WHKZ
Encyclopedia
WHKZ is a radio station
in Warren, Ohio
, USA. The station carries religious programming from the Salem Network. The bulk of WHKZ's programming is simulcast from WHKW
on 1220 kHz in Cleveland, Ohio
.
WHKZ simulcasts WHKW throughout much of the broadcast day, but does break away in the late evenings to air Warren native Hugh Hewitt
's talk show, which is based at KRLA
in Los Angeles and syndicated by Salem Communications
. Some other infomercials and religious programming air separately between the two stations.
In February 2008, an agreement was reached for Pittsburgh's Pentecostal Temple Church to acquire WHKZ for a reported sale price of $550,000 and was eventually approved by the FCC, but eventually fell through. The station is still currently owned and operated by Salem Communications.
Hurlburt sold the station to Warren Broadcasting Co. in 1981, and the call letters were changed to WRRO (for "WaRRen, Ohio") on May 4, 1981. The station was subsequently purchased in February 1996 by Star Communications, Inc., headed by Art Greenberg and Phil Levine of Cleveland. The call sign was changed to WRBP on September 25, 1998 (calls that were warehoused from the 101.9 facility
in Hubbard, Ohio
after that station was leased out by then-owner Stop 26/Riverbend to Jacor/Clear Channel
, and operated it as WBTJ).
Star Communications sold the station to Salem Communications in early 2001, and the calls were changed to WHKW on March 15, 2001. The new call letters where adapted from the calls of WHK
in Cleveland which Salem had purchased five years earlier, with the second "W" either standing for Warren or for WHK's "The Word" slogan.
It operated briefly as WFHM from July 6 to August 16, 2001, when Salem parked the WFHM call letters here while operating its newly obtained 95.5 FM station in Cleveland as WHK-FM, then changed back to WHKW. When Salem Communications moved the WHKW calls to Cleveland for its station on 1220 kHz (due to the WHK callsign moving back to its original home of 1420 kHz
) the call letters of the Warren station were changed to WHKZ on April 13, 2005.
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...
in Warren, Ohio
Warren, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 46,832 people, 19,288 households and 12,035 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,912.4 people per square mile . There were 21,279 housing units at an average density of 1,322.9 per square mile...
, USA. The station carries religious programming from the Salem Network. The bulk of WHKZ's programming is simulcast from WHKW
WHKW
WHKW is an AM radio station in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, operating on 1220 kHz. The station is owned by Salem Communications and carries religious programming from the company's radio network. The bulk of WHKW's programming is simulcast on WHKZ in Warren, Ohio.The 1220 frequency in Cleveland was the...
on 1220 kHz in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
.
WHKZ simulcasts WHKW throughout much of the broadcast day, but does break away in the late evenings to air Warren native Hugh Hewitt
Hugh Hewitt
Hugh Hewitt is an American radio talk show host with the Salem Radio Network, lawyer, academic, and author. An outspoken Republican, evangelical Christian, he comments on society, politics, and media bias in the United States. Hewitt is also a law professor at Chapman University School of Law.-...
's talk show, which is based at KRLA
KRLA
KRLA is a radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Licensed to Glendale, California, USA, it serves the Southern California area. The station is currently owned by Salem Communications.- KIEV :...
in Los Angeles and syndicated 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....
. Some other infomercials and religious programming air separately between the two stations.
In February 2008, an agreement was reached for Pittsburgh's Pentecostal Temple Church to acquire WHKZ for a reported sale price of $550,000 and was eventually approved by the FCC, but eventually fell through. The station is still currently owned and operated by Salem Communications.
History
The station originally signed on November 11, 1941 as WRRN, the call letters being a contraction of "Warren." In 1948, it was purchased by Helen Hart Hurlburt, publisher of the Tribune-Chronicle, and the call sign was changed to WHHH, to reflect her initials. Under her ownership, a construction permit was obtained for a television station, WHHH-TV on channel 67 in the early 1950s, but the station never made it onto the air, probably because of the vagaries of operating a UHF station at the time.Hurlburt sold the station to Warren Broadcasting Co. in 1981, and the call letters were changed to WRRO (for "WaRRen, Ohio") on May 4, 1981. The station was subsequently purchased in February 1996 by Star Communications, Inc., headed by Art Greenberg and Phil Levine of Cleveland. The call sign was changed to WRBP on September 25, 1998 (calls that were warehoused from the 101.9 facility
WRBP
WRBP, branded as JAMZ 101.9, is a radio station in the Youngstown, Ohio market. Licensed to Hubbard, the station broadcasts an urban music format on 101.9 FM...
in Hubbard, Ohio
Hubbard, Ohio
Hubbard is a city in Trumbull County, Ohio, United States. It is formed from part of Hubbard Township, which was formed from the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 8,284 at the 2000 census...
after that station was leased out by then-owner Stop 26/Riverbend to Jacor/Clear Channel
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...
, and operated it as WBTJ).
Star Communications sold the station to Salem Communications in early 2001, and the calls were changed to WHKW on March 15, 2001. The new call letters where adapted from the calls of WHK
WHK (AM)
WHK is the oldest radio station in Ohio, and 15th oldest in the country still broadcasting. WHK is currently owned by Salem Communications and broadcasts on 1420 kHz with a news/talk format with programming provided by the Salem Radio Network, as well as being the Cleveland affiliate for The...
in Cleveland which Salem had purchased five years earlier, with the second "W" either standing for Warren or for WHK's "The Word" slogan.
It operated briefly as WFHM from July 6 to August 16, 2001, when Salem parked the WFHM call letters here while operating its newly obtained 95.5 FM station in Cleveland as WHK-FM, then changed back to WHKW. When Salem Communications moved the WHKW calls to Cleveland for its station on 1220 kHz (due to the WHK callsign moving back to its original home of 1420 kHz
WHK (AM)
WHK is the oldest radio station in Ohio, and 15th oldest in the country still broadcasting. WHK is currently owned by Salem Communications and broadcasts on 1420 kHz with a news/talk format with programming provided by the Salem Radio Network, as well as being the Cleveland affiliate for The...
) the call letters of the Warren station were changed to WHKZ on April 13, 2005.