| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Madison County, Alabama |
| Frequency | 1230kHz |
| Branding | The Big Talker 800/1230 |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/talk |
| Network | Fox News Radio |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | May 23, 1937; 87 years ago (1937-05-23) |
Last air date | October 3, 2024; 6 months ago (2024-10-03) |
Former frequencies | 1200 kHz (1937–1941) |
Call sign meaning | Wilton "Buster" H. Pollard (former owner)[1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 44025 |
| Class | C |
| Power | 1,000 watts (unlimited) |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°43′9.3″N86°35′42″W / 34.719250°N 86.59500°W /34.719250; -86.59500 |
| Translator(s) | 102.5 W273CX (Huntsville) |
| Repeater(s) | 102.1 WDRM-HD2 (Decatur) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | wbhpam |
WBHP (1230kHz, "The Big Talker") was acommercial radio station inHuntsville, Alabama, and servedMadison County.[3] The station was owned bySan Antonio-basediHeartMedia and aired anews/talkformat. WBHP programming wassimulcast onWHOS (800 AM) in nearbyDecatur,FM translatorW273CX at 102.5MHz and on the secondHD Radio channel ofWDRM (102.1 FM). Its studios were located inMadison, Alabama, and its AMtransmitter was located southwest of downtown Huntsville.
WBHP went on the air in 1937. It was the indirect successor to a previous station, WBHS, which operated from 1932 to 1935. WBHP was acountry music station until 1997, when it began anall-news format. The station went off the air in 2024 after its tower collapsed; it did not return, and surrendered its license in 2025.
The firstconstruction permit for a station on 1200 kHz in Huntsville was issued in May 1931. Itsigned on the air on April 22, 1932, as WBHS, the first radio station in Huntsville.[4] It was a service of The Hutchens Company, a hardware firm; the WBHScall sign stood "World's Best Hardware Store". The studios were in theRussel Erskine Hotel in downtown Huntsville. WBHS later moved to a building on Governor’s Drive.
During theGreat Depression, WBHS ran into financial problems and went off the air in 1935. TheFederal Communications Commission (FCC) reassigned the frequency and a new station went on the air on May 23, 1937, with the call letters WBHP.[5] This call sign stemmed from longtime previous owner Wilton "Buster" Harvey Pollard.[1] In 1941, due to theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, WBHP moved from 1200 kHz to 1230 kHz. WBHP went through several owners until its eventual acquisition byiHeartMedia, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications).
From its early days until the November 1997 switch to anall-news format, WBHP broadcastcountry music.[6][7] In the 1960s the country music station put its format aside for one hour each Sunday afternoon to airclassical music. The program was called "The German Hour" and catered toWernher von Braun’sGerman rocket scientists and their families. More than 1500 German scientists, engineers and technicians were brought to Huntsville to work on developing rockets as part ofOperation Paperclip.
In 2018, WBHP launchedFM translator W273CX (102.5 FM) to simulcast the station.
On October 3, 2024, a delivery truck clipped a guy wire and toppled the WBHP transmission tower on Governors Drive, taking the station off the air.[8] It never returned; iHeartMedia returned the WBHP license to the FCC in February 2025,[9] and it was cancelled on February 25, 2025.[10] WBHP's programming would continue on WHOS, WDRM-HD2, and W273CX;[9][11] on March 4, 2025, iHeartMedia filed to change WHOS's call sign to WBHP effective March 31.[11]
Weekdays on WBHP and WHOS began withAlabama's Morning News with JT, based at co-ownedWERC-FM inBirmingham. The rest of the weekday schedule was made up ofnationally syndicated talk shows, mostly from co-ownedPremiere Networks:The Glenn Beck Radio Program,The Sean Hannity Show,The Michael Berry Show,The Jesse Kelly Show,Our American Stories with Lee Habeeb andCoast to Coast AM withGeorge Noory.
Weekends featured shows on money, health, technology, travel and religion. Weekend syndicated programs includeRudy Maxa World Travel,The Weekend with Michael Brown,Armstrong & Getty,Rich DeMuro on Tech,The Ben Ferguson Show andSunday Night with Bill Cunningham. Most hours began with an update fromFox News Radio.
In addition to its regularly scheduled talk programming, the station was anaffiliate of theAuburn Tigers football radio network.[12] It also carriedAuburn Tigers men's basketball.[13]
WBHP and WHOS were theflagship stations for the 1999-2000 final season of theHuntsville Channel Cats and for the short-livedHuntsville Tornado for the 2000-2001 hockey season.[14] Both teams played their home games at theVon Braun Center and competed in theCentral Hockey League.
As acountry music-formatted station, WBHP on-air personality Dana Webb was nominated for and won aCountry Music Association Award as "Small Market Broadcast Personality of the Year" in 1986.[15]