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| Broadcast area | Greater Pittsburgh |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 99.7MHz |
| Branding | Wish 99.7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | March 8, 1948; 77 years ago (1948-03-08) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | disambiguation of the word "Wish" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 55709 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 17,000 watts |
| HAAT | 260 meters (850 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | wishpittsburgh |
WSHH (99.7FM) is acommercial radio station inPittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the flagship ofRenda Media and airs anadult contemporaryradio format. WSHH is Pittsburgh's affiliate of the syndicatedDelilah show, which airs every night. Between Mid-November and December 25 each year, WSHH airs aChristmas music format.
The station'stransmitter is co-located withNBCnetwork affiliateWPXI on Rising Main Avenue in Pittsburgh nearInterstate 279. Its studios and offices located on Parish Street.
On March 8, 1948, the station firstsigned on as WJAS-FM[2] It was the FM counterpart toWJAS, owned by the Pittsburgh Radio Supply House.
The two stationssimulcast and werenetwork affiliates ofCBS Radio, airing its dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows andbig band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio." As network programming moved from radio to television in the 1950s, WJAS-AM-FM carried afull service,middle of the road format of music, talk, news and sports.
On November 1, 1957, theNational Broadcasting Company (NBC) gained control of WJAS and WJAS-FM, adding them to their roster of network owned-and-operated stations.[3] Later that month the call letters were changed to WAMP and WFMP, which was derived from "AM and FM Pittsburgh".[4] Three years later, both stations changed back to their original call letters.[5]
In the late 1960s, WJAS-FM ended its simulcast and began playingbeautiful music, which continued into the 1970s and 1980s. In 1973, WJAS-AM-FM were sold to Heftel Broadcasting.[6] Heftel made some significant changes: WJAS switched to atalk format with thecall sign WKTQ, while WJAS-FM became WSHH, using the moniker "Wish 100."
During the 1970s, beautiful music was well represented on Pittsburgh radio:WKJF, which later became WJOI, was the leader for many years, andKDKA-FM airedautomated beautiful music during the day and classical music at night. (It became WPNT in 1979 with beautiful music (no more classical) and live announcers.) Despite the competition, by the late 1970s, WSHH was Pittsburgh's number two station behindKDKA. WSHH's ratings were helped by a full staff of live announcers, to add some personality and information, in addition to the instrumental music sweeps.
Nationwide Communications, a division ofNationwide Insurance, bought WKTQ and WSHH in 1975.[7] In 1982, Nationwide fired most of the WSHH staff, replacing them with an automated "live assist" format, to cut expenses. John Ford was the last live announcer before the switch.
During Wish's halcyon years, the station had only two announcers for the 24-hour broadcast day - program director and morning announcer Joe Fenn and afternoon announcer Tom Malloy. Both men would work a live four-hour on-air shift, but their pre-recorded voices would be heard for another eight hours each day.
Wish was sold in October 1983 to its current owner,Renda Broadcasting Corporation.[8] It was the first major market FM acquisition for company president Anthony F. Renda, who had also owned WIXZ (nowWGBN) in suburbanMcKeesport during the 1970s. (Renda bought that station back in 1997.) Renda also acquiredWPXZ andWECZ inPunxsutawney three years prior to the acquisition of Wish 100.
While the ratings for WSHH remained high, its audience was aging, while advertisers usually prefer younger listeners. The groundwork for a format change began in 1988, when Renda lured legendary Pittsburgh DJ Jack Bogut away fromWTAE to do mornings.
In 1989, Renda Broadcasting decided to challenge former easy listeningWLTJ's position as Pittsburgh'ssoft adult contemporary at-work station by changing WSHH itself to Soft AC, on December 26, 1989.[9] The switch worked with WSHH becoming the Soft AC leader.
In 1997, WSHH moved from its longtime home on Crane Avenue inGreen Tree to Parrish Street, just off Greentree Road and approximately a mile from the Crane Avenue building. This new building houses WSHH's studios and offices, as well as the corporate offices for Renda Broadcasting.
In 2009, WSHH saw its AC rival WLTJ move to a younger direction as aHot AC station. By2012, WSHH became Pittsburgh's last remaining AC, when suburban AC stationWLER-FM inButler, flipped tomainstream rock.
During the Christmas season, WSHH plays holiday-themed music, beginning in mid-November. WSHH, like many other Christmas music stations, returns to regular programming on December 26. In recent years, WSHH has aired aChristmas Preview Weekend, which is a fullChristmas music format for the weekend only, in the weekends leading up to Thanksgiving. This Christmas music format competes withClassic Hits-formattedWWSW-FM, owned byiHeartMedia. In 2024, WSHH continued the Christmas music through the weekend after Christmas instead of ending on December 26.
40°27′48″N80°00′15″W / 40.4634°N 80.0042°W /40.4634; -80.0042