WHVN

History

The station that would become WHVN on the 1240 frequency in Charlotte began operations in 1929 in Gastonia, North Carolina on 1210 kHz with the call letters WRBU. According to a 1930 Federal Radio Commission listing, the station had a power of 100 watts and was licensed to the "A. J. Kirby Music Company". Sometime in the 1930s the station's city of license was changed to Charlotte and the call sign was changed to WSOC, supposedly meaning "We Serve Our City". The 1941 North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) mandated a change in frequency to 1240 kHz. In the late 1950s, most stations on "Class IV" (local) frequencies were allowed to increase their daytime power to 1,000 watts, and WSOC increased their daytime power as well. Also in the 1950s the owners of WSOC brought to the air WSOC-FM at 103.7 MHz, and WSOC-TV on VHF channel 9.

In the early 1960s, Cox Broadcasting Company, then-owners of WSOC, traded frequencies with WIST at 930 kHz. Under the ownership of Cosmos Broadcasting and later Henderson Belk the station gained the WIST legacy of the first true Top 40 station in Charlotte, and by the end of the decade had pioneered the Progressive rock format in Charlotte as "The Amazing AM", but changes were in the works. In 1972, the Progressive Rock format was shifted to WIST-FM at 95.1 MHz, and their calls were changed to WRNA. Belk then sold WIST(AM) to Statesville Broadcasting Company, which gained CBS Radio Network affiliation for the station and began Charlotte's first talk radio format on WIST. Charlotte radio legend Jack Knight was hired to do the morning show. Current John Boy and Billy sidekick Robert D. Raiford hosted one of the talk shows, and was notorious for screaming at callers. The format was unsuccessful, and Statesville Broadcasting sold the station by the middle of the 1970s.

WIST/1240's next ownership was a partnership between former WBT ad salesman Al Munn and Consolidated Theater Corporation. Munn initially changed the format to Adult contemporary music and brought his family into the employ of the station. Munn also attempted to operate the station as a broadcasting school, eventually separating the school functions into the "WISTA School of Broadcasting." In 1979 the Charlotte radio landscape had a major change. Longtime AM country music leader WAME was purchased by Jimmy Swaggart Ministries and became a religious station. The country music format hole was quickly filled by WIST, becoming "Live Country 1240". By this time the partnership between Munn and Consolidated Theaters was coming unraveled, and the theater company bought Munn out of the arrangement.

In the early 1980s, WIST gave country music its last serious attempt on the AM dial in Charlotte, becoming "The Bright Spot." The format was innovative, but most country listeners had switched to WSOC-FM and the format did not succeed. As its last gasp, WIST tried Top 40 again in the early 1980s before signing off the air.

In 1983, The station was purchased by George H. Buck, who at that time owned WHVN, which operated daytime-only at 1310 kHz. Originally, 1310 had been WKTC, Charlotte's first country station, before adopting a Christian format in 1971. WHVN moved to the 1240 frequency, and sold its old frequency to Dick Tomlinson. Tomlinson began WGSP on 1310, which exists today as a Regional Mexican format.

In 1998, WHVN's owner bought WCGC in Belmont.

In 2009, WHVN Inc. bought an existing permit for a translator at 93.5 FM. As of August 2009, the radio station uses another translator at 104.3 FM.

In 2014, WTIX in Concord, North Carolina began simulcasting WHVN.