WHFS
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| WHFS | |
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| City of license | Catonsville, MD |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Baltimore, MD - Washington, DC |
| Branding | "105.7 HFS" |
| Slogan | "Baltimore's FM Talk" |
| First air date | November 11, 1961 |
| Frequency | 105.7 (MHz)  |
| Format | Talk HD2: Modern Rock |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| Class | B |
| Callsign meaning | W High Fidelity Stereo |
| Owner | CBS Radio |
| Website | www.1057freefm.com |
WHFS are the call letters for the FM radio station transmitting on 105.7 MHz, licensed to Catonsville, Maryland, and broadcasting from studios in suburban Towson, Maryland. They originally stood for "Washington's High Fidelity Stereo." That station and its predecessor are owned by CBS Radio (formerly Infinity Broadcasting). WHFS has broadcasted in the Washington, DC/Baltimore, Maryland markets on various frequencies for over 40 years, usually referred to as 'HFS. Jake Einstein was the prominent partner during the station's heyday of progressive rock when it was located in Bethesda, Maryland. His sons David and Damian were members of the air staff.
From the late 1960s until January 12, 2005, WHFS broadcast a progressive/alternative rock format. The station's target demographic was listeners aged 18-34. For many local residents, it was the first place to hear such bands as R.E.M., Pixies, and The Smiths. David Einstein, the program director for 20 years, was the first in the area to play "new music" from then unknown artists such as U2, REM, Simple Minds, the Cure, New Order, and Depeche Mode. In the 1990s, it featured a specialty show called "Now Hear This", hosted by Dave Marsh, that highlighted indie and local music. WHFS has also been the host of the HFStival since 1990.
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[edit] History
[edit] 1960s
WHFS began broadcasting on November 11, 1961, on a frequency of 102.3 FM in Bethesda, Maryland. It was the first station in the Washington, DC, area to broadcast in FM-stereo. It was originally located in a 20 × 20 foot space in the basement of the Bethesda Medical Building on Wisconsin Avenue with antenna on the roof. Its original format was a combination of MOR and classical, with jazz after 10 p.m. The original owners were considerably underfunded, and the station was sold in 1963. The station was initially moved to Norfolk Ave. in Bethesda and later to Woodmont Ave. All these locations are within a 3-block distance. Its studios, on the second floor of a luxury condo on Woodmont Avenue, were located directly across the street from the Psyche Delly, a venue for live performances by bands playing the club circuit, and many musicians, famous and not yet famous, traipsed across the street to do interviews and perform live at the station. Many cut WHFS-specific IDs. One classic example of a legal ID done by a bass-vocal centered rhythm & blues group went, "Of all the stations we like the best, it's W - Hhhhh---F-Sssss; we'll be rockin', we'll be rollin', on W - Hhhhh---F-Sssss - - - 102.3 - Bethesda." The enthusiastic and knowledgeable interviews by such deejays as Jonathan "Weasel" Gilbert, who held down the drive-time afternoon weekday slot - about the time that bands setting up across the street were ready for a dinner break before a performance - provided fascinating details about the artists' experience, as well as providing plugs for the upcoming appearance. Weasel's obvious friendship with many of his guests elicited striking candor from them.
[edit] 1970s
During the 70's, WHFS would broadcast music other FM Rock stations normally would not, including cuts as long as 20 minutes. Artists like Frank Zappa, Yes, Genesis, Roxy Music and other non-commercial artists, at that time, would be the normal format. The station made a policy of never playing a "hit" and unprecedently left the playing lists strictly up to the DJs. Once in a while the DJ's would, as a joke, throw in a Top 40 hit just to throw the listeners off.
In addition to the station's progressive rock and alternative music, jazz, and even bluegrass was prominently featured on their format. One of the show's features was "Thor's Bluegrass" hosted by DJ Thor. Local bluegrass band The Seldom Scene would sometimes perform live from the station.
Fans of the station came to expect certain "regular" features. Listeners were treated to Weasel playing "I Wanna Be Sedated" by the Ramones every Friday towards the end of the work day. Weasel also filled his playlist with requests like local DC near hit "Washingtron" by Tru Fax & the Insaniacs. Weasel actually answered the telephone himself when requests were called in. WHFS made Root Boy Slim's "Christmas at K-Mart" a holiday standard.
According to the Washington Post, the 1978 DJ lineup at WHFS was: Damian Einstein, John "Weasel" Gilbert, David Einstein, Bob "Here" Showacre, Diane Divola, and Tom Grooms.
[edit] 1980s and 90s
- See also: HFStival
At its peak on 102.3, the station was owned by Jacob Einstein. It was then sold to the owners of WTOP (AM) for $2 million which Einstein used to purchase WNAV AM/FM Annapolis, Maryland in 1983. WNAV-AM was sold to Pat Sajak, the game-show host. Einstein took the 'HFS call letters with him and WNAV-FM 99.1 became WHFS (FM) with much higher power than the 102.3 facility. Eventually Einstein's group sold WHFS. When the station switched formats, it was located at the Infinity Broadcasting Center in Lanham, Maryland.
Since 1990, WHFS has hosted an event called the HFStival, an annual (sometimes semi-annual) day-long (sometimes two-day-long) outdoor concert. The concert, often held at Washington's RFK Stadium, features a variety local and national acts; for example, the 2004 lineup included The Cure, Jay-Z, Modest Mouse, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Cypress Hill. Robert Benjamin and Bill Glasser took the HFStival from a small yearly concert in Fairfax, Virginia, to a large festival in Washington DC that was headlined by major acts and was surrounded by culturally significant booths, games, food, and rides, as well as an outdoor second stage. Amongst others, Billy Zero was instrumental in growing the HFStival Locals Only Stage where bands like Good Charlotte and Jimmy's Chicken Shack got their big break. The term Locals Only stuck and is still used today and the Locals Only Stage was copied by Modern Rock Stations across the Country.
Though becoming famous as a cutting-edge station playing the latest underground music (and often beating the mainstream to the punch by months and even years), the station, under Infinity Broadcasting's ownership, became the local modern alternative station in the mid 90s. No longer playing rather obscure progressive rock, nor the classic and hard rock of its Baltimore competitor WIYY, HFS was now formatted more towards a younger set of fans who were more apt to listen to Green Day and Fuel than less mainstream artists such as Fugazi or Lou Reed. The station played much of the alternative hits that were touted by the mainstream press and MTV, turning off many old-school HFS listeners, but in turn gaining many listeners in the 18-24 age demographic. Though in the few years before the infamous 2005 format switch the station did begin to combine more underground programming with its modern rock format, it never fully reverted to its prior all-indie status.
The station's iconic DJs included Tim Virgin, Jonathan "Weasel" Gilbert, Damien Einstein, Neci Crowder, Cerphe Colwell, Dave Issing, Mark Daley AKA "The Alien", Johnny Riggs, Billy Zero, Wild Wes Johnson, Kathryn Lauren, Gina Crash, Bill "Will Robinson" Glasser and The Sports Junkies. Mark Avery held down the 1 a.m. to 6 a.m. slot for many years. One of the many morning shows featured "Meg in the Morning" (aka "Mother Earth Meg" or "Happily Married Meg" as Weasel regularly referred to her, after her nuptials), Bob Waugh and Wild Wes, later to be joined by Robb Timm. Tom Terrell regularly debuted club music that he had brought back from the UK and Europe. The station featured a very popular electronic dance music show, originally called "Mutant Dance Party" and hosted by Zoltar; it was later renamed to "Trancemissions" as Gina Crash took over the hosting duties. Other hosts of the morning show included Shari Elliker, Allen Scott and Gina Crash.
- An article titled "A Brief History of WHFS", originally published in Virtually Alternative Magazine in 2000 can be found here.
[edit] Abrupt format switch to tropical Latin music
At midnight on January 12, 2005, 99.1 WHFS was switched to a Tropical Latin music format. Its call letters were soon changed to WZLL for a few days, and then again to WLZL, and the station was rebranded as "El Zol 99.1 FM". Although a format change had been rumored to some extent for years--due to slipping ratings (22nd) in its primary market of Washington (although its ratings in Baltimore remained high)--the switch was not publicized beforehand and took many long-time fans, and even most of the station's staff, by surprise. Most of the station's staff were not told of the change until less than an hour before it happened, and new management presided in the air studio as the former format was playing its last few songs. Though nearly always met with harsh criticism, such abrupt format changes are a common practice in the radio industry.
AOL, which had a partnership with Infinity Broadcasting and recognized that many people would miss the old WHFS format, quickly launched an internet-only streaming radio station with a playlist much like that of WHFS.
Competition quickly filled a gap in programming:
- Longtime Washington rival DC101 had long since drifted from playing hard rock to a mostly alternative rock format to regain its ratings advantage over WHFS, and was already poised to attract most of the station's Washington-area listeners.
- Also in Washington, Z104 adjusted their modern adult contemporary format to include the more mature artists of the old WHFS format. (The station was replaced by classical music a year later.)
- In Annapolis, WRNR 103.1 FM, a station with an adult album alternative format, picked up many former WHFS listeners. Some were attracted by its similarities to the more progressive days of WHFS in the 1980s; others tuned in to hear DJs that had left WHFS well before the format switch, such as Damien Einstein, Dave Issing, Bob Waugh, and Rob Timm.
- In Baltimore, WIYY 97.9 (98 Rock) continued to broadcast classic, hard, and modern rock out of Baltimore but covering the entire region.
- In the Baltimore suburb of Towson, Maryland, WTMD 89.7 at Towson University had a format similar to that of WRNR.
An article, written by Richard Harrington, about the abrupt format switch appeared in the Washington Post Newspaper on January 14, 2005. Harrington's article was titled "WHFS: For Many, The Only Alternative" and can be found here.
[edit] Live 105.7 and the revival of WHFS
In September 2001, 105.7 FM in Baltimore became the home of WXYV, a hip-hop station called "X105.7," when WQSR, an oldies station, moved to 102.7 FM(now JACK FM) to broadcast a better signal in the Baltimore area. Both stations were owned by Infinity Broadcasting (now CBS Radio). Although X105.7 had taken a small share of listeners from rival station WERQ-FM, WXYV later changed to a more lucrative talk radio format. During the morning hours, the station simulcasted the Howard Stern program. In the afternoons, the Don and Mike Show was simulcast for the Baltimore area. The station adopted the name "Live 105.7".
Meanwhile, Infinity Broadcasting saw an unexpected public reaction to their decision to change the format of 99.1 FM in Washington. The story was covered by local TV stations for many days afterwards, and mentioned nationally by The Washington Post, the Howard Stern Show, and The Today Show. The corporate offices of Infinity Broadcasting in New York City were flooded with phone calls and e-mails from irate listeners. An online petition protesting the format change gathered tens of thousands of signatures in only a few days. Media attention was attracted by a public protest in downtown Washington, outside a skate shop where WHFS maintained a remote storefront studio in its last few months. Protest Video WHFS' main competitor, DC101, paid tribute to the station, airing many memories of WHFS from its DJs and listeners.
Infinity Broadcasting responded by resurrecting the WHFS format on nights and weekends at 105.7, beginning at 7 p.m. on January 21, 2005 with former WHFS afternoon DJ Tim Virgin. The station rebranded itself as "The Legendary HFS, Live on 105.7", Infinity Broadcasting moved the WHFS call letters to the station days later.
When Radio One flipped Rocker Y100 in Philadelphia, former DJ's and staff used the success of the HFS listeners to rally their listeners to try and bring back its station to the air. Although it wasn't as successful in the end, Y100rocks.com was launched as an online station maxing out its bandwidth within hours of launching.
[edit] HFS2
In 2006, WHFS began to broadcast a digital signal for radios using the new HD Radio technology, and launched an all-music station named "HFS2" on its second HD Radio channel. The station focuses primarily on new alternative rock and indie rock, and currently has no DJs or commercials. A website is devoted to this new station, as well as the music dayparts of the original station. On January 19, 2007 the online stream of "HFS2" was launched with the slogan "What You've Been Missing" hinting at the death of HFS music on the regular 105.7 frequency.HFS2 logo
[edit] Line-up
[edit] Weekdays
- 5 a.m. – 11 a.m.: KMS
- 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.: The Ed Norris Show
- 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.: The Don and Mike Show
- 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.: "The A List" with Amber Theoharis
- 9 p.m. – 1 a.m.: The Backroom
- 1 a.m. - 5:30 a.m.: All Night with Jason Smith (Simulcast from WJFK 1300AM ESPN Radio)
[edit] Weekends
- Saturday 8 a.m. - 10 a.m.: AutoScoop with Adam Goldfein and Joyce Littel
- Sunday 7p.m. - 9p.m.: The Johnny Riggs Religious Hour
- Sunday 10 p.m. - 12 a.m.: HFS Locals Only with Neci
[edit] The Ed Norris Show
WHFS airs a midday show called the "Ed Norris Show," hosted by former Baltimore City Police Commissioner Ed Norris. The show was previously "Out to Lunch with Big O and Dukes" with Norris joining the show via telephone for an hour each day. The show was renamed "Ed Norris with Big O & Dukes" when Norris moved to Baltimore to join the show in a full-time capacity. The name was changed again to "The Ed Norris Show" when Big O and Dukes, the former hosts, were dismissed from the station during the first week of September 2005.
[edit] KMS on HFS
Starting February 1, 2007, Kirk McEwen and Mark Ondayko took over the coveted morning drive slot, formally occupied by the Junkies in the Morning. Called KMS, listeners speculated who the "S" would be while the duo was off air, serving part of their no-compete clause from WIYY (98 Rock). It turns out the acroynumn stands for Kirk and Mark Show, but their new producer Jeff Shamrock also fills what they call the "s-hole". The show also features Gary Stein as a sports anchor, Liz Drabeck doing Traffic, and Roe as their board engineer. KMS starts at 5:30 AM with a segment from the previous day. Kirk and Mark sign on around 5:50, and off at 10AM, re-airing the first hour of broadcast in the 10 O'clock hour.
[edit] Sports
WHFS is the new flagship station of Baltimore Orioles baseball. WHFS airs University of Maryland football and men's basketball in conjunction with sister station WJFK.
[edit] Locals Only with Neci
The title says it all, locals only. Neci Crowder hosts the only show left on HFS still with music, focusing on the local bands of the Northern Virginia, DC, and Maryland areas. The show has its roots back on 99.1 when Neci hosted the show. There is a stage at the annual HFStival that sports the same name, with local bands performing all day. HFS has always supported the local bands which can be credited for helping launch such bands as Good Charlotte, SR-71, and Jimmie's Chicken Shack to stardom.
[edit] Former DJ's
(The station of their final appearance)
[edit] 102.3 WHFS
- Josh Brooks
- Don "Cerphe" Colwell
- Diane Divola
- Thomas Grooms
- John Hall
- Larry Harris
- Milo
- Johnny Walker
[edit] 99.1 WHFS
- Adele Abrams
- Tony Aquaviva "Aq"
- Mark Bejarano
- Meg Brulatour
- Lou Brutis
- Michael Butscher
- Mark Daley "The Alien"
- Mike Dawson
- DJ Milk
- David Einstein
- Damien Einstein
- Shari Elliker
- Pat "Freeze" Ferrise
- Mike G.
- Jonathan "Weasel" Gilbert
- Bill "Will Robinson" Glasser
- Graeme
- Guido in a Speedo
- Dave Issing
- "Wild" Wes Johnson
- Kim Kirkpatrick
- Lori Landon
- Kathryn Lauren
- Janet Little
- Dave Marsh
- Matty
- Khan
- Pauly
- Kim Pelis
- Tom Perry
- Pogo
- Allen Scott
- Bob "Here" Showacre
- Steele
- Tom Terrell
- Rob Timm
- Bob Waugh
- Billy Zero
- Zoltar "The brotha from another planet"
[edit] 105.7 WHFS
- Johnny Riggs
- Neci
- Tim Virgin
- Gina Crash
- Josh Spiegel
- Cane
- Libby
- Lisa Worden
- Oscar "Big O"
- Chad Dukes
- Reada
- Rich
- Spam
- Pat Kain
- Chris Steele
[edit] Trivia
- After passing ownership of WHFS to other hands, Jake Einstein formed a new company named Cardinal Broadcasting and considered buying the former Washington, D.C. Top Forty powerhouse WEAM-AM in Arlington, Virginia (the Cardinal is the Virginia state bird) for conversion to an 'HFS format. When this fell through, he was a partner purchasing WLOM-AM and FM in Annapolis, Maryland in 1983 and changed the FM side over to a reborn WHFS. In 1989 when Duchussois Broadcasting purchased the station, Einstein departed, and in 1993 he bought WNAV-AM and FM, transmitting from Grasonville, Maryland, across the Chesapeake Bay from Annapolis, and recast the FM side as a reborn 'HFS securing the call letters WRNR (Rock & Roll) for it and hiring some of the old Bethesda staff. However, it has a limited throw of 6,000 watts and only reaches the eastern edge of Washington, D.C.
- David Einstein, former program director of WHFS-FM Bethesda, probably has all of the old "102.3" jingle spots in his archive. On his last morning on the air at the station in the fall of 1989, he aired a number of retro ID spots, even though the station was now broadcasting from a frequency of 99.1 FM. He has moved on to other music industry-related jobs.
- Damian Einstein suffered serious head injuries on December 13, 1975, when the pick-up truck he was in hit a low bridge while driving in Rock Creek Park, east of Bethesda. His two companions were killed. This accident left him with a pronounced condition of aphasia, noted by a slight delay in speech diction. Despite his thorough knowledge of music canon and intelligent interviews with visiting artists, new station management attempted to remove him from the air in 1989. This led to a support rally held at Joe's Record Paradise in Wheaton Plaza, Wheaton, Maryland, at which bluesman Catfish Hodge and musicians from Little Feat and Bonnie Raitt's band played live for the protest benefit. An estimated 10,000 supporters showed up to hear Junior Cline and the Recliners, Jimmy Thackery from The Nighthawks, Danny Gatton as well as the Rosslyn Mountain Boys and Freebo, among others, to protest the action of the new management. He filed a discrimination suit through the State of Maryland and it found that he was fired without cause. Damian was ultimately restored to the air.
- When the original Bethesda WHFS ownership broke up in the 1980s, the station's extensive library of music was divvied up and thus only certain components accompanied the Einstein family onto their new enterprises. (This item of fact provided by an overnight deejay, circa 1989, in a phone call as to why he could no longer pull out a copy of Keith Emerson's pre-Emerson, Lake & Palmer band, The Nice.)
- After an a cappella "Join The Band," Cerphe Colwell can be heard leading the crowd in spelling out "F-E-A-T" on track one, side one, record one of Little Feat's live album "Waiting For Columbus" recorded largely at George Washington University's Lisner Auditorium August 8–10, 1977 and released in 1978.
- The last song played on WHFS in its 102.3 incarnation was "After Hours" by the Velvet Underground after Weasel read the sign off.
- The first song on October 20, 1983 at 99.1 was at 'After the Rain' by Bruce Cockburn by Diane at around 6am, the station when they started up in Annapolis was known as 'Progressive 99 WLOM' until Jake Einstein got the WHFS calls around thanksgiving of 1983.
- WHFS is featured prominently in the John Waters movie "Serial Mom".
- In 1998, Mark "The Alien" Daley and Jonathan "Weasel" Gilbert created Zero24-7 Web Radio, the world’s first internet radio station to mix progressive music with a progressive "green" message. The station that "streamed globally and played locally" won the 1999 OMB Watch Innovation and Technology Award Grand Prize for its use of new media as an advocacy tool.
- The last song played by WHFS at 99.1 FM was "Last Goodbye" by Jeff Buckley and was programmed by HFS DJ Pat "Freeze" Ferrise who snuck into the studio to change the playlist the Infinity Broadcasting managers had originally programmed.
- The first song played by Tim Virgin on WHFS at 105.7 FM was "This Is Radio Clash" by The Clash.
- Johnny Riggs closed out his final show hosting HFS music at midnight February 1, 2007 with, "I'll miss you little friend", thus ending the 3rd incarnation of HFS MUSIC.
- At 5:28a.m. on Thursday, February 1, 2007 the last song played on 105.7 HFS was again, "Last Goodbye" from Jeff Buckley. This was also the last song played on 99.1 before the format flip on January 12, 2005.
[edit] Previous Logos
 WHFS's previous logo, before the conversion to Free FM. |
 WHFS's Old 102.3 frequency and Logo Bumper Sticker. |
 WHFS's Old 99.1 Logo. |
[edit] External links
- WHFS website
- Unofficial HFStival website
- Infinity Flips WHFS to Spanish (billboardradiomonitor.com)
- Legendary Modern Rocker WHFS Flips To Spanish (fmqb.com)
- Rest in Peace, WHFS (aznightbuzz.com)
- Radio: WHFS Off The Air (washingtonpost.com chat)
- WHFS Changes Its Tune to Spanish (washingtonpost.com)
- WHFS Protest in Washington, D.C. Video
- WHFS 102.3 Tribute (dcrtv.org)
- WHFS Back Online (WJLA-TV report)
- Media World Baltimore Radio
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WHFS
- HFS2 (HD radio station)
| FM Radio Stations in the Baltimore Market (Arbitron #21) | |
|---|---|
| By frequency: |
88.1 | 88.9 | 89.7 | 90.5 | 91.1 | 91.5 | 92.3 | 93.1 | 95.1 | 95.9 | 97.5 | 97.9 | 99.1 | 100.7 | 101.9 | 102.7 | 103.1 | 103.7 | 104.3 | 105.7 | 106.5 | 107.9 |
| By callsign: |
WBJC | WEAA | WERQ | WFSI | WHFC | WHFS | WIYY | WKHS | WLIF | WLZL | WPOC | WQSR | WRBS | WRNR | WRYR | WSMJ | WTMD | WWIN | WWMX | WXCY | WYPR | WZBA |
|
Satellite Radio Local Traffic/Weather: XM Channel 213 | Sirius Channel 152 |
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Baltimore (FM) (AM) | Cumberland | Frederick | Hagerstown | Salisbury-Ocean City |
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