WHOL
Encyclopedia
WEST and WHOL (1600 AM
) are radio station
s broadcasting a Spanish Tropical format, emphasizing Tropical music
from the Tropics
and Spain
. They are owned by Matthew P. Braccili. WEST previously employed a Middle Of The Road diversified format for many years under several owners.
and began offering a Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary format that was very automated. They played the softer rock hits of the 1960s and 1970s, along with a lot of current music. They were known as "Hit Parade Music" at one point. WEST continued with its MOR format blending artists like Frank Sinatra
, Nat King Cole
, Peggy Lee
, and others with some big bands and softer baby boomer pop sounds from the likes of Elvis Presley
, The Beatles
, Connie Francis
, Neil Diamond
, Tom Jones
, The Carpenters
, and others. Both WEST and WLEV were owned by Sound Media and then by Telemedia Group.
In the late 1970s, WEST would switch to strictly a Big Band and Standards format and dropped the adult contemporary and baby boomer pop songs, but in 1981 switched back to more of a Middle Of The Road format like they had in the mid 1970s. It used a syndicated format called "Hitparade" and played half adult standards and half soft adult contemporary songs. In the late 1980s the station switched to a similarly formatted satellite delivered service called "Stardust", with which they remained until 2001.
Stardust leaned big bands and standards initially but in the 1990s the format focused more on the soft AC and soft oldies artists mixed into the format. WEST had a live morning and afternoon local show as well as hours of specialty programs during the weekends, but the rest of the time used the syndicated "Stardust" format.
In 1995, the station was sold, along with WLEV, to Citadel Broadcasting. Still, the format remained Adult Standards. In 1997, Citadel acquired WFMZ FM, which by then had a format that was evolving to be musically closer to WLEV. In 1997, it was decided that there was no need for two AC stations in the Lehigh Valley, so they combined aspects of the AC formats from both stations and moved the WLEV call letters and format and some of the air staff to 100.7 that July.
WEST, though, would be sold to Maranatha Broadcasting, which previously owned 100.7 FM, in 1997. Maranatha Broadcasting also owned and still owns Channel 69 WFMZ-TV
. It was thought that WEST might switch to a religious format but that did not happen. WEST did however simulcast the 5 p.m. newscast that aired on Channel 69. WEST did continue with its MOR format as well as many specialty programs.
In 2001, when WKAP (now WSAN) dropped Westwood One's Standards format for Oldies, WEST switched to Westwood One's similarly format Standards format which evolved to a slightly more soft AC sound in 2002. The specialty shows and the Channel 69 newscasts remained. WEST was rumored to be switching to Oldies in 2006 when WKAP would drop oldies for religious programming. But that also never happened.
In 2007, Maranatha sold WEST to Matthew J. Braccili, who also owns WHOL. That April, WEST's intellectual unit was shut down totally including the satellite standards format and the specialty shows. 1400 WEST then began to simulcast the Spanish language format airing over WHOL.
newspaper, charging that the FCC
erred in granting a fourth license to Allentown while Easton
had only one radio frequency. The FCC reversed its decision in favor of the newspaper. The case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court
, which in 1955 ruled the FCC had acted properly. The Express was subsequently awarded the 1230 AM frequency for a new full-time station, WEEX
, while WHOL moved to 1600 AM. WHOL operates full-time with reduced wattage at night. It simulcasts Spanish Tropical Music with WEST and has grown to become a top 10 rated radio station in the market. The Allentown Hispanic Market is over 25%.
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
) are radio station
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...
s broadcasting a Spanish Tropical format, emphasizing Tropical music
Tropical music
Musica tropical or tropical music is a broad term for vocal and instrumental music with "tropical" flavor usually associated with the Afro-Caribbean music. It is part of an even broader category of Latin music. Usually it is an upbeat dance music, but also includes ballads. It features complex,...
from the Tropics
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. They are owned by Matthew P. Braccili. WEST previously employed a Middle Of The Road diversified format for many years under several owners.
WEST
WEST began operations in 1936. The station was locally owned and employed a general entertainment format evolving into a popular music format by the late 1940s. At that point WEST-FM signed on at 96.1. For decades, the stations simulcast WEST's Middle Of The Road Popular Music format. In 1973, though, 96.1 became WLEVWLEV
-External links:*...
and began offering a Soft Rock/Adult Contemporary format that was very automated. They played the softer rock hits of the 1960s and 1970s, along with a lot of current music. They were known as "Hit Parade Music" at one point. WEST continued with its MOR format blending artists like Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Nat King Cole
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles , known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American musician who first came to prominence as a leading jazz pianist. Although an accomplished pianist, he owes most of his popular musical fame to his soft baritone voice, which he used to perform in big band and jazz genres...
, Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee
Peggy Lee was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress in a career spanning six decades. From her beginning as a vocalist on local radio to singing with Benny Goodman's big band, she forged a sophisticated persona, evolving into a multi-faceted artist and...
, and others with some big bands and softer baby boomer pop sounds from the likes of Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Connie Francis
Connie Francis
Connie Francis is an American pop singer of Italian heritage and the top-charting female vocalist of the 1950s and 1960s. Although her chart success waned in the second half of the 1960s, Francis remained a top concert draw...
, Neil Diamond
Neil Diamond
Neil Leslie Diamond is an American singer-songwriter with a career spanning over five decades from the 1960s until the present....
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
, and others. Both WEST and WLEV were owned by Sound Media and then by Telemedia Group.
In the late 1970s, WEST would switch to strictly a Big Band and Standards format and dropped the adult contemporary and baby boomer pop songs, but in 1981 switched back to more of a Middle Of The Road format like they had in the mid 1970s. It used a syndicated format called "Hitparade" and played half adult standards and half soft adult contemporary songs. In the late 1980s the station switched to a similarly formatted satellite delivered service called "Stardust", with which they remained until 2001.
Stardust leaned big bands and standards initially but in the 1990s the format focused more on the soft AC and soft oldies artists mixed into the format. WEST had a live morning and afternoon local show as well as hours of specialty programs during the weekends, but the rest of the time used the syndicated "Stardust" format.
In 1995, the station was sold, along with WLEV, to Citadel Broadcasting. Still, the format remained Adult Standards. In 1997, Citadel acquired WFMZ FM, which by then had a format that was evolving to be musically closer to WLEV. In 1997, it was decided that there was no need for two AC stations in the Lehigh Valley, so they combined aspects of the AC formats from both stations and moved the WLEV call letters and format and some of the air staff to 100.7 that July.
WEST, though, would be sold to Maranatha Broadcasting, which previously owned 100.7 FM, in 1997. Maranatha Broadcasting also owned and still owns Channel 69 WFMZ-TV
WFMZ-TV
WFMZ-TV, virtual channel 69 , is a general interest independent television station in Allentown, Pennsylvania, which is part of the Philadelphia DMA. Its studio and transmitter are located on South Mountain in Allentown.-Background:...
. It was thought that WEST might switch to a religious format but that did not happen. WEST did however simulcast the 5 p.m. newscast that aired on Channel 69. WEST did continue with its MOR format as well as many specialty programs.
In 2001, when WKAP (now WSAN) dropped Westwood One's Standards format for Oldies, WEST switched to Westwood One's similarly format Standards format which evolved to a slightly more soft AC sound in 2002. The specialty shows and the Channel 69 newscasts remained. WEST was rumored to be switching to Oldies in 2006 when WKAP would drop oldies for religious programming. But that also never happened.
In 2007, Maranatha sold WEST to Matthew J. Braccili, who also owns WHOL. That April, WEST's intellectual unit was shut down totally including the satellite standards format and the specialty shows. 1400 WEST then began to simulcast the Spanish language format airing over WHOL.
WHOL
WHOL began broadcasting as a full-time station at 1230 AM in 1948. Founded by the Allentown Broadcasting Corporation, the station was granted its license in 1946. A suit was immediately brought by a competing applicant, Easton Publishing Co., owner of the Easton ExpressThe Express-Times
The Express-Times is a daily newspaper published in Easton, Pennsylvania, with an emphasis on local news. It has won awards in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania.-Ownership:...
newspaper, charging that the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
erred in granting a fourth license to Allentown while Easton
Easton, Pennsylvania
Easton is a city in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,800 as of the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Northampton County....
had only one radio frequency. The FCC reversed its decision in favor of the newspaper. The case eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, which in 1955 ruled the FCC had acted properly. The Express was subsequently awarded the 1230 AM frequency for a new full-time station, WEEX
WEEX
WEEX is a sports radio station in Easton, Pennsylvania branded as "ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320" and is owned by Nassau Broadcasting. Their programming is simulcast on co-owned WTKZ , licensed to nearby Allentown, Pennsylvania....
, while WHOL moved to 1600 AM. WHOL operates full-time with reduced wattage at night. It simulcasts Spanish Tropical Music with WEST and has grown to become a top 10 rated radio station in the market. The Allentown Hispanic Market is over 25%.