months. Eventually that problem was resolved. By then the station became more of a gold based adult contemporary format.
On- Air staff members included Rockin' T Tom Rocco, Paul Maason, Kevin Roe, Corey Hansen, Chris Maget, Mark West, Gerrie Burke, Paul LaFever, Chris DeBello, Jo-Ann (Holden) George and Sean O'Casey
In the Spring of 1990 WFMV dropped this format in favor of an oldies format playing the hits of 1964 to 1984 with a few pre-1964 oldies mixed in along with a few late '80s songs mixed in. They became known as "Classic Hits 106". In the Fall of 1990 the station moved to more of an oldies format playing the music of 1955 to about 1983. Ratings were very low and the station at this point began to lose money. In the Fall of 1992 the owners hired a new general manager, Rick Musselman who decided several weeks later to fill a hole in the market.
Since May 1988, Sussex and Warren counties had no country music station but could get New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
-based WYNY 97.1. Later that year WYNY moved its unit to 103.5. Since then because of 103.7 WNNJ-FM's close proximity to 103.5 WYNY simply could not reach most of the listening area. Country music fans were without any way to receive country music in the area. So on October 24 at 8 p.m. WFMV Classic Hits 106 ended with 99 Luftballons
99 Luftballons
"99 Luftballons" is a protest song by the German pop-rock band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. Originally sung in German, it was later re-recorded in English as "99 Red Balloons" for their album 99 Luftballons in 1984...
by Nena
Nena
Gabriele Susanne Kerner , better known by her stage name Nena, is a German singer and actress. She rose to international fame in 1983 with the New German Wave song "99 Luftballons". In 1984, she re-recorded this song in English as "99 Red Balloons". Nena was also the name of the band with whom she...
. After that they ran American Country Countdown
American Country Countdown
American Country Countdown, also known as ACC or American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, is an internationally syndicated radio program which counts down the top 30 country songs of the previous week, from No. 30 to No. 1, according to the Mediabase country chart...
(which they had been running since 1991 at this time slot on Sundays as an oldies station). At midnight the station became "WHCY Hot Country 106.3". WHCY stood for Hot Country which are still the call letters today. The country format immediately made FM 106.3 profitable and the station received mediocre to above average ratings over the years.
Initially the station was live morning and afternoon drives during the week and middays on Saturdays and Sundays. The rest of the time they ran Jones Satellite Country music programming. In the Spring of 1994 they dropped satellite programming for a live local presentation. At this point the airstaff included Bob O., Rich Wilson, Jo-Ann Holden, Christa Robinson, Doctor J, Tony Lawrence, Matt Black, Tom Rocco, Biii E Dow, Doug Hall, Dave The Rave, Johnny Randolph, and others. Paul LeFevre continued to do voiceovers on the station.
In March 1996 the station was sold to Nassau Broadcasting. A few people including Bob O exited but most of the staff stayed on and the Country format continued. More on air changes were made in 1997 with the addition of Rod Bauman as middays and program director. Matt Black, Doctor J, and Tony Lawrence would exit at this point. Chris Debello and Simon Knight would also arrive on staff.
Ratings had always had huge rises and falls over the years on this station. While ratings were always decent there was concern of the long term viability of the country format. There was a mostly automated country music station on 107.1 FM which was called WRNJ-FM. They signed on with a country format shortly after WHCY adopted the format back in 1992. They pulled low ratings but still this was taking from WHCY. In the Summer of 1997 WLEV
WLEV
-External links:*...
on 96.1 FM in the nearby Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
became known as Cat Country with the WCTO
WCTO
WCTO is a radio station based in Easton. WCTO is owned by Cumulus Media and serves the Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania.The station offers a country music format, playing country music from the 1980s through to the present...
calls. WLEV's calls moved to the other AC
Adult contemporary music
Adult contemporary music is a broad style of popular music that ranges from lush 1950s and 1960s vocal music to predominantly ballad-heavy music with varying degrees of rock influence, as well as a radio format that plays such music....
station in that market on 100.7 FM. An FM country station in the Lehigh Valley was speculated to adversely affect WHCY. Nassau toyed with the idea of adopting a rock format for the station in the Fall of 1997. After deciding against this. They then considered an all news format for WHCY later that fall of 1997 but decided against that option as well. At the end of the year it was decided that WHCY would keep the country format but would use more syndicated shows and automation part of the day to cut costs.
In 1998 the station became automated part-time and live part-time with satellite programming in evenings. The station would later that year replace Rich Wilson with former WYNY airstaff member Frank Bruno for mornings along with long time air staff member Jo-Ann George... but the format continued for a couple more years.
The country format continued with moderate success. But on August 25, 2000, Nassau shut the station down after a lot of planning. The WHCY call letters stayed but a straight ahead Contemporary Hit Radio format would replace the country format. The Hot Country airstaff was spread to other Nassau radio stations while the new airstaff moved there from several other Nassau stations. The station became known as "Max 106.3" Today's Hit Music. The station featured Chaz and initially Kara in the Morning. Jo-Ann George would return to the station in that slot with Chaz in the fall of 2001. The station was automated on overnights only initially. Other staffers included Matt Sneed, Mark Myles, Trish Davis, Jason Barsky, Kyle D., and Kenny Hoyt of Channel X and others.
Initially the station played a blend of Rock, Adult Contemporary Crossovers, Dance music, R & B, and a limited amount of Rap. Ratings became slightly more consistent. Nassau then sold the station along with 3 other stations and 2 local marketing agreement deals to Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
in exchange for cash plus WODE and WEEX in the Lehigh Valley in the winter of 2001. Matt Sneed would stay with Nassau and go to WPST
WPST
WPST is a radio station broadcasting a Top 40 format. Licensed to Trenton, New Jersey, USA, the station serves the Philadelphia, Central Jersey area. The station is currently owned by Nassau Broadcasting Ii, LLC and features programing from Westwood One...
. Jason Barsky stayed with Clear Channel as PD and eventually Mornings in Harrisburg, PA and is currently at KDND in Sacramento, CA doing Mornings with the same team.
Under Clear channel the station changed only slightly initially. In 2002 the station began to lean younger and play more Rap and R & B product. At that point the airstaff gradually changed and the station gradually began automating more timeslots during the day. "Borasio" moved into the afternoon slot and Mark Myles exited. Kyle continued with the station at night assisting "Borasio" with the station (leaving in 2004 to head to WBHT.) In January of 2003, they began simulcasting Z100's Elvis Duran and the Morning Zoo and made a few more airstaff changes. Until the Summer of 2004 Max 106.3 was playing a large amount of rap along with a lot of alternative rock and R & B material. One of the large contributors to the alternative rock portion of the programming during 2003 was the Channel X program, originally created and hosted by "Borasio", a host named "Uncle Kenny" (Hoyt-singer for a local metal band named Crushpile with no known former radio experience) was recruited. This name, however, was used only once and "Kenny" was the on-air name to be used during the short-lived period of the program (Jan 2003-Sept 2003). The original time slot for the program was 10pm to midnight. Due to high demand, the program was extended to 9pm. Within the 9 months of the programs existence, it peaked at an astounding 37 percent market share(Arbitron 2003). Many contribute the shows success to both the musical content(which could range from modern day rock such as Linkin Park to old thrash bands like Anthrax and Slayer, and the antics of the host). Kenny's approach was far different from the cardboard cut-out standard of today's commercial radio. The entire 3 hour show was done live with no preparation, additional writers or hosts. Although fictitious "record label executives" had been known to drop by the station for "exclusive interviews". Bizarre on-air comments, stories, blank-outs, spasms, sound effects and more were not uncommon for the program. Despite the success of this program and others, since 2002 advertising was becoming a tough sell because the format leaned too young.
As a result Max 106.3 dropped all the rap and R & B product, the Channel X program, added more pop rock from the 1990s, and became an Adult CHR format. They use the phrase "90s and Now". The station was heavily automated as well. On Monday, July 28th, 2008, Max 106.3 dropped most local operations in favor of "Today's Best Hits" from ABC Radio. Friday, December 19, 2008 was the last day Elvis Duran and the Morning Show was aired on WHCY. In 2009, ABC Radio's format was dropped and Clear Channel's Premium Choice Adult CHR's format was picked up with Valentine In The Morning. It is currently in the process of being sold. As of October 11, 2010, They are once again broadcasting Elvis Duran and The Morning Show.
On Air Schedule
- 12am-5am - Shelley Wade
- 6am-10am - Elvis Duran and the Morning Show
- - Lori Bradley
- - Toby Knapp
- - Cindy Spicer
- - Shaun Vincent
- - Jeff Stevens
- - Kristy Knight (weekends)