WZHT
Encyclopedia
WZHT is a mainstream urban
formatted radio station
that broadcasts on the 105.7 MHz frequency licensed
to Troy, Alabama
, that serves the Montgomery
area.
The station has an unusually large coverage area due its antennas being co-located with WSFA
, which has one of the tallest towers in the Southern United States
at 1,830 feet; it uses this in its slogan "The Station You Hear Everywhere".
station until 1977, when it was sold to Troy businessman R.E. Shelley and became Top-40 "WRES", the new call letters being Shelley's initials.
The station was known as "106 FM". In 1982, Ozark, Alabama, architect H. Jack Mizell purchased WRES and changed the station back to a country format with WIGC (We're In God's Country), as the call sign. Mizell succeeded in having the transmitter site changed from a 400' tower in Troy to the nearly 2000' tall WSFA-TV12 tower in the Grady community, about half way between Troy and Montgomery. The 105.7 signal could then be heard from Birmingham to the north, the Northwest Florida Beaches to the south, the central Mississippi/Alabama border to the west and well into Georgia to the east.
In December 1984, WRJM "Classic 105.7" was born with a soft adult contemporary format, except for Saturday nights, when the popular oldies program "Hubcap Classics" was heard.
The station was sold to Mississippi broadcaster Eddie Holliday in October 1987. Holliday moved the offices and studios from Troy to Montgomery and began focusing on the Montgomery market exclusively. "Magic 105.7" had the calls "WALQ" briefly and then "WMGF". 1988 saw another call letter change to "WZHT" and the station moved into the urban contemporary format (with some R&B and rap music mixed in) and became "Hot 105.7". Holliday sold the station to Clear Channel in the mid-1990s.
In 2009, WZHT started to include rhythmic tracks in their playlist from the likes of Lady Gaga
, Ke$ha, Justin Bieber
, and Jason Derulo
. However, they still report to Mediabase and BDS as Urban.
Mainstream Urban
Mainstream Urban is a term used to describe a radio format similar to an Urban Contemporary format. The format differentiates itself due to two factors: playlist composition and target demographic...
formatted 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...
that broadcasts on the 105.7 MHz frequency licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to Troy, Alabama
Troy, Alabama
Troy is a city in Pike County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,003. Troy experienced a growth spurt of over 4,000+ people since 2000. The city is the county seat of Pike County....
, that serves the Montgomery
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
area.
The station has an unusually large coverage area due its antennas being co-located with WSFA
WSFA
WSFA is the NBC-affiliated television station for Central Alabama's Black Belt region licensed to Montgomery. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 12 from a transmitter in Grady along the Montgomery and Pike County line. The station can also be seen on Knology and Charter...
, which has one of the tallest towers in the Southern United States
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
at 1,830 feet; it uses this in its slogan "The Station You Hear Everywhere".
History
105.7 FM began operations as 100,000 watt WTUB in 1972 and was owned by the Boothe family from Opp, Alabama. It primarily served Troy and South Central Alabama. It was formatted as a country musicCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station until 1977, when it was sold to Troy businessman R.E. Shelley and became Top-40 "WRES", the new call letters being Shelley's initials.
The station was known as "106 FM". In 1982, Ozark, Alabama, architect H. Jack Mizell purchased WRES and changed the station back to a country format with WIGC (We're In God's Country), as the call sign. Mizell succeeded in having the transmitter site changed from a 400' tower in Troy to the nearly 2000' tall WSFA-TV12 tower in the Grady community, about half way between Troy and Montgomery. The 105.7 signal could then be heard from Birmingham to the north, the Northwest Florida Beaches to the south, the central Mississippi/Alabama border to the west and well into Georgia to the east.
In December 1984, WRJM "Classic 105.7" was born with a soft adult contemporary format, except for Saturday nights, when the popular oldies program "Hubcap Classics" was heard.
The station was sold to Mississippi broadcaster Eddie Holliday in October 1987. Holliday moved the offices and studios from Troy to Montgomery and began focusing on the Montgomery market exclusively. "Magic 105.7" had the calls "WALQ" briefly and then "WMGF". 1988 saw another call letter change to "WZHT" and the station moved into the urban contemporary format (with some R&B and rap music mixed in) and became "Hot 105.7". Holliday sold the station to Clear Channel in the mid-1990s.
In 2009, WZHT started to include rhythmic tracks in their playlist from the likes of Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
, Ke$ha, Justin Bieber
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber is a Canadian pop/R&B singer, songwriter and actor. Bieber was discovered in 2008 by Scooter Braun, who came across Bieber's videos on YouTube and later became his manager...
, and Jason Derulo
Jason Derulo
Jason Joel Desrouleaux , better known by his stage name Jason Derülo, is an American singer-songwriter, actor and dancer. After producing records for several artists and writing songs for Cash Money Records, co-founder of the label Birdman, Young Money Entertainment owner Lil Wayne and rapper...
. However, they still report to Mediabase and BDS as Urban.