WKHX-FM

WKHX-FM
Marietta, Georgia;
Broadcast area	Atlanta metropolitan area
Frequency	101.5 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	New Country 101.5; (stylized as 101.Five")
Programming
Format	Country music
Affiliations	Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Cumulus Media; (Radio License Holdings LLC);
Sister stations	WNNX; WWWQ;
History
First air date	November 11, 1959; (65 years ago)
Former call signs	WBIE-FM (1959–81); WKHX (1981–87);
Call sign meaning	"Kicks"
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	73161
Class	C0
ERP	100,000 watts
HAAT	329 meters (1,079 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	33°48′26″N 84°20′22″W / 33.80722°N 84.33944°W
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen live; Listen live via iHeart
Website	www.newcountry1015.com

WKHX-FM (101.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Marietta, Georgia, featuring a country music format known as "New Country 101.5". Owned by Cumulus Media, the station serves the Atlanta metropolitan area. WKHX-FM's studios are located in Sandy Springs, while the transmitter is located west of Emory University, in unincorporated DeKalb County. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKHX-FM broadcasts in HD Radio, and is available online.

History

The station signed on as WBIE-FM on November 11, 1959^[2] under the ownership of Marietta Broadcasting. Initially, WBIE simulcast the variety programming of its sister station AM 1080 WBIE, but in February 1968 it adopted a full-time country music format.^[3] The station manager at the time, James M. Wilder, has a technology laboratory building named after him at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta.^{[citation needed]}

Initially, WBIE-FM was powered at 3,500 watts, only heard in and around Marietta. In the 1970s, WBIE-FM boosted its power to the legal maximum of 100,000 watts, and became audible in Metro Atlanta.^[4] Its AM companion at 1080 switched its format to Adult Standards and its call sign to WCOB. The power boost made WBIE-FM a candidate to be bought by a large broadcasting company anxious for a strong FM signal in the growing Atlanta radio market.

"Kicks 101.5" debuted in November 1981 after Capital Cities Communications purchased WBIE-FM. Capital Cities switched WBIE-FM's call letters to WKHX and made the station a contender in the Atlanta ratings. In 1987, WKHX programming began to be simulcast on Capital Cities-owned AM 590, formerly known as WAGA and WPLO.^[5] The AM station became WKHX, while 101.5 added an FM suffix, becoming WKHX-FM. Today, AM 590 is Christian radio WDWD, owned by Salem Media.

Capital Cities took over ABC, including its television and radio stations, in 1985. In 1995, ABC bought WKHX-FM's rival country station, WYAY. Eventually, WYAY switched to news programming, and today is Christian Contemporary-formatted WAKL after being sold to the Educational Media Foundation in 2019. In December 2006, WKHX-FM got a new country music competitor in WUBL, owned by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia).

WKHX-FM and other ABC Radio stations were acquired by Citadel Broadcasting in 2007, which was absorbed into Cumulus Media in September 2011.^[6] In October 2011, WKHX-FM modified its playlist from playing only "new country" music to mixing in some older hits from the 1990s to the present.^[7]

On November 13, 2019, WKHX began running liners promoting a "big announcement" to come at 3 p.m. the following day. Several liners had a wolf-howling sound effect, a nod to rumors on radio news websites (based on web domains registered by Cumulus as far back as September) that the station was to rebrand as "The Wolf". At the promised time, the station rebranded, but instead as "New Country 101.Five", and also introducing a new morning show host, JJ Kincaid, to team with existing co-host Dallas McCade, with the show being branded as "Kincaid and Dallas".^[8]^[9]

References

^ "Facility Technical Data for WKHX-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ "not found" (PDF).
^ "Atlanta Radio Time Warp 1968".
^ "getimportletter_exh".
^ Greg Hardison
^ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal (subscription required). September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
^ "Kicks 101.5 skews older with more 1991-2005 cuts (Welcome back, Garth Brooks and Travis Tritt!) | Radio & TV Talk". Archived from the original on 2011-12-27. Retrieved 2012-06-22.
^ "WKHX RELAUNCHES AS NEW COUNTRY 101.5; JJ KINCAID JOINS DALLAS IN MORNINGS". November 14, 2019.
^ Lance (2019-11-14). "WKHX Becomes New Country 101.5". Format Change Archive. Retrieved 2024-01-25.

External links

Official website
Facility details for Facility ID 14744 (WWEV-FM) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
WWEV-FM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

[1] "Facility Technical Data for WKHX-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.

[2] "not found" (PDF).

[3] "Atlanta Radio Time Warp 1968".

[4] "getimportletter_exh".

[5] Greg Hardison

[abj-citadelcumulus-6] "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal (subscription required). September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.

[7] "Kicks 101.5 skews older with more 1991-2005 cuts (Welcome back, Garth Brooks and Travis Tritt!) | Radio & TV Talk". Archived from the original on 2011-12-27. Retrieved 2012-06-22.

[8] "WKHX RELAUNCHES AS NEW COUNTRY 101.5; JJ KINCAID JOINS DALLAS IN MORNINGS". November 14, 2019.

[9] Lance (2019-11-14). "WKHX Becomes New Country 101.5". Format Change Archive. Retrieved 2024-01-25.

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v t e Country radio stations in the state of Georgia
Stations	WAAC – Valdosta WAJQ-FM – Alma WBTR-FM – Carrollton WBYZ – Baxley WCJM-FM – West Point WCON-FM – Cornelia WDEN-FM – Macon WDXQ – Cochran WEKS – Zebulon WGJK - Rome WIFO – Jesup WIHB – Macon WIHB-FM – Gray WISK-FM – Americus WJCL-FM – Savannah WJJC – Commerce WJTH – Calhoun WKAA – Willacoochee WKAK – Albany WKBX – Kingsland WKCN – Fort Benning WKHX-FM – Marietta WKKP – McDonough WKLY – Hartwell WKNG – Tallapoosa WKUB – Blackshear WKZR – Milledgeville WKZZ – Tifton WLHR-FM – Lavonia WLJA-FM – Ellijay WLUB – Augusta WLYU – Lyons WMCD – Rocky Ford WMCG – Milan WMNZ – Montezuma WMOQ – Bostwick WNGC – Athens WOBB – Tifton WOKA-FM – Douglas WPEH – Louisville WPPL – Blue Ridge WQCH – Lafayette WQZY – Dublin WRJY – Brunswick WSGA – Hinesville WSNT – Sandersville WSNT-FM – Sandersville WSRM – Coosa WTHO-FM – Thomson WTRP - La Grange WTUF – Boston WUBL – Atlanta WUCG-LP – Blairsville WUFF – Eastman WUFF-FM – Eastman WULK – Crawfordville WXLI – Dublin WXRS-FM – Swainsboro WYNR – Waycross WYUM – Mount Vernon WYYZ – Jasper WZQZ – Trion
Defunct	WBBK – Blakely WCUG – Cuthbert WHIE – Griffin
See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Georgia

v t e Cumulus Media
AM radio stations	KAAY KABC KAOK KARN KBED KBGG KBOI KCMO KCSF KCUB KESP KFAY KFOG KFRU KGO KIKR KKAT KKOB KKOH KLIF KLIK KMAJ KMJ KNBR KNML KPUR KRMD KSFO KTBL KTCK KTCT KTIK KTOP KTUC KUGN KVOR KWPN KYNG WAAV WAPI WARM WAYS WBAP WBBF WBBW WCOA WDUZ¹ WFAS WFNC WFTW WGOC WGOK WGOW WGPC WHGB WHLD WICC WISW WJBC WJCW WJOX WJR WJRW WKY WLAW WLBY WLS WLWI WLZR WMAC WMSP WNAM WNML WOSH WPIC WPRO WPRV WRQX WRIE WSBA WSBN WSKO WSSO WTKA WTMA WTRX WUMP WVEL WVLK WVNN WWCK WXLM WXNT WXOK WXQW WXSM WYMB WYNN
FM radio stations	K279BI KAMO-FM KARN-FM KARX KATC-FM KATM KATT-FM KAYD-FM KBBM KBBQ-FM KBBY-FM KBCY KBEE KBER KBIU KBOI-FM KBUL-FM KBXR KCDD KCFX KCHZ KCJK KCMO-FM KDJK KDRF KDVV KEHK KENZ KGGO KHAY KHKI KHKK KHOP KHTB KHXS KHYT KIIM-FM KIPR KIZN KJJY KJMO KJOY KKEG KKFM KKGB KKGL KKMG KKND KKOB-FM KKPK KKWD KLAL KLUR KMAJ-FM KMCK-FM KMEZ KMGA KMGV KMJ-FM KMJJ-FM KMJK KNBR-FM KNEK-FM KNEV KNRQ KNSH KOBQ KOLI KOMS KOQL KPLA KPLX KPUR-FM KQFC KQHN KQIZ-FM KQLK KQRS-FM KQSM-FM KQXC-FM KQXL-FM KQXY-FM KRBE KRMD-FM KRMW KRRQ KRST KRUZ KSAN KSCS KSKS KSMB KSZR KTCK-FM KTCX KTLT KTOP-FM KUBL-FM KUJZ KURB KVMA-FM KVYB KWIC KWIN KWNN KWQW KWYE KWYL KXKC KXXR KYIS KYKZ KYYI KZEL-FM KZJF KZRK-FM WABD WAOA-FM WAQX-FM WARM-FM WBAP-FM WBHD WBHT WBLX-FM WBNQ WBSX WBWN WBZE WBZF WCMG WCTO WDAI WDEN-FM WDLT-FM WDUZ-FM¹ WDVD WDZZ-FM WEAN-FM WEAS-FM WEBE WEDG WEMX WFBE WFMS WFTK WFYR WGFX WGKX WGLF WGLO WGNI WGOW-FM WGRF WGRR WGVX WHBX WHHY-FM WHKR WHNN WHOT-FM WHRP WHTS WHTT-FM WILZ WIOG WIOV-FM WIVK-FM WIWF WIXO WIXV WJBC-FM WJCL-FM WJEZ WJJK WJOX-FM WJQX WJTQ WKDF WKHX-FM WKIM WKKO WKLQ WKOR-FM WKOS WKQX WKQZ WKRU WKSM WKXS-FM WLAV-FM WLAW-FM WLCS WLEV WLFF WLLF WLS-FM WLTO WLUP WLWI-FM WLXC WLXX WLZN WMAL-FM WMDH-FM WMEZ WMGB WMGL WMGS WMGU WMIM WMNX WMOS³ WMXS WMXT WMXU WNCV WNDX WNKT WNML-FM WNMQ WNNF WNNK-FM WNNX WNTQ WNTR WOFX-FM WOGB¹ WOGT WOKI WOMG WORC-FM WPEZ WPKR WPRO-FM WQGN-FM WQHZ WQKL WQLH¹ WQPD WQQK WQQO WQSM WQUT WQXA-FM WQXK WRBO WRCQ WRKN WROK-FM WRQN WRQQ WRRM WRRX WSEA WSJR WSKZ WSM-FM WSMS WSOX WSSX-FM WSYN WTCB WTNR WTPA-FM WTYB WUHT WVBO WVIB WVLK-FM WVNN-FM WWCK-FM WWFF-FM WWFN-FM WWFX WWIZ WWKI WWKL WWKX WWLD WWLI WWLS-FM WWWM WWQQ-FM WWSN WWTN WWWQ WWWW-FM WWWX WWWZ WXBM-FM WXFX WXKC WXKR WXKR-HD2/W264AK WXLO WXMX WXTA WXZZ WYFM WYNN-FM WYZB WZNS WZPL WZPW WZRH WZRR WZYP
Radio networks	Arkansas Radio Network CBS Sports Radio* Titans Radio Network Westwood One (see navpage)
Online assets	Country Weekly iHeartRadio¹
Television-related assets	Nash TV
Other assets	Broadcast Software International CumulusJobs.com San Francisco Giants (minority interest in LP)
See also	Citadel Broadcasting Cumulus Media Networks Susquehanna Radio Corporation
¹ = Owned by iHeartMedia; operated by Cumulus under an LMA. ³ = Operated by the Mohegan Sun under an LMA. * = Owned by Paramount Global, operated by Cumulus.