First air date December 21, 1964 HAAT 28 meters | Frequency 88.5 MHz ERP 1,500 watts | |
Format High School Broadcasting | ||
WHFH 88.5 FM is an American FM non-profit non-commercial educational high school radio station licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to serve the community of and areas surrounding Flossmoor, Illinois. The station is owned and operated by Homewood-Flossmoor High School.
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Flossmoor is located about 20 miles south of Chicago. The station has a potential listening audience of 2.4 million people. Operating at 1,500 watts effective radiated power, WHFH is one of the largest high school radio stations in the United States. The station operates Monday through Thursday from 8:30 am to 9:00 PM and on Fridays, when it shuts down at 6:00 PM. WHFH sometimes extends its broadcasting hours to accommodate extra programming (i.e. school sports games and political coverage).
History
Starting as 'The Radio Club' in 1962, Homewood-Flossmoor High School was originally granted a license to operate at 10 watts on the 88.5 FM frequency on December 21, 1964. The first broadcast was on January 7, 1965. Over the years the program grew. In the 1970s the station boosted its power to 1,500 watts (where it remains to this day). A new studio was built in 1992 in order to accommodate the school's growing television program. Another renovation was conducted in 2012 in order to create a more technologically advanced studio for both Viking Television and WHFH Radio.
Student curriculum
WHFH is run mainly by the student body of Homewood-Flossmoor High School with faculty oversight. The station's license is vested in the Board of Education. The station's General Manager was Robert Comstock, an alumnus, who has been acting in various roles with the program since the 1960s. He retired in 2012 and the position was assumed by Mark Ciesielski, a teacher in the program.
WHFH has both curricular and volunteer positions. During a student's second year in the curriculum he or she must produce, edit and direct a radio documentary (formerly 55 minutes long, now 25 minutes due to time constraints) that is broadcast live over the radio. Only by successfully completing this assignment is a student given a management position during her or his third and fourth years in the program.
Reception pattern
WHFH can be heard within the following boundaries:
Northbound range varies due to the frequency overlap with WHPK at University of Chicago