Brief History

WQHT launched into the frequency of 103.5 FM when WAPP (Adult Oriented Rock format) signed off in 1986. On August 13, 1986, WQHT broadcast in New York City. Its first transmitter: the old World Trade Center (many years before 9-11). Dubbed as Hot 103, it lasted under the 103.5 frequency for 2 years. In the summer of 1988, WQHT moved its station to 97.1 FM and is now dubbed as Hot 97. Its current transmitter: The Empire State Building. The 103.5 frequency moved around to other radio call letters (and a country station) for 8 years since 1988 until it landed onto the revived WKTU on February 10, 1996 - 11 years after the station's 1985 sign-off.

Since 1986, WQHT was the go-to hotbed for Latin Freestyle popularity, Dance, Rhythmic AC/CHR, Hot mixes, and energetic CHR Radio DJ's. Everything went into that direction until 1993. Before the format change, the Arbitron ratings went into an all-time low in 1992. More house mixes were still being released on air from New York nightclubs. In the fall of 1993, the format started shifting directly to strictly hip-hop/rap and this type of format still continues today. All the dance shows that used to air on the station under the previous format were cancelled a couple of years after the format change. The DJs from the original format were let go in 1993. Some of the DJs had already left long before this event took place. 

Also, some of the listeners didn't expect that format change to happen until waking up one morning in 1994 hearing that their favorite dance station is forever gone. Hot 97 continues to be a station for hip-hop/rap (and R&B) to this day since 1994.

As of 2012, Hot 97 (due to the changes of the Arbitron ratings after many years of being the only popular urban station in NYC) is currently in a long battle against another station with the same urban format as today's Hot 97: Power 105 (105.1 FM, WWPR), which was created after the ending of the short-lived station Jammin' 105 (classic hits/old school) in 2002. We may never know what future is at stake with Hot 97's current format. It's still popular, though. But, seriously. I'm not so sure if the hip-hop/rap format is still profitable on Hot 97.

It's a mystery to be solved...if its long time owner (since 1986), Emmis Communications, says otherwise.

Today, the existing airchecks of WQHT's dance/pop/CHR era from 1986 to the early '90s are found online. Also, New York City's online radio station Pulse 87 have an internet station titled "The Original Hot 97", which plays a mix bag of dance, pop, old-school hip-hop and mixed tracks (Hot Mixes) from the '80s to the early '90s. Facebook groups on the original WQHT are available and you can join in to learn a lot and share dance and pop classics. And that, my friend, is a good thing to check out.

Another good thing is to check out 92.3 NOW FM (WNOW-NY) and their weekend special called the Saturday Night Dance Party. Check out their Facebook page. Looks like they picked up from what Hot 97 was doing before it went fully urban.

For the past few months, I've been digging up old airchecks of WQHT online. Additional information on the original WQHT are found at these links below. You can read them at:

1. History of Freestyle Music:  http://music.hyperreal.org/library/history_of_freestyle.html
2. Wikipedia - WQHT:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WQHT
3. NYC Film history:  http://www.angelfire.com/nj2/piratejim/nycfmhistory2.html

MORE COMING SOON!