2008 Woodie Awards
I Want My HFS!
Baltimore rock station axed, then resurrected ... sort of.
Sarah Haller
Issue date: 2/9/05 Section: Arts and Entertainment
After 35 years of rocking Baltimore and Washington, D.C., WHFS 99.1 FM pulled the plug on its alternative rock format and rebooted as a new Spanish-language pop station, El Zol.
The format changed at noon on Jan. 12. After playing Jeff Buckley's "Last Goodbye," a loud voice boomed over the airwaves: "WHFS transmitiendo desde la ciudad capital de America, esta es tu nueva radio!" [Translation: Transmitting from America's Capital City, this is your new radio!] WHFS's loyal audience, and even its DJs, had no warning.
For the next week, enraged fans solicited more than 36,000 signatures through an online petition and held rallies in Baltimore and Washington demanding the return of WHFS.
On Jan. 21, after extensive media coverage on the protests and with support from Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, Infinity Broadcasting gave into listener demands ... sort of.
WHFS will now air on Baltimore's talk radio station, 105.7 FM from 7 p.m. to midnight on weeknights and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, fans can listen to a WHFS-AOL-sponsored online radio station at www.WHFS.com. The online radio station will be separate from the 105.7 FM broadcast and will play continuous pre-programmed alternative rock tracks commercial free.
The original motive for the change in format may be a little hazy to diehard fans. Despite its popularity in Baltimore, WHFS is based in Washington, D.C. There it only captured 1.3 percent of Washington listeners in the fall 2004 quarter, according to a study conducted by Arbitron, an international media and marketing research firm. Arbitron also placed WHFS six places behind Washington's modern rock station, DC 101 FM. Instead of competing for the same audience and advertisers, Infinity dumped WHFS to target the growing market of Hispanic listeners in the area. El Zol's play list features Caribbean and Central American dance music, including salsa, meringue, and bachata.
WHFS won't be the only station changing formats.
In October, Infinity's conglomerate owner, Viacom, joined with the Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS), the nation's largest Hispanic radio broadcasting company, to reformat stations across the country. According to a press release on the SBS website, in exchange for equity interest of each station, Infinity is in the process of switching many of its weaker stations to Spanish-language format. San Francisco's adult contemporary station, 93.3 FM, was the first to go in December, followed by WHFS only 13 days later.
While many listeners are disappointed with the less-than-triumphant return of WHFS, DJ Tim Virgin recently announced that the HFStival, an all-day concert drawing over 65,000 fans to RFK Stadium, would return full force this May. The Foo Fighters have already announced their intent to headline the festival.
The format changed at noon on Jan. 12. After playing Jeff Buckley's "Last Goodbye," a loud voice boomed over the airwaves: "WHFS transmitiendo desde la ciudad capital de America, esta es tu nueva radio!" [Translation: Transmitting from America's Capital City, this is your new radio!] WHFS's loyal audience, and even its DJs, had no warning.
For the next week, enraged fans solicited more than 36,000 signatures through an online petition and held rallies in Baltimore and Washington demanding the return of WHFS.
On Jan. 21, after extensive media coverage on the protests and with support from Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters, Infinity Broadcasting gave into listener demands ... sort of.
WHFS will now air on Baltimore's talk radio station, 105.7 FM from 7 p.m. to midnight on weeknights and all day on Saturdays and Sundays. In addition, fans can listen to a WHFS-AOL-sponsored online radio station at www.WHFS.com. The online radio station will be separate from the 105.7 FM broadcast and will play continuous pre-programmed alternative rock tracks commercial free.
The original motive for the change in format may be a little hazy to diehard fans. Despite its popularity in Baltimore, WHFS is based in Washington, D.C. There it only captured 1.3 percent of Washington listeners in the fall 2004 quarter, according to a study conducted by Arbitron, an international media and marketing research firm. Arbitron also placed WHFS six places behind Washington's modern rock station, DC 101 FM. Instead of competing for the same audience and advertisers, Infinity dumped WHFS to target the growing market of Hispanic listeners in the area. El Zol's play list features Caribbean and Central American dance music, including salsa, meringue, and bachata.
WHFS won't be the only station changing formats.
In October, Infinity's conglomerate owner, Viacom, joined with the Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS), the nation's largest Hispanic radio broadcasting company, to reformat stations across the country. According to a press release on the SBS website, in exchange for equity interest of each station, Infinity is in the process of switching many of its weaker stations to Spanish-language format. San Francisco's adult contemporary station, 93.3 FM, was the first to go in December, followed by WHFS only 13 days later.
While many listeners are disappointed with the less-than-triumphant return of WHFS, DJ Tim Virgin recently announced that the HFStival, an all-day concert drawing over 65,000 fans to RFK Stadium, would return full force this May. The Foo Fighters have already announced their intent to headline the festival.
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