WHJY
Encyclopedia
WHJY is a commercial radio station in Providence, Rhode Island
owned by Clear Channel
that broadcasts at 94.1 MHz. (Channel 231).
WHJY plays classic
and mainstream rock
- a radio format known as "active rock
", and has been doing so since September 4, 1981. Its broadcast center, along with its sister stations, is at 75 Oxford Street, just west of Interstate 95
in Providence, and its transmitter is located at 115 Eastern Avenue in East Providence
. (The station's studio is located on the northeast corner of the building, facing traffic, and is sometimes referred to by DJ's as "the Ghetto Penthouse."). WHJY broadcasts in HD Digital
with the HD2 airing Clear Channel's Premium Choice channel "The Alternative Project"
The station also plays several weekly shows on the weekends, including The House of Hair with Dee Snider
, Hard Drive with Lou Brutus (the station's drive-time DJ in the late 1980s and early 1990s), Little Steven's
Underground Garage, In The Studio with RedBeard and others.
concert at the Station Night Club in West Warwick, Rhode Island
on February 20, 2003 but they promoted the event with DJ Michael "Doctor Metal" Gonsalves as emcee. A pyrotechnics display triggered a massive fire, killing Gonsalves and 99 other people and destroying the club. In his memory, the radio station has set up "The Doc Fund," a scholarship with Rhode Island College
(his alma mater) to support the victims and families of those affected who attend the school.
are combined into a Electronics Research Inc. (ERI) SHPX-4BC, 4 bay FM antenna at the top of the tower.. The tower is also used as part of the WPMZ
AM array, which has a skirt on the tall FM tower, and a shorter, second tower, at the same location.. WHJY transmits an HD Radio digital signal from this transmitter site as well, and has been since 2006
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
owned by 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...
that broadcasts at 94.1 MHz. (Channel 231).
WHJY plays classic
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
and mainstream rock
Mainstream rock
Mainstream rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada.-Format background:...
- a radio format known as "active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
", and has been doing so since September 4, 1981. Its broadcast center, along with its sister stations, is at 75 Oxford Street, just west of Interstate 95
Interstate 95 in Rhode Island
Interstate 95, the main north–south Interstate Highway on the east coast of the United States, runs generally southwest-northeast through the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It runs from the border with Connecticut near Westerly through Warwick and Providence and to the Massachusetts state line...
in Providence, and its transmitter is located at 115 Eastern Avenue in East Providence
East Providence, Rhode Island
East Providence is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 47,037 at the 2010 census, making it the fifth largest city in the state.-Geography:East Providence is located at ....
. (The station's studio is located on the northeast corner of the building, facing traffic, and is sometimes referred to by DJ's as "the Ghetto Penthouse."). WHJY broadcasts in HD Digital
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
with the HD2 airing Clear Channel's Premium Choice channel "The Alternative Project"
Current Disc Jockeys
- Paul & Al: Paul Fuller and Al Matthews are currently the longest-tenured D.J.s on the station, having been around since the late 1980s. They frequently feature skits and fake recordings, having made fun of many of the local politicians (including, notably, imitations of Rhode Island Congressman Patrick J. KennedyPatrick J. KennedyPatrick Joseph Kennedy II is the former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1995 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes all of Bristol County and Newport County, and parts of Providence County. Kennedy did not seek re-election in 2010.A member of the Kennedy...
which compare him to Beaver Cleaver). The duo also hosts a "Stump the DJ" hour on Thursdays, where callers call in with jokes and Paul & Al attempt to get the punchlines before the caller. They also are involved in annual trips, including a whitewater rafting trip in Maine and a trip to the annual New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
-Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
game in Miami. Regular contributions come from "Kevin The Lowly Stuntboy", with news by Kristen Lessard and Jim Shorts on Sports (real name Steve McDonald, who also serves as radio announcer for URI basketball on sister station WHJJ). - Jenn: Midday broadcaster since late 2003, and host of The Classic Lunch, which includes older tracks, and finishes with "Hair in Your Lunch," a featured hair metal song.
- Geoff Charles: Geoff Charles has been with the station since the early 1990s, first as the evening host, then as the drive time DJ. Charles' show is fairly popular, featuring a daily 4:20420 (cannabis culture)420, 4:20 or 4/20 refers to consumption of cannabis and, by extension, a way to identify oneself with cannabis subculture. The notable day for these is April 20.- Origins of terms :...
Club, "Stuff I Know That You Don't Know," "Human Tricks," and "Quick Ones," the latter three being a collection of random facts. For the past several years Charles has hosted a trip to AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, which originally fell during the week of the Cannabis Cup festival (before Thanksgiving), and currently falls the week between Christmas and New Year's Day. Charles also has begun airing a daily blogBlogA blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, which is called "Diary of a Psychotic," which usually deals with current events or other topics (the February 20, 2008 blog, for example, was about late DJ Mike "Doctor Metal" Gonsalves, who was one of the 100 victims of the Station nightclub fire-see below). He is currently joined by Scarpetti, with former co-hosts being Mike Brangiforte (who was released for the same financial reasons as Quinn and Cantera), John Laurenti and Steve Conti, a.k.a. "The Troll." - Matt Battle: Battle is the newest DJ to WHJY, replacing Quinn and Cantera, who were released in November 2007 for financial reasons, according to a MySpace blog.
- Big Jim: Big Jim has been with the station since 1999. He got his start hosting the "Wrestling Report". He is also the host of the Metal Zone, a late-night Saturday night program featuring harder metal acts started by Doug Frye in 1985 and then Doctor Metal in 1987, and Sound Check, which features local talent.
The station also plays several weekly shows on the weekends, including The House of Hair with Dee Snider
Dee Snider
Daniel "Dee" Snider is an American singer-songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and actor. Snider is most famous for his role as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister...
, Hard Drive with Lou Brutus (the station's drive-time DJ in the late 1980s and early 1990s), Little Steven's
Steven Van Zandt
Steven Van Zandt is an Italian-American musician, songwriter, arranger, record producer, actor, and radio disc jockey, who frequently goes by the stage names Little Steven or Miami Steve...
Underground Garage, In The Studio with RedBeard and others.
WHJY and The Station Night Club Fire
WHJY was not the sponsor of the Great WhiteGreat White
Great White is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1978. The band gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s. The band released several albums in the late 1980s and gained airplay on MTV with music videos for songs like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy"...
concert at the Station Night Club in West Warwick, Rhode Island
West Warwick, Rhode Island
West Warwick is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 29,191 at the 2010 census.West Warwick was incorporated in 1913, making it the youngest town in the state. Prior to 1913, the town, situated on the western bank of the Pawtuxet River, was the population and...
on February 20, 2003 but they promoted the event with DJ Michael "Doctor Metal" Gonsalves as emcee. A pyrotechnics display triggered a massive fire, killing Gonsalves and 99 other people and destroying the club. In his memory, the radio station has set up "The Doc Fund," a scholarship with Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College is a nationally ranked, coeducational, state-supported comprehensive college founded in 1854, located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA...
(his alma mater) to support the victims and families of those affected who attend the school.
Technical
WHJY transmits a 50,000 watt FM signal from a 550 foot tower at the end of Eastern Avenue in East Providence, RI. WHJY and WBRUWBRU
WBRU is a commercial alternative rock radio station in Providence, Rhode Island that broadcasts on 95.5 FM. It was the first student-owned-and-operated campus radio station in the United States when it started as the Brown Network at Brown University in 1936...
are combined into a Electronics Research Inc. (ERI) SHPX-4BC, 4 bay FM antenna at the top of the tower.. The tower is also used as part of the WPMZ
WPMZ
WPMZ is a radio station licensed to serve East Providence, Rhode Island. The station is owned by Video Mundo Broadcasting Co., LLC. It airs a Spanish Tropical format....
AM array, which has a skirt on the tall FM tower, and a shorter, second tower, at the same location.. WHJY transmits an HD Radio digital signal from this transmitter site as well, and has been since 2006