Broadcast area Greater Hartford Facility ID 72144 Frequency 105.9 MHz Format Classic hits Area Hartford | HAAT 264 meters (866 ft) Sister stations WKSS, WPOP, WUCS, WWYZ City of license Hartford Owner iHeartMedia Inc Branding The River 105.9 | |
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ERP 16,000 watts, directional Callsign meaning W Hartford Concert Network Slogan Hartford's Variety Station | ||
WHCN (105.9 MHz "The River 105.9") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Hartford, Connecticut. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.. Its format is adult hits in which it blends classic rock and new wave, with current and recent hit songs. It is similar to the "JACK-FM" format. "The River" brand, shared with many adult contemporary stations nationwide, is a local reference to the Connecticut River.
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WHCN's transmitter operates at 16,000 watts from West Peak State Park in Meriden, New Haven County. Because it is only about 100 miles from New York City, home of 105.9 WQXR-FM, WHCN uses a directional antenna to avoid interference. Studios and offices are on Columbus Boulevard in Hartford.
Early Years
WHCN traces its history back to the earliest days of FM Radio. It was first licensed as experimental station W1XSL in 1936. It originally broadcast in the old FM band between 42 and 50 MHz. It subsequently used the call letters W1XPW, W65H, WDRC-FM (not related to today's WDRC-FM) and WFMQ before arriving at WHCN in 1958 as a classical music outlet. The call letters stood for the "Hartford Concert Network" because the station often aired classical music concerts.
Rock Music Era
WHCN shifted from classical music to progressive rock in 1969. The format was later flipped to mainstream album rock in late 1976. Known as "106-WHCN", it was very successful in the 1970s and the 1980s. WHCN was home to the morning show Picozzi and The Horn, up until the mid-1990s. Mike Picozzi would later move to rival rock station 106.9 WCCC-FM, eventually becoming program director there. WHCN flipped to classic rock in the mid-1990s to compete for the older rock audience that grew up with the station. New owners switched the moniker to "105-9 WHCN," moving to a harder-edged classic rock sound billed as "Classic Rock that really rocks!". WHCN would be snapped up by Liberty Broadcasting and then SFX Broadcasting/Capstar, then AMFM, which merged with Clear Channel Communications in 2000.
Move to Adult Hits
After years of declining ratings, the 33-year run of the WHCN brand would come to an abrupt end in March 2002 when WHCN became known as "The River 105.9", retaining most of its on-air staff from its previous Classic Rock incarnation. The station's "The Rock" slogan and later the station's former Asylum Street studios would be snatched up by one-time rival WCCC-FM. WHCN's playlist was different and more diverse than other stations in the market, which helped it shoot up in ratings from 13th place to 5th place within a year. "The River 105.9" targets listeners who enjoy both rock and hot adult contemporary formats, by blending classic rock hits of the 1970s and 1980s with current and recent hits. The WHCN call letters have been retained to reflect the station's past.
The station appeals to baby boomers and Generation X listeners with specialty programs such as the "Eighties at Eight", which is an hour of Eighties music starting at 8am. The 10 o'clock Artist Spotlight at 10am and the "High School Reunion" at 6pm, focusing on a specific year.
Station Transmitter
WHCN is a Class B FM station, a class allowed to transmit up to 50,000 watts Effective Radiated Power (ERP) at 150 meters Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT). Stations broadcasting at higher elevations transmit at ERPs reduced on a sliding scale that varies with height. WHCN transmits at 264 meters HAAT, with an ERP of 16,000 watts, equivalent to 50,000 watts at 150 meters. (FCC Facility 72144). The facility radiates in a directional pattern, with maximum ERP at 30° azimuth, in the direction of Hartford, Connecticut. The signal is reduced in other directions. Its weakest strengths are at 190° and 230° azimuth, toward the southwest. That is to reduce interference with WQXR-FM, a classical music station in New York City that is also on 105.9 MHz, broadcasting from the Empire State Building. In those directions the signal is .45 of full power, or 7,200 watts. Meanwhile, WQXR operates at reduced power (610 watts at 416 meters) to avoid interfering with WHCN.