FM Technical Profile: WBHK

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Station Name:

98.7 Kiss FM

Frequency:

98.7

Format:

Adult R&B, Classic R&B

Transmitter Location:

[map] Red Mountain, off Golden Crest Drive on the newer multi-pronged tower.

Power (ERP):

39 kW.

Antenna:

Omnidirectional

Antenna HAAT:

1,339 feet.

Other Information:

60 dBu protected contour map, from the FCC.

:
PS-98.7 KISS (song/artist)
Time-[?]
Text-Now playing (song/artist)
PTY-Soft Rhythm & Blues
PS-WBHK-FM
// WENN Birmingham

More Information:

[FCC]

[FCCdata]

[Radio-Locator]

[Wikipedia]
[Facebook]

[RDS] RDS display from Kiss FM on a GMC Yukon's radio.
[Studio] Street View imagery of the building housing the SummitMedia studios off Highway 280 in Hoover.

Owner:

J. S. Kelly, LLC

History:

Originally a small rimshot station in Warrior, the calls were WLBI and the format was Adult Contemporary. The slogan was "Great 98."

The station eventually officially entered the big city as "Lite 98", playing an interesting mix of Soft Adult Contemporary, Smooth Jazz and Contemporary Christian music. The tiny 6 kW station couldn't make a go of it, though.  The transmitter was on a hill off Arkadelphia Road west of Warrior, and the studios were there in a cramped trailer. The tower is still there and may be a backup for the new one on Red Mountain. At some point, they were licensed to a site near the Stonehenge community near Medical Center East after moving from Warrior. 

In July 1996 it became WBHK, playing Adult and Classic R&B, when the transmitter was upgraded and moved into Birmingham.  After the big "pickle fork" tower was built on Red Mountain, WBHK moved to that tower site and was able to increase its power and height considerably, bumping from 31 kW at around 600 feet HAAT to 36 kW at 1,339 feet.  In 2013 the station was sold by Cox Broadcasting to SummitMedia.