WHIM (defunct)
| Broadcast area | Providence metro |
|---|---|
| Branding | WHIM Country |
| Slogan | "#1 for Country since 1966!" |
| First air date | April 15, 1947 |
| Last air date | December 20, 1997 |
| Format | Country (1966–97) |
| Power |
1110: 1 kW originally, later 5 kW-daytime, 250 watts-night. 550: 1kW daytime, 500 watts nighttime 1450: 1kW fulltime. |
| Class | 1110: D 550: B 1450: C |
| Former callsigns | WWRX (1991–92), now WPMZ |
| Former frequencies |
1110 (1966-1991, 1992-1995) 550 kHz (the format moved here from 1991–1992 but the call stayed legally WICE) 1450 kHz (1995–1997) |
| Affiliations |
ABC Radio CBS Radio Network CNN Radio |
| Sister stations | WHIM-FM/94.1 |
WHIM (known on-air as "WHIM Country") was a country music radio station in the Providence, Rhode Island market.
While the callsign WHIM is now on a religious station in Coral Gables, Florida, residents of Southern New England remember another WHIM, a country music station. WHIM was first heard on April 15, 1947 when the new daytimer signed on for the first time on 1110 kHz. From 1958–1966, WHIM was a top 40 station competing with WPRO/630 and WICE/1290. The station's owners also operated WHIM-FM/99.9 licensed to Cranston, Rhode Island, which later became WLOV and went dark.
A new WHIM-FM emerged on 94.1 MHz in 1966 when WHIM began broadcasting the format it would keep in one form or another for 31 years: country music. WHIM competed against fellow daytimers WRIB/1220 in Providence and WYNG/1590 in Warwick for Rhode Island's country music audience. Eventually WRIB and WYNG changed formats to religious programming and WHIM-AM-FM became "The Country Giant."
As time progressed, the FM changed its callsign to WHJY and format and become easy listening "Joy 94." In October 1981, WHJY changed its format again to album-oriented rock. In 1980, WHIM/WHJY's owners purchased WJAR/920 in Providence from Outlet Communications and renamed it WHJJ. Due to U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations limiting the number of stations that could be owned by an entity in one market, WHIM was sold to East Providence Broadcasting. Some station personalities, such as Sherm Strickhouser and Ron St. Pierre, stayed with the previous ownership and worked for the new WHJJ, while others, like Jim O'Brien, continued on WHIM. Although WGNG/550 (now WSJW) briefly experimented with the format at one point in the early 1980s, from 1981–1988 WHIM didn't face much competition (a daytimer in Hope Valley, Rhode Island, WJJF/1180, came on in 1985, but its signal provided minimal coverage of Providence). In January 1986, based on authorization given to its attorneys from the FCC, WHIM began broadcasting at night with 250 watts of power.
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