WIHT
WIHT (99.5 FM) is a Top 40 (CHR) formatted radio station that serves the greater Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Located on the fourth floor of 1801 Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland, the station broadcasts 24 hours a day and is licensed to, and owned by, iHeartMedia. The transmitter is located on River Road in Bethesda, Maryland. History Early years (1960s–1999) Long known as WGAY (named for its owner, Connie B. Gay, a well-known country music promoter) and located in Silver Spring, Maryland, the station ran a beautiful music format in the 1960s and 1970s, which evolved to an easy listening format by the 1980s (though it would initially air a country format for a year when it signed on in 1960). During that era, WGAY-FM typically simulcast its AM sister station, 1050 WQMR "Washington's Quality Music Radio," continuing the WQMR programming after the AM station signed off. Eventually the FM came to be considered the primary signal, and WGAY would often finish at number one in the Persons 12+ Arbitron radio ratings for the Washington, D.C. area during the 1970s and 1980s. Television ads for the station in the 1970s and 1980s featured station programmer Bob Chandler relaxing in a recliner, while listening to his station's light mix of music playing in the background. During the 1980s, WGAY was reported to be then President Ronald Reagan's favorite radio station. WGAY was one of the last remaining major-market easy listening stations in the United States, as the format, which targeted older demographics, evolved towards a more mainstream adult contemporary format, or was dropped altogether. At midnight on December 26, 1991, WGAY changed branding to "Easy 99.5", and shifted towards mainstream AC. David Burd of WASH-FM and Beverly Fox of WARW became the new morning hosts in 1994, replacing Steve Schy. On September 1, 1995, at 8 a.m., WGAY re-branded as "Star 99.5", shifted towards hot AC, and announced plans to change its call sign. The "Star" name was dropped by the end of the month, following a lawsuit by WSMD-FM in Mechanicsville, Maryland (which has branded as "Star 98.3" since 1988); the station then took on the "Bright 99.5" branding, and changed its call sign to WEBR in November. Listeners did not accept the more up-tempo music, and the station switched back to branding themselves under the WGAY calls, though with a soft rock format, on June 24, 1996. Jam'n 99.5 (1999–2001) WGAY switched from the still ratings successful format permanently by the late 1990s, although not because its listeners were too few, but because demographically, they were getting too old and therefore less desirable for radio advertisers. At 2:00 p.m. on April 13, 1999, "Evergreen" by Barbra Streisand was faded out with a liner touting a change, bringing the end to WGAY. After three days of simulcasting sister stations WTJM in New York City, KCMG in Los Angeles, and WUBT in Chicago, the station changed to an urban oldies format at 3:00 p.m. on April 16, known as WJMO-FM ("Jam'n