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| Broadcast area | Western New York |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 104.1MHz |
| Branding | Classic Hits 104.1 WHTT |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Classic hits |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBBF,WEDG,WGRF | |
| History | |
First air date | 1954; 71 years ago (1954) (as WWOL-FM) |
Former call signs | WWOL-FM (1954–1979) WWOR (1979–1980) WACJ (1980–1982) WNYS-FM (1982–1986) |
Call sign meaning | W ClassicHiTsT |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 53968 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 118 meters (387 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | whtt.com |
WHTT-FM (104.1MHz) is acommercialradio station inBuffalo, New York, servingWestern New York. It is owned byCumulus Media and broadcasts aclassic hitsformat, simply calling itself"Classic Hits 104.1". Thestudios and offices are on James E. Casey Drive in Buffalo.
WHTT has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000watts, the maximum for most ofNew York. Thetransmitter is off Dorrance Avenue inWest Seneca, next to Abbott Road Plaza.[2]
The stationsigned on in 1947; 78 years ago (1947). Itscall sign wasWWOL-FM, with its studios inLackawanna. One of the station's early disc jockeys was Guy King, who later found fame under the nameTom Clay. Two others would start their own stations after runs at WWOL: Dan Lesniak launched WADV (nowWYRK), whilecountry musicianRamblin' Lou Schriver put 1300WXRL on the air.Joey Reynolds also briefly worked at the station in the 1950s.
The station also held the call lettersWWOR andWACJ. It changed call signs toWNYS in 1982 when it flipped to aTop 40/CHR format, later taking on the name "Hot 104 WNYS". During the Top 40/CHR years, the station employed the female comic andsyndicated progressive talk hostStephanie Miller. Another employee of this era wasJay Thomas, who after his brief run at this station (and numerous others) found fame as a DJ, comedian, and actor.
The station changed formats and call letters in the autumn of 1986, switching toclassic hits with the motto "Classic Hits 104.1, The All New WHTT". The station was one of the first to take the "classic hits" name in the United States, and did so due to the lack of a classic rock station in Buffalo afterWGRQ (96.9 FM) switched to adult contemporary music. In May 1989, after 96.9 FM (which had the WRLT call letters at the time) went back to classic rock as WGRF, WHTT became anoldies music outlet playing hits centered on the 1960s, less rock-oriented than the classic rock stations with which it was competing and slightly newer than the 1950s-centric oldies format airing on what was thenWGKT. WHTT adopted the on air branding"Oldies 104".[3]Danny Neaverth was the station's long-running morning host during the Oldies 104 era, withTom Shannon hosting afternoon drive.
In the late 1980s, the call letters and format were also heard on sister AM station 1120 AM (nowWBBF); through 2020, WBBF resumedsimulcasting WHTT as a temporary measure to keep the AM station's signal occupied after a long-term lease was terminated, before breaking off from the simulcast again in 2021.
By September 2003, the station, like many other oldies stations in the United States, had evolved into a classic hits format, playing a mix ofClassic rock,Soft rock,R&B andPop music hits from the mid-1960s through the 1970s. At this point, the station changed its slogan to "104.1 WHTT, The Greatest Hits Of All Time". In the autumn of 2004, the slogan was modified to "104.1 WHTT Buffalo's Greatest Hits." In November 2006, since its music library now progressed well into the 1980s, it changed yet again to "104.1 WHTT, Buffalo's Best Mix."
The move was carefully timed as the station imaged itself as more of anadult contemporary station as the two AC outlets in Buffalo,WJYE andWTSS, both changed to full-timeChristmas music in November and WHTT historically has not. It instead opted for one Christmas song per hour from the day after Thanksgiving up through a few days before Christmas, then increasing to all-Christmas music for the last week before the holiday.
In addition, WHTT added many artists who are staples of the Adult Contemporary format, such asMadonna,Wilson Phillips,Don Henley, andSheryl Crow to its playlist while keeping a large amount of 1965–1985 music in rotation, thus shifting towards a gold-based AC.
In late February 2007, WHTT switched toAdult contemporary/Adult hits and changed its on-air branding to "Mix 104.1", adding current and recent hits from artists such asKelly Clarkson,Maroon 5,The Goo Goo Dolls,Carrie Underwood andAvril Lavigne, while continuing to phase out 1960s and 1970s music. The station also introduced a brand-new logo. Some of the oldies music was displaced toWGRF. Most of the staff was retained, with Val Townsend coming fromWEDG as the afternoonjock to eventually replace longtime jock Harv Moore being the only notable change in the transition.
However, by October 2007, since ratings for the new "Mix" format had fallen somewhat dramatically since its debut, late 1960s and 1970s music slowly returned to WHTT's playlist while current material was reduced back to one song per hour. As of April 2008, the top 8 songs in WHTT's top 100 playlist were all current hits, but rest of the top 100 songs were all songs from the 1970s through the 1990s. By July 2008, the current hits had mostly disappeared from the station's playlist and the station increased its focus on music from the 1970s and 1980s and returned to the playlist several songs from the 1960s, similar to the "Buffalo's Greatest Hits" time period, although it maintains the "Mix" branding. This leftWJYE andCHRE-FM as the onlyadult contemporary radio stations inBuffalo, New York.
The station alternated back and forth; by October 2008, the current hits had regained some prominence. By early 2009, the playlist had evolved back into a programming format nearly identical to the first days as 'Mix.' Later in 2009, the station shifted back toward mostly 1980s music, with current hits getting played two times per hour.
On August 10, 2009, after much insistence from listeners, WHTT officially switched back to itsclassic hits format, changing its slogan to the late 1980s-era "Classic Hits 104.1 WHTT" and adopting its early-2000s format of 1960s, 1970s and early-mid-1980s music.[4][5] The move created a marked improvement in the station's ratings.
As of 2024, the station airs a tightly programmed playlist, mostly consisting of 1980s pop hits, occasionally featuring a few songs from the 1960s, 70s and 90s.
Midday jock Val Townsend was removed (but later brought back for a weekend shift), but the rest of the staff was retained in the change. Formerly rounding out the weekends are Brian J Walker and Mike Jacobs. The weekday staff until 2022 consisted of morning host Bill Lacy, midday jock Heather Perry (voicetracked fromWWLI inProvidence, Rhode Island), and music director/afternoon host Joe Siragusa. Lacy is slated to retire in May 2022.[6] After Billy Lacy Retired in early 2022 he was replaced by Laura Daniels who started at the station on August 19, 2022, and remains the host in the mornings.
As of 2025 the current live jocks Monday - Friday are, Laura Daniels (6 -10am), Heather Perry (10am - 3pm), Joe Siragusa (3 - 7pm) and Russ Burton (7pm - midnight).
Contests:
The station offers a variety of local and national contests.
As of 2025 the daily local contests conisist of the"Brain Buzz" at 7:40am, and "Think Fast" at 8:40am. The station also runs other local contests on their website.
The station also participates in national contests through Cumulus Media, these are for concert trips, etc.
Starting in the 1990s, the station held an annual concert event known as "Oldiesfest" each summer featuring many musical acts from the 1950s and 1960s. The last "Oldiesfest" was held in 2004 and featured performers from the groupsBadfinger,Gallery, andBlood, Sweat and Tears.
In November 2005, WHTT launched a "Holiday Music Channel" internet stream. The "Holiday Music Channel" playedChristmas music and was meant to complement WHTTs regular lineup, which had largely continued its normal playlist throughout the holiday season. Said channel was revived in 2006.
In March 2006, Citadel launched an initiative that provided for the streaming of many of Citadel's stations. WHTT was one of them, and was among the first commercial stations in Buffalo to resume streaming. WHTT previously provided a popular internet stream from the mid-1990s through 2001. That stream was halted after continuing uncertainty over rights issues related to the streaming of radio broadcast programming over the Internet, including issues regarding demands for additional fees for the streaming of recorded music and radio commercials. After working out technicalities with various industrytrade unions many stations, including WHTT, resumed their internet stream but without airing the commercials listeners hear on theFM broadcast.
Several noted radio stations were issued the WHTTcall sign by theUnited States government agencyFCC, previous to 104.1FM inBuffalo, New York.
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42°49′52″N78°48′00″W / 42.831°N 78.800°W /42.831; -78.800
