WASH (FM)

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WASH

City	Washington, D.C.
Broadcast area	Washington metropolitan area
Frequency	97.1 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	97.1 WASH-FM
Slogan	Washington's Variety From The '80s, '90s and Now!
Programming
Format	Adult contemporary
Subchannels	HD2: Air1 (Contemporary worship music) HD3: The Breeze (Soft AC)
Ownership
Owner	iHeartMedia, Inc. (iHM Licenses LLC)
Sister stations	WBIG-FM, WIHT, WMZQ-FM, WUST, WWDC
History
First air date	December 17, 1946
Former call signs	WSDC (1946, Construction permit) KG2XIG (1958, part-time)[1]
Former frequencies	98.9 MHz (1946–1947)
Call sign meaning	WASHington, D.C.
Technical information
Facility ID	70933
Class	B
ERP	17,500 watts
HAAT	242 metres (794 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	38°57′01.40″N 77°04′45.90″W / 38.9503889°N 77.0794167°W / 38.9503889; -77.0794167
Links
Webcast	Listen live (via iHeartRadio)
Website	washfm.iheart.com

WASH (97.1 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station owned and operated by iHeartMedia and located in Washington, D.C.. Known on-air as "WASH-FM," the station airs an adult contemporary radio format. For much of November and December, it switches to Christmas music (as well as on July 25 for "Christmas in July") and calls itself "Washington's Home For The Holidays" during the holiday season. The radio studios and offices are on Rockville Pike (Maryland Route 355) in Rockville, Maryland.

The station's transmitter site is on Chesapeake Street NW off Wisconsin Avenue in the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.^[2] WASH has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 17,500 watts, broadcasting from a tower at 242 metres (794 ft) in height above average terrain (HAAT). With a good radio, WASH can be heard from Baltimore to Fredericksburg, Virginia.

WASH broadcasts using HD Radio technology.^[3] Its HD2 digital subchannel carries the Air1 contemporary Christian music channel from the Educational Media Foundation, and its HD3 subchannel carries iHeartRadio's "The Breeze" Soft AC format. WASH streams its programming on the iHeartRadio platform.

History[]

Early years[]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a construction permit for 101.3 MHz WSDC in September 1946. It changed its call sign to WASH two months later. While it built transmitting facilities, WASH received special temporary authority to broadcast on 98.9 with reduced power, beginning December 17, 1946, using the transmitter of experimental station W3XI in Northwest Washington. The station was reassigned to its current frequency, 97.1 MHz, in mid-1947 without ever broadcasting on 101.3.^[1]

From September 16, 1947, through May 3, 1950, WASH relayed the BBC Overseas Service and thrice-daily time signals from WWV via shortwave while it constructed a studio. After it signed on the air, it was also granted unusual permission to operate as a non-commercial station (identified by the experimental call sign KG2XIG instead of its normal call sign) from September 18, 1958 through December 31, 1958.^[1]

In the early era of FM broadcasting, most stations were co-owned with an AM station and often simulcast its programming, when few listeners had FM receivers. WASH was a rare stand-alone FM outlet.^[4] It is among the three oldest FM stations in D.C. (along with WKYS and WWDC-FM). WASH was owned by Everett L. Dillard, who served as the president and general manager. The studios were located at 1319 F Street NW.

Metromedia ownership[]

In 1968, Metromedia acquired the station, making WASH a sister station to WTTG.^[5] Metromedia also owned successful radio stations across the U.S., including WNEW and WNEW-FM in New York City, WIP and WMMR in Philadelphia and KLAC and KMET in Los Angeles.

WASH has been an adult contemporary station in one form or another since the 1970s. Under Metromedia ownership, it was considered a personality-oriented middle of the road (MOR) station, similar to WNEW in New York. This was a format almost always found on AM radio, where people could hear it on kitchen radios and in the car; however, Metromedia didn't own an AM station in Washington, so WASH took on the format. Disc jockeys played the adult hits of the day, from Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand to The Carpenters and Dionne Warwick, chatting between the songs and airing hourly news updates.

For a few years in the early 1980s, the station attempted to do a Top 40/CHR format, publicized by the station's "WASH with the Stars" TV advertising campaign. Due to having little success against Washington's established Top 40 stations in WPGC-FM and WRQX, WASH would return to a full service adult contemporary format.

Outlet, AMFM and Clear Channel/iHeartMedia ownership[]

In 1986, WASH was sold to The Outlet Company, a Providence, Rhode Island-based broadcasting and retail firm which already owned All News AM 1500 WTOP. Under Outlet ownership, WASH became a more conventional AC station.

In 1997, WASH changed hands again, this time acquired by AMFM, Inc.^[6] In 1999, AMFM merged into Clear Channel Communications, which today is known as iHeartMedia.

Until late 2013, the station played disco music and related dance and pop songs (mostly 1970s hits) in a program known as "Jammin' Saturday Night" from 7 pm to midnight. After the 2013 holiday season, the program was revamped to play songs from the 1980s under the name "All 80's Saturday Night." In July 2017, that program was replaced by "Lovin' Life, Living the 80's," a similar show hosted by Tom Kent.

Air Personalities[]

Weekdays begin with the Toby & Chilli morning show, followed by Jenni Chase in middays and Sabrina Conte in afternoons. In the evening, WASH carries the syndicated Delilah show, featuring music requests and call-ins. Weekends include the syndicated Ellen K Show and Back Trax USA with Kid Kelly.

External links[]

• washfm.iheart.com
• WASH in the FCC FM station database
• WASH on Radio-Locator
• WASH in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

References[]