imported>OWaunTon: Adding short description: "Radio station in Urbana, Ohio", overriding automatically generated description

2025-10-03T02:44:50Z

Adding short description: "Radio station in Urbana, Ohio", overriding automatically generated description

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{{Short description|Radio station in Urbana, Ohio}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2010}}
{{speculation|date=July 2010}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox radio station
| logo =
| logo_size =
| name = WDHT
| airdate = {{start date and age|1958|7}}
| frequency = 102.9 [[MHz]]
| city = [[Urbana, Ohio]]
| country = US
| area = [[Dayton, Ohio]]
| format = [[Urban contemporary|Urban-leaning]] [[rhythmic contemporary]]
| owner = [[Connoisseur Media]]
| licensee = Alpha Media Licensee LLC
| sister_stations = {{hlist|[[WGTZ]]|[[WING]]|[[WCLI-FM]]|[[WROU-FM]]}}
| erp = 50,000 watts
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
| facility_id = 60252
| haat = {{convert|150|m|ft|sp=us}}
| branding = ''"Hot 102-9"''
| class = B
| webcast = {{listenlive|https://www.alphamediaplayer.com/hot1029}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.hot1029.com}}
| callsign_meaning = Dayton Hot
| affiliations = [[Premiere Networks]]
}}

'''WDHT''' (102.9 [[FM broadcasting|FM]] "Hot 102.9") is an [[urban contemporary|urban-leaning]] [[rhythmic contemporary]] radio station in [[Urbana, Ohio]] serving the [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]]–[[Springfield, Ohio|Springfield]] area. WDHT is currently owned by [[Alpha Media]], which also owns [[WING]], [[WROU-FM]], [[WCLI-FM]] and [[WGTZ]]. Its transmitter site on Miller Road in Springfield is shared with that of [[WULM]], as this was previously the transmitting site of the former WBLY/WAZU. Its studios are in [[Kettering, Ohio]].

==History==
=== MOR (1958–1979) ===
Prior to becoming WDHT, the 102.9 frequency was originally licensed to [[Springfield, OH|Springfield]] as WBLY-FM from 1958 to 1979, simulcasting [[middle of the road (music)|middle of the road]]-formatted WBLY.

=== Album rock (1979–1993) ===
"FM-103 The Zoo...from A to Z to U." and played [[album oriented rock]] and occasionally some [[adult contemporary]]. In the mid to late-80s, they simply billed themselves as "103 WAZU", and later as "102.9 WAZU". On January 15, 1989, the station briefly went dark, and when they returned to the airwaves later that day they had switched directions to [[album oriented rock]] and began billing themselves as "The Big WAZU", which lasted until March 19, 1993, by which time the station had evolved into harder-edged [[active rock]]. It competed fiercely with [[WTUE]].

In 1992, WAZU was sold to Osborn Communications by "Smilin' Bob" Yountz's Champion City Broadcasting, owners of the former WBLY (now [[WULM]]), and moved the studios to Dayton. WAZU's studios were originally located in its city of license of Springfield.

=== Classic rock (1993–2001) ===
On March 19, 1993 WAZU flipped their format to [[classic rock]] as "Classic Rock 102.9 WAZU", following a brief [[Stunting (broadcasting)|stunt]] as "102.9 WZEP-All [[Led Zeppelin]], All The Time". Great Trails Broadcasting changed the station's call sign to WING-FM in May 1995 and continued the classic rock format. The WAZU calls moved to [[WWLG|107.1 FM]], licensed to Circleville, south of [[Columbus, Ohio|Columbus]], in late 1996. They also used the "Big WAZU" nickname and active rock format, as well as using exactly the same imaging as 102.9 did in early 1993.

=== Rhythmic (2001–present) ===
[[File:WDHT-FM.png|thumb|Previous logo]]
In 2001, [[Radio One (company)|Radio One]] acquired WING-FM and flipped it to [[rhythmic contemporary]] on August 3. The station changed call letters to WDHT on October 24 to match the "Hot" moniker. Two years later, Radio One bought out rival urban station [[WROU]], which was Dayton's last locally owned FM radio station, and converted it to [[urban adult contemporary]], a move that allowed WDHT to evolve into a [[mainstream urban]] direction, even though its presentation is more along the lines of that of a [[Urban Top 40|Churban]]-formatted station (like [[WPGC-FM]] in Washington, D.C.).

Under Radio One, WDHT was known for [[voice-tracking]] programming and repetition of songs in their playlists, which tends to favor Churban-friendly rhythmic hits, but following a series of ownership changes since 2007, it has taken on a more live and local presentation. Also, in the wake of [[Top 40]] sister station [[WGTZ]]'s flip to [[adult hits]], it has also taken on a more broader rhythmic direction than ever, which might be due to the competition it has with rival Top 40 [[WCHD|WDKF]], whose direction leaned rhythmic. The station also aired the [[Russ Parr]] morning show, which was dropped in August 2014 in favor of "The Breakfast Club". By September 2009, WDHT was officially moved from the R&B/Hip-Hop panel to the [[Rhythmic Airplay Chart|Rhythmic Airplay Panel]] by [[Nielsen BDS]] as it began to incorporate more Rhythmic Pop tracks into its playlist.<ref>[http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/public%20factsheets/Soundscan/BDS_StationsMonitored.pdf BDS monitored radio panel update]</ref> The move to rhythmic might have been spurred by WDKF's decision to shift away from a local presentation to adopting Clear Channel's [[Premium Choice]] presentation. That approach would result in WDKF being dropped from both Mediabase and BDS Top 40 reporting panels in 2009, only to be reinstated in 2013 when it began re-adding air staffers.

In 2006, Radio One announced that sister station [[WCLI-FM|WKSW]] would relocate its frequency from 101.7 to 101.5 and change its city of license from Urbana to Enon. The move was later approved by the [[Federal Communications Commission]] (FCC). As part of a trade off, WDHT switched its city of license from Springfield to Urbana in 2010, but the station's transmitter remained in Springfield after WKSW's move. This move was planned before Radio One sold its Dayton area cluster to Main Line.

On May 17, 2007, Philadelphia-based Main Line Broadcasting announced the acquisition of Radio One's stations in the Dayton and [[Louisville]] market areas.<ref>[http://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/$rol.exe/headline_id=b9903 News article of Main Line's purchase of Dayton and Louisville station clusters from Radio One (Radio-Online, May 17, 2007)]</ref> Main Line took over the Dayton stations on September 14, 2007.<ref>[http://news.radio-online.com/cgi-bin/$rol.exe/headline_id=n17010 From Radio-Online (September 14, 2007)]</ref> Main Line would be acquired by [[Alpha Media]] in 2014.<ref name="ri-saletoalpha">{{cite news |last1=Venta |first1=Lance |title=Alpha and L&L To Merge; Acquire Main Line Broadcasting |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/87668/alpha-and-l-acquire-main-line-broadcasting/ |access-date=September 21, 2025 |work=RadioInsight |date=April 17, 2014}}</ref> Alpha Media merged with [[Connoisseur Media]] on September 4, 2025.<ref name="ri-saletoconnoisseurcomplete">{{cite news |last1=Venta |first1=Lance |title=Introducing The New Connoisseur Media |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/307973/introducing-the-new-connoisseur-media/ |access-date=September 8, 2025 |work=RadioInsight |date=September 4, 2025}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.hot1029.com Hot 102.9]
* {{FM station data|60252|WDHT}}

{{Dayton Radio}}
{{Connoisseur Media}}
{{Rhythmic Contemporary Radio Stations in Ohio}}

{{coord|39.953|N|83.869|W|type:landmark_region:US-OH_source:FCC|display=title}}

[[Category:1958 establishments in Ohio]]
[[Category:Connoisseur Media radio stations]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1958]]
[[Category:Radio stations in Dayton, Ohio|DHT]]
[[Category:Rhythmic contemporary radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Urban contemporary radio stations in the United States]]

WDHT - Revision history

imported>OWaunTon: Adding short description: "Radio station in Urbana, Ohio", overriding automatically generated description