CBS Alternative “97.5 HFS” W248AO Baltimore/106.5 WWMX-HD2 is on the move to a new frequency.
On Wednesday, April 2 at 6:00pm the WHFS brand will relocate to 104.9 W285EJ White Marsh.
Both 97.5 W248AO and 104.9 W285EJ are owned by Hope Christian Church of Marlton, NJ. CBS currently programs W248AO and 106.1 W291BA as part of an arrangement with Hope Christian that allows that company to feed its other Baltimore area translators via 101.9 WLIF-HD4.
While 97.5 operates with 250 watts at 225.8 meters from Television Hill in Baltimore City, 104.9 runs only 10 watts at 120.4 meters from a tower in suburban Towson. The new signal will be much more limited than the existing in areas south of Baltimore.
The WHFS Alternative format and calls have been heard on multiple frequencies in the Washington DC and Baltimore markets during its history. Debuting as a Freeform Rocker on 102.3 in the Washington market before moving to its longtime home on 99.1 Annapolis where it shifted to Alternative until its 2005 flip to Spanish. It was shortly revived on 105.7 in Baltimore before moving to 94.7-HD2 in Washington and then finally 97.5 Baltimore. In the February 2014 Nielsen Audio PPM’s the station received a 0.6 share.
There is no word yet on what will replace the WHFS format on 97.5.
CBS RADIO Baltimore announced today that HFS Radio, currently broadcasting at 97.5 FM, will move to a new frequency–104.9 FM–on Wednesday, April 2, 2014 at 6:00pm. The change is a result of an agreement with the owner/licensee of the frequencies, Hope Christian.
In addition to being heard on-air, HFS Radio will be streaming online at http://www.HFSRadio.com as well as the Radio.com app for mobile devices. The station will also be available on HD Radio devices at 106.5 HD2.
Robert Philips, Senior Vice President and Market Manager of CBS RADIO Baltimore said, “Over the years, HFS has achieved a well-deserved reputation for debuting new artists, both national and local, as well as playing the best alternative music in Baltimore, and we are glad to be able to continue to do that on this new frequency.”
The on-air personality line-up on the station remains unchanged: veteran personality Neci is heard from 6am-10am, followed by Gina Crash, 10am-3pm. Spam broadcasts from 3pm-7pm, followed by Reada, 7pm-10pm. All of the special HFS programming features, such as “HFS Locals Only” and “Fresh Baked” will still be heard.
HFS Radio is programmed by CBS RADIO, one of the largest major-market radio operators in the United States. A division of CBS Corporation, CBS RADIO operates 126 radio stations, the majority of which are in the nation’s top 50 markets. In addition to HFS Radio, CBS RADIO Baltimore owns and operates WWMX, WLIF, WJZ-FM and WJZ-AM. The market also programs 106.1 FM in Baltimore through its relationship with Hope Christian.
What’s the coverage map for this new signal? A 10 watt signal has gotta be a kiss of death to HFS.
Here’s 104.9’s protected contour. On a car radio, I’ve gotten it a little beyond that range. http://recnet.net/goo_contour.php?lat=39.417884647778&lon=-76.556076524444&fs=60&s=FM&z=7&appid=1304280
My theory is once 98.3 W252BR Edgemere completes its move to Ellicott City it will be utilized to simulcast the HFS programming. That is contingent on if 97.5 does become HopeFM’s primary Baltimore signal.
The projected coverage for 98.3 is: http://recnet.net/goo_contour.php?lat=39.287606534167&lon=-76.760250379167&fs=60&s=FM&z=7&appid=1602518