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| Broadcast area | Tampa Bay area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 102.5 The Bone |
| Programming | |
| Format | Hot talk |
| Subchannels | HD2:Sports radio |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | November 15, 1960; 65 years ago (1960-11-15) (as WYAK) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "The Point" (former branding) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 51986 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 503 meters (1,650 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 27°24′31″N82°14′59″W / 27.40861°N 82.24972°W /27.40861; -82.24972 |
| Repeater | 107.3 WXGL-HD2 (St. Petersburg) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live Listen live (via Audacy) |
| Website | www |
WHPT (102.5FM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toSarasota, Florida, and serving theTampa Bay area. Owned byCox Media Group, it broadcasts ahot talkformat. It is also theflagship station forTampa Bay Lightninghockey and carriesSouth Florida Bulls football. WHPT'sstudios and offices are on 4th Street North inSt. Petersburg.
WHPT is aClass C station with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts, the maximum for most stations. Thetransmitter site is off 283rd Street East near Gopher Hill Road in Myakka City, an unincorporated area of southwestManatee County.[2] WHPT broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD2subchannel airs a Tampa Bay Lightningsports radio format.
The stationsigned on the air on November 15, 1960; 65 years ago (1960-11-15).[3] Its originalcall sign was WYAK. It was a rare stand-alone FM station in an era where most were co-owned with AM or TV stations. It was owned by the Multitone Music Corporation with studios at 1375 Fifth Street. It was powered at 2,750 watts, a fraction of its current output.
In 1967, the station was acquired by Stewart Broadcasting, the owners of WSAF 1220 AM (nowWSRQ).[4] The call letters were changed to WSAF-FM and the two stations begansimulcasting most of their programming.
In 1973, the Sarasota Radio Company purchased WSAF-FM and changed its format tobeautiful music. It played quarter-hour sweeps of soft instrumentals withBroadway andHollywoodshow tunes. The call sign was switched to WQSR. Those call letters reflected company president, Edward Rogers', philosophy: QSR: Quality Stereo Radio.
For several years, WQSR playing beautiful music from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., andprogressive rock from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. The station finally pulled the plug on the daytime format when ratings and advertising sales clearly indicated the community's preference for rock and roll.[5] During part of this period, the station addedquadraphonic sound, and promoted itself as "Quad One-Oh-Two-And-A-Half". The free-form rock music format would eventually suffer challenges from better-researchedalbum rock formats that eroded itsArbitron ratings. In 1991, the call sign was switched to the current WHPT, which stood for "The Point", the station's moniker at the time. That was given up a few years later, when the station started calling itself "The Bone" while keeping the same call letters.
Over time, theDJs were given more freedom to add comedy and other comments to their radio shows. Management noted that was becoming more popular than the music the station played. In April 2012, WHPT fully transitioned tohot talk, while keeping "The Bone" moniker.[6]
In September 2022, Cox Radio announced that WHPT would be the new flagship station of theTampa Bay Lightning of theNational Hockey League. The station also began using its HD2 subchannel for 24/7 Lightning-focused programming, which included original live programming, game replays, podcasts, and more.[7] In 2022, WHPT also became the flagship station ofUniversity of South Florida sports, includingBulls football,men's basketball, andwomen's basketball.[8]
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