WHK (AM)

WHK
Cleveland, Ohio; United States;
Broadcast area	Greater Cleveland
Frequency	1420 kHz
Branding	AM 1420 The Answer
Programming
Language(s)	English
Format	Talk radio
Affiliations	AccuWeather; Bloomberg Radio; Salem Radio Network; Townhall News; Westwood One; Notre Dame Fighting Irish;
Ownership
Owner	Salem Media Group; (Salem Communications Holding Corporation);
Sister stations	WFHM-FM; WHKW;
History
Founded	August 26, 1921
First air date	March 5, 1922; (102 years ago)
Former call signs	WHK (1922–2001); WHKK (2001); WCLV (2001–2003); WRMR (2003–2005);
Former frequencies	833 kHz (1922–1923); 1060 kHz (1923–1925); 1100 kHz (1925–1927); 1130 kHz (1927–1928); 1390 kHz (1928–1941);
Call sign meaning	First Station Manager, Howard K. Carpenter.
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	72299
Class	B
Power	5,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates	41°21′30.19″N 81°40′2.46″W / 41.3583861°N 81.6673500°W
Translator(s)	102.9 W275DF (Cleveland)
Links
Public license information	Public file; LMS;
Webcast	Listen live
Website	whkradio.com

WHK (1420 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, carrying a talk format known as "AM 1420 The Answer". Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region as an affiliate for the Salem Radio Network. WHK's studios are currently located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence while the transmitter site resides in neighboring Seven Hills.^[2]

Formally established in 1922 but borne out of experimental broadcasts by founder Warren R. Cox, WHK was the first licensed radio station to broadcast in Ohio and is the 15th oldest station still broadcasting in the United States.^[3] Operated by Cox and then the Radio Air Service Corporation, WHK spent the 1940s and 1950s as the broadcast extension of daily newspaper The Plain Dealer. Owned by Metromedia from 1958 to 1973, WHK signed on an FM adjunct which took on the identity of WMMS in 1968 as one of the city's first progressive rock outlets, while WHK boasted a popular Top 40 format earlier in the decade led by Johnny Holliday. Purchased by Malrite Communications in 1973, WHK converted to a country music format headlined by shock jock Gary Dee, Joe Finan and, for a brief period, Don Imus. Flipping to oldies in 1984 and business news in 1988, WHK and WMMS would be sold twice between 1993 and 1994, segueing to sports radio in the latter year. Purchased by Salem in 1996, WHK adopted a Christian radio format, then a complex radio station/intellectual property asset swap on July 3, 2001, saw WCLV owner Radio Seaway purchasing the license as a second incarnation of adult standards WRMR (using the WCLV calls from 2001 to 2003). Repurchased by Salem in 2004, it has carried a conservative talk format with the restored WHK calls since.

In addition to a standard analog transmission, WHK is relayed over low-power Cleveland translator W273DG (102.5 FM) and is available online.

^ "Facility Technical Data for WHK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
^ Fybush, Scott (May 8, 2015). "Site of the Week 5/8/15: From Cleveland to Akron". Fybush.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2022 – via RadioBB.
^ Cite error: The named reference 15thOldest was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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

[2] Fybush, Scott (May 8, 2015). "Site of the Week 5/8/15: From Cleveland to Akron". Fybush.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 5, 2022 – via RadioBB.

[15thOldest-3] Cite error: The named reference 15thOldest was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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