WHCN traces its history back to the earliest days of FM Radio. It was first licensed as experimental station W1XSL in 1936. It originally broadcast in the old FM band between 42 and 50 MHz. It subsequently used the call letters W1XPW, W65H, WDRC-FM and WFMQ before arriving at WHCN in 1958 as a classical music outlet. The call letters stood for the "Hartford Concert Network", because the station often aired classical music concerts.
WHCN shifted from classical music to progressive rock in 1969. The format was later flipped to mainstream album rock in late 1976. Known as "106-WHCN", it was very successful in the 1970s and the 1980s. WHCN was home to the morning show "Picozzi and The Horn", up until the mid-1990s. Mike Picozzi would later move to rival rock station WCCC-FM, eventually becoming program director there. WHCN flipped to classic rock in the mid-1990s to compete for the older rock audience that grew up with the station. New owners switched the moniker to "105-9 WHCN," moving to a harder-edged classic rock sound billed as "Classic Rock That Really Rocks". WHCN would be snapped up by Liberty Broadcasting, then SFX Broadcasting/Capstar, and then AMFM, which merged with iHeartMedia in 2000.
After years of declining ratings, the 33-year run of the WHCN brand would come to an abrupt end in March 2002, when WHCN became known as "The River 105.9", retaining most of its on-air staff from its previous Classic Rock incarnation. The station's "The Rock" slogan and later the station's former Asylum Street studios would be adopted by one-time rival WCCC. WHCN's playlist was different and more diverse than other stations in the market, which helped it shoot up in ratings from 13th place to 5th place within a year. "The River 105.9" targets listeners who enjoy both rock and hot adult contemporary formats, by blending classic rock hits of the 1970s and 1980s with current and recent hits. The WHCN call letters have been retained to reflect the station's past. The station appeals to baby boomers and Generation X listeners with specialty programs such as the "80s at 8", which is an hour of 80s music starting at 8am and 8pm, "The 10 o'clock Artist Spotlight" at 10am, and the "High School Reunion" at 6pm, focusing on a specific year.
Transmitter
WHCN is a Class BFM station, a class allowed to transmit up to 50,000 watts Effective Radiated Power at 150 metersHeight Above Average Terrain. Stations broadcasting at higher elevations transmit at ERPs reduced on a sliding scale that varies with height. WHCN transmits at 264 meters HAAT, with an ERP of 16,000 watts, equivalent to 50,000 watts at 150 meters.. The facility radiates in a directional pattern, with maximum ERP at 30° azimuth, in the direction of Hartford, Connecticut. The signal is reduced in other directions. Its weakest strengths are at 190° and 230° azimuth, toward the southwest. That is to reduce interference with WQXR-FM, a classical music station in New York City that is also on 105.9 MHz, broadcasting from the Empire State Building. In those directions the signal is.45 of full power, or 7,200 watts. Meanwhile, WQXR operates at reduced power to avoid interfering with WHCN.
