View source for WHOM

{{Short description|Radio station in the United States}}
{{For multi|the pronoun "whom"|Who (pronoun)|the New York City radio station which held the WHOM call sign from 1930 to 1975|WZRC|the New York City radio station which held the WHOM-FM call sign from 1951 to 1975|WINS-FM}}
{{Use American English|date=May 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name             = WHOM
| logo             = WHOM.png
| logo_size        =
| city             = [[Mount Washington, New Hampshire]]
| country          = US
| area             = [[Portland metropolitan area, Maine|Portland metropolitan area]]
| branding         = ''94.9 H-O-M''
| frequency        = 94.9 [[MHz]]
| airdate          = {{start date and age|1958|7|9}}
| format           = [[Adult contemporary]]
| erp              = 50,000 watts
| haat             = {{convert|1141|m|ft}}
| class            = C
| facility_id      = 49687
| licensing_authority = [[FCC]]
| callsign_meaning = "We're High On the Mountain"
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WMTW-FM (1958–1972)|WWMT (1972–1973)|WMTQ (1973–1976)}}
| affiliations     = [[Compass Media Networks]]
| owner            = [[Townsquare Media]]
| licensee         = Townsquare License, LLC
| sister_stations  = [[WBLM]], [[WCYY]], [[WJBQ]], [[WPKQ]]
| webcast          = {{Listen live|https://949whom.com/listen-live/}}
| website          = {{url|https://949whom.com/}}
}}
'''WHOM''' (94.9 [[FM broadcasting|FM]], "94.9 H-O-M") is an American radio station which airs an [[adult contemporary]] [[radio format]]. WHOM is owned by [[Townsquare Media]] and [[transmitter|transmit]]s from atop [[Mount Washington, New Hampshire]], its [[community of license]]. The station primarily targets the [[Portland, Maine]] area, but due to the high elevation of Mount Washington, can be heard across a much wider area of Maine and New Hampshire, northern and central [[Vermont]], and parts of southern [[Quebec]], northeastern [[Massachusetts]] and the [[Adirondacks]] of upstate [[New York (state)|New York]].
==History==
===WMTW-FM===
The station that is today WHOM [[sign-on|signed on]] the air July 9, 1958, as WMTW-FM.<ref name="by1981">{{cite book|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1981|year=1981|page=C-147|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/Broadcasting-1981-Yearbook-Page-Range-Guide.htm|format=PDF|access-date=February 23, 2010}}</ref> Along with [[WMTW-TV]] (channel 8), which had signed on in 1954, WMTW-FM was owned by Mount Washington Television, an ownership group that included former Maine governor [[Horace Hildreth]].<ref name="by1958">{{cite book|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1958|year=1958|page=A-320|url=http://www.davidgleason.com/Archive%20BC-YB/1958/Sectin%20A%20Radio%20By%20State%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201958-9.pdf|access-date=February 23, 2010}}</ref> For most of its early years, WMTW-FM broadcast a [[beautiful music]] format, featuring quarter-hour sweeps of mostly soft instrumentals, with limited talking and commercials.
The WMTW stations were sold to [[Jack Paar]] of ''[[Tonight Starring Jack Paar|Tonight Show]]'' fame in 1963.<ref name="tg-saletopaar">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=BJMtAAAAIBAJ&sjid=CZ4FAAAAIBAJ&dq=jack-paar%20wmtw&pg=6914%2C2158674|title=Jack Paar Buys WMTW-TV|page=6|last=Marsters|first=Jack|date=October 11, 1963|work=[[The Gazette (Montreal)]]|access-date=March 12, 2010|quote=Included in the deal, ... is the affiliated FM radio station WMTW-FM.}}</ref>  Jack Paar, in turn, sold WMTW-FM-TV to Mid New York Broadcasting in 1967.<ref name="tmj-saletoharron">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=01A0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=eH4EAAAAIBAJ&dq=jack-paar%20wmtw&pg=7380%2C6276889|title=Bits of Show Business|page=15|date=November 10, 1967|work=[[The Milwaukee Journal]]|access-date=March 12, 2010}}</ref>  In 1971, Mid New York sold WMTW-FM to Alpine Broadcasting while retaining the TV station.
With the ownership change, the radio station switched its [[call letters]] to WWMT in 1972,<ref name="by1973">{{cite book|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1973|year=1973|page=B-125|url=http://www.davidgleason.com/Archive%20BC-YB/1973/B%202%20YB%201973.pdf|access-date=February 23, 2010}}</ref><ref name="fcc-cards">{{cite web |title=WHOM history cards |url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=81156 |website=CDBS Public Access |publisher=[[Federal Communications Commission]] |access-date=April 1, 2024 |format=PDF}}</ref> then to WMTQ in 1973,<ref name="by1974">{{cite book|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1974|year=1974|page=B-132|url=http://www.davidgleason.com/Archive%20BC-YB/1974/B%202%201974%20YB.pdf|access-date=February 23, 2010}}</ref> and then finally to the current WHOM in 1976.<ref name="by1977">{{cite book|title=Broadcasting Yearbook 1977|year=1977|page=C-132|url=http://www.davidgleason.com/Archive%20BC-YB/1977/C-2%20Radio%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201977.pdf|access-date=February 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008175325/http://davidgleason.com/Archive%20BC-YB/1977/C-2%20Radio%20Broadcasting%20Yearbook%201977.pdf|archive-date=October 8, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> The station offered an [[easy listening]] format consisting of instrumental versions of pop songs from artists like [[Henry Mancini]], [[Ray Conniff]], [[Percy Faith]], [[Chet Atkins]], and [[Herb Alpert]], as well as several soft vocals per hour like [[The Carpenters]], [[Dionne Warwick]], [[Johnny Mathis]], and [[Perry Como]]. This format continued through the 1980s.
===WHOM===
In January 1990, WHOM dropped the easy listening music for a [[soft adult contemporary]] format, dubbed "soft and easy favorites" by the station.  It continued to market itself as an easy listening station and retained its air staff. In the mid 1990s, the station began adding softer songs by [[Contemporary hit radio|contemporary hit]] artists and began playing current product. By 2000, WHOM was more of a mainstream adult contemporary station.
The station was sold to [[Fuller-Jeffrey Broadcasting]] by Barnstable Broadcasting in 1996.<ref name="nerw-saletofj">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-960618.html|title=Portland Consolidates|last=Fybush|first=Scott|date=June 18, 1996|work=New England RadioWatch|access-date=March 12, 2010}}</ref>  Fuller-Jeffrey then sold most of its stations, including WHOM, to [[Citadel Broadcasting]] in 1999.<ref name="nerw-saletocitadel">{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonradio.org/nerw/nerw-990430.html|title=Fuller-Jeffrey Sells Out|last=Fybush|first=Scott|date=April 30, 1999|work=North East RadioWatch|access-date=February 23, 2010}}</ref> Citadel merged with [[Cumulus Media]] on September 16, 2011.<ref name=abj-citadelcumulus>{{cite news|title=Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/news/2011/09/16/cumulus-now-owns-citadel-broadcasting.html|access-date=September 16, 2011|newspaper=Atlanta Business Journal|date=September 16, 2011}}</ref>
===Sale to Townsquare Media===
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which [[Townsquare Media]] would acquire 53 Cumulus stations, including WHOM, for $238&nbsp;million. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition of [[Dial Global]]; Townsquare and Dial Global were both controlled by [[Oaktree Capital Management]].<ref name=aa-cumulustownsquarepeak>{{cite news|title=Official: Cumulus Buys Dial Global, Spins Some Stations To Townsquare; Peak Stations Sold To Townsquare, Fresno Spun To Cumulus|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/121835/official-cumulus-buys-dial-global-spins-some-stati|access-date=August 30, 2013|newspaper=All Access|date=August 30, 2013}}</ref><ref name=ri-cumulustownsquarepeak>{{cite news|title=Cumulus Makes Dial Global And Townsquare Deals Official|url=http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/84851/are-these-the-markets-in-the-cumulustownsquaredial-global-deal/|access-date=August 30, 2013|newspaper=RadioInsight|date=August 30, 2013}}</ref> The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.<ref name=aa-cumulustownsquarefinal>{{cite news|title=Cumulus-Townsquare-Peak Deal Closes|url=http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/124346/cumulus-townsquare-peak-deal-closes|access-date=November 16, 2013|newspaper=All Access|date=November 15, 2013}}</ref>
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==External links==
* {{Official website|https://949whom.com/}}
{{FM station data|49687|WHOM}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Radio Stations
| list  =
{{Northeast Kingdom and Northern New Hampshire Radio}}
{{North Conway Radio}}
{{Lewiston-Auburn Radio}}
{{Portland Radio}}
}}
{{Adult Contemporary Radio Stations in New Hampshire}}
{{Townsquare Media}}
{{coord|44.270|N|71.304|W|type:landmark_region:US-NH_source:FCC|display=title}}
[[Category:1958 establishments in New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Mount Washington (New Hampshire)]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1958]]
[[Category:Radio stations in New Hampshire|HOM]]
[[Category:Townsquare Media radio stations]]