WIHC
| City | Newberry, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | (MI-ON) |
| Branding | Strong Tower Radio |
| Slogan | Where God's character is proclaimed! |
| Frequency | 97.9 MHz |
| First air date | December 1988 |
| Format | Christian talk |
| Language(s) | English |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 150.1 meters (492 ft) |
| Class | C2 |
| Facility ID | 8125 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 46°26′58″N 85°06′04″W / 46.44944°N 85.10111°W |
| Callsign meaning | Hot Country 97.9 (previous format) |
| Former callsigns | WUPQ |
| Affiliations |
Strong Tower Radio Three Angels Broadcasting Network |
| Owner | West Central Michigan Media Ministries |
| Sister stations | WGCP, WUPJ, WBHL, WAVC |
| Website | strongtowerradio.org |
WIHC (97.9 FM) is an American radio station licensed to Newberry, Michigan to serve the city of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The station is owned by West Central Michigan Media Ministries, broadcasting a Christian talk radio format simulcasted from Cadillac, Michigan under the branding "Strong Tower Radio".
WIHC has operated under numerous owners and formats since its launch in December 1988 under the ownership of Leon Van Dam. Originally an easy listening station with the callsign WUPQ, the station was sold to Cambrian Broadcasting in 1995, who switched the station to a country music format under the branding "Hot Country 97.9", with its callsign changing to WIHC to match the new name and format. The station's license was transferred to Marathon Media in 1998, who ran the station until the fall of 2001, when WIHC was sold to Northern Star Broadcasting as part of a $7.95 million deal involving 10 other stations.
Under Northern Star's ownership, WIHC became a part of Northern Star's "Classic Rock: The Bear" network of classic rock stations in February 2002, broadcasting the same music and syndicated programs as WGFN in Glen Arbor, Michigan, but with local on-air personalities & commercials. When Northern Star Broadcasting sold off the majority of their stations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in February 2010 to Sault Ste. Marie company Sovereign Communications, WIHC was the only non-repeater station retained to ensure that Sovereign's ownership concentration in the Sault Ste. Marie area did not exceed U.S. Federal Communications Commission limits. However, Northern Star opted to take WIHC dark later that month, as it was no longer financially viable to keep on air.
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