WKHX-FM

WKHX-FM
City	Marietta, Georgia
Broadcast area	Atlanta metropolitan area
Frequency	101.5 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	New Country 101.5; (spelled as "FIVE")
Slogan	Made in Georgia, Loved Around the World
Programming
Format	FM/HD1: Country; HD2: Urban Contemporary
Affiliations	Cumulus Media Networks; Premiere Radio Networks
Ownership
Owner	Cumulus Media ; (Radio License Holdings LLC)
Sister stations	WNNX, WWWQ, W255CJ, W250BC
History
First air date	November 11, 1959 (as WBIE-FM)
Former call signs	WBIE-FM (1959–1981); WKHX (1981–1987)
Call sign meaning	KHX = "Kicks" former branding
Technical information
Facility ID	73161
Class	C0
ERP	100,000 watts
HAAT	329 meters (1,079 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	33°48′26″N 84°20′22″W / 33.80722°N 84.33944°WCoordinates: 33°48′26″N 84°20′22″W / 33.80722°N 84.33944°W
Links
Webcast	Listen live; Listen Live via iHeart
Website	newcountry1015.com

WKHX-FM (101.5 MHz "New Country 101.5") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Marietta, Georgia, and serving Greater Atlanta. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a country music radio format. The studios and offices are in Sandy Springs near the Georgia Highway 400 and Interstate 285 interchange. The station features local personalities during daylight hours, but it also uses the national "Nights With Elaina" show in the evening from, syndicated by Westwood One, also owned by Cumulus Media.

WKHX-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum permitted for non-grandfathered FM station in the U.S. The transmitter is off Shepherds Lane NE just west of Emory University, in unincorporated DeKalb County. WKHX-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format. The HD2 subchannel carries an urban contemporary format.

History[]

101.5 signed on as WBIE-FM on November 11, 1959.^[1] under the ownership of Marietta Broadcasting. Initially, WBIE simulcast the variety programming of its sister station AM 1080 WBIE, but in February 1968 it adopted a full-time country music format.^[2]The station manager at the time, James M. Wilder, has a technology laboratory building named after him at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta^{[citation needed]}.

Initially, WBIE-FM was powered at 1,350 watts, only heard in and around Marietta. In the 1970, WBIE-FM boosted its power to the legal maximum of 100,000 watts, and became audible in Metro Atlanta. ^[3] Its AM companion at 1080 switched its format to Adult Standards and its call sign to WCOB. The power boost made WBIE-FM a candidate to be bought by a large broadcasting company anxious for a strong FM signal in the growing Atlanta radio market.

"Kicks 101.5" debuted in November 1981 after Capital Cities Communications purchased WCOB and WBIE-FM. Capital Cities switched WBIE-FM's call letters to WKHX and made the station a contender in the Atlanta ratings. In 1987, WKHX programming began to be simulcast on AM 590. The AM station became WKHX, while 101.5 added an FM suffix, becoming WKHX-FM. Today, AM 590 is Christian radio WDWD, owned by Salem Media.

Capital Cities took over ABC, including its television and radio stations, in 1985. In 1995, ABC bought WKHX-FM's rival country station, WYAY. Eventually, WYAY switched to news programming, and today is Christian Contemporary-formatted WAKL after it was sold to the Educational Media Foundation in 2019. In December 2006, WKHX-FM got a new country music competitor in WUBL, owned by Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia).

WKHX-FM and other ABC Radio stations were acquired by Citadel Broadcasting in 2007, which became Cumulus Media in September 2011.^[4] In October 2011, WKHX-FM modified its playlist from playing only "new country" music to mixing in some older hits from the 1990s to the present.^[5]

On November 13, 2019, WKHX began running liners promoting a "big announcement" to come at 3 p.m. the following day. Several liners had a wolf-howling sound effect, a nod to rumors on radio news websites (based on web domains registered by Cumulus as far back as September) that the station was to rebrand as "The Wolf". At the promised time, the station rebranded, but instead as "New Country 101.FIVE", and also introducing a new morning show host, JJ Kincaid, to team with existing co-host Dallas McCade, with the show being branded as "Kincaid and Dallas".^[6]^[7]

Former logo[]

References[]

^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1960 page A-141
^ "Atlanta Radio Time Warp 1968".
^ [1]
^ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal (subscription required). September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
^ http://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2011/10/22/kicks-101-5-skews-older-with-more-1990-2005-cuts-welcome-back-garth-brooks-and-travis-tritt/
^ WKHX Relaunches As New Country 101.5; JJ Kincaid Joins Dallas In Mornings
^ WKHX Becomes New Country 101.5

External links[]

New Country 101.5 website
WKHX in the FCC FM station database
WKHX on Radio-Locator
WKHX in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

[1] Broadcasting Yearbook 1960 page A-141

[2] "Atlanta Radio Time Warp 1968".

[3] [1]

[abj-citadelcumulus-4] "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal (subscription required). September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.

[5] ttp://blogs.ajc.com/radio-tv-talk/2011/10/22/kicks-101-5-skews-older-with-more-1990-2005-cuts-welcome-back-garth-brooks-and-travis-tritt/

[6] WKHX Relaunches As New Country 101.5; JJ Kincaid Joins Dallas In Mornings

[7] WKHX Becomes New Country 101.5

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

show v t Country radio stations in the state of Georgia
Stations	WAAC – Valdosta WAJQ-FM – Alma WBTR-FM – Carrollton WBYZ – Baxley WCJM-FM – West Point WCON – Cornelia WCON-FM – Cornelia WDAL - Dalton WDEN – Macon WDXQ – Cochran WEKS – Zebulon WHIE – Griffin WIFO – Jesup WIHB – Macon WIHB-FM – Gray WISK-FM – Americus WJCL-FM – Savannah WJJC – Commerce WJTH – Calhoun WKAA – Willacoochee WKAK – Albany WKBX – Kingsland WKCN – Fort Benning WKHX-FM – Marietta WKKP – McDonough WKLY – Hartwell WKNG – Tallapoosa WKUB – Blackshear WKZR – Milledgeville WKZZ – Tifton WLHR – Lavonia WLJA – Ellijay WLUB – Augusta WLYU – Lyons WMCD – Rocky Ford WMCG – Milan WMNZ – Montezuma WMOQ – Bostwick WNGC – Athens WOBB – Tifton WOKA-FM – Douglas WPEH – Louisville WPPL – Blue Ridge WQCH – Lafayette WQZY – Dublin WRJY – Brunswick WSGA – Hinesville WSNT – Sandersville WSNT-FM – Sandersville WSRM – Coosa WTHO – Thomson WTIF - Tifton WTIF-FM – Omega WTUF – Boston WUBL – Atlanta WUCG-LP – Blairsville WUFF – Eastman WUFF-FM – Eastman WULK – Crawfordville WXLI – Dublin WXRS-FM – Swainsboro WYNR – Waycross WYUM – Mount Vernon WYYZ – Jasper WZQZ – Trion
Defunct	WBBK – Blakely WCUG – Cuthbert
See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Georgia

show v t Cumulus Media
AM radio stations	KAAY KABC KAOK KARN KBED KBGG KBOI KCMO KCSF KCUB KESP KFAY KFOG KFRU KGO KIKR KKAT KKOB KKOH KLIF KLIK KMAJ KMJ KNBR KNEK KNML KPUR KRMD KSFO KTBL KTCK KTCT KTIK KTOP KTUC KUGN KVOR KWPN KXZZ KYNG WAAV WALG WAPI WARM WAYS WBAP WBBF WBBL WBBW WCOA WDUZ¹ WFAS WFNC WFTW WGLD WGOC WGOK WGOW WGPC WHGB WHLD WICC WIOV WISW WJBC WJCW WJOX WJR WJRW WKY WLBY WLS WLTI WLWI WLZR WMAC WMSP WNAM WNML WOSH WPIC WPRO WPRV WRQX WRIE WSBA WSBN WSKO WSSO WTKA WTMA WTRX WUMP WVEL WVLK WVNN WWCK WXLM WXNT WXOK WXQW WXSM WYMB WYNN
FM radio stations	K279BI KAMO-FM KARN-FM KARX KATC-FM KATM KATT-FM KAYD-FM KBBM KBBQ-FM KBBY-FM KBCY KBEE KBER KBIU KBUL-FM KBXR KCDD KCFX KCHZ KCJK KCMO-FM KDJK KDRF KDVB KDVV KEHK KENZ KGGO KHAY KHKI KHKK KHOP KHTB KHXS KHYT KIIM-FM KIPR KIZN KJJY KJMO KJOY KKEG KKFM KKGB KKGL KKMG KKND KKOB-FM KKPK KKWD KLAL KLIF-FM KLUR KMAJ-FM KMCK-FM KMEZ KMGA KMGV KMJ-FM KMJJ-FM KMJK KNBR-FM KNEK-FM KNEV KNRQ KNSH KOBQ KOLI KOMS KOQL KPLA KPLX KPUR-FM KQFC KQHN KQIZ-FM KQLK KQOB² KQRS-FM KQSM-FM KQXC-FM KQXL-FM KQXY-FM KRBE KRMD-FM KRMW KRRQ KRST KRUZ KSAN KSCS KSKS KSMB KSZR KTCK-FM KTCX KTIK-FM KTLT KTOP-FM KUBL-FM KUJZ KURB KVMA-FM KVYB KWIC KWIN KWNN KWQW KWYE KWYL KXKC KXXR KYIS KYKZ KYYI KZEL-FM KZJF KZRK-FM W264AK WABD WAOA-FM WAQX-FM WARM-FM WBHD WBHT WBLX-FM WBNQ WBSX WBWN WBZE WBZF WCMG WCTO WCYN-FM WDAI WDEN-FM WDLT-FM WDRQ WDUZ-FM¹ WDVD WDZZ-FM WEAN-FM WEAS-FM WEBE WEDG WEGC WEMX WFBE WFMS WFTK WFYR WGFX WGKX WGLF WGLO WGNI WGOW-FM WGRF WGRR WGVX WHBX WHHY-FM WHKR WHNN WHOT-FM WHRP WHTS WHTT-FM WILZ WIOG WIOV-FM WIVK-FM WIWF WIXO WIXV WJAD WJBC-FM WJCL-FM WJEZ WJJK WJOX-FM WJQX WJTQ WKAK WKDF WKHX-FM WKIM WKKO WKLQ WKOR-FM WKOS WKQX WKQZ WKRU WKSM WKXS-FM WLAV-FM WLAW WLCS WLEV WLFF WLLF WLS-FM WLTO WLUP WLWI-FM WLXC WLXX WLZN WMAL-FM WMDH-FM WMEZ WMGB WMGL WMGS WMGU WMIM WMNX WMOS³ WMXS WMXT WMXU WNBM WNCV WNDX WNKT WNML-FM WNMQ WNNF WNNK-FM WNNX WNTQ WNTR WOFX-FM WOGB¹ WOGT WOKI WOMG WORC-FM WPEZ WPKR WPRO-FM WQGN-FM WQHZ WQKL WQLH¹ WQPD WQQK WQQO WQSM WQUT WQVE WQXA-FM WQXK WRBO WRCQ WRKN WROK-FM WRQN WRQQ WRRM WRRX WSEA WSJR WSKZ WSM-FM WSMS WSOX WSSX-FM WSYN WTCB WTNR WTOD WTYB WUHT WVBO WVIB WVLK-FM WVNN-FM WWCK-FM WWFF-FM WWFN-FM WWFX WWIZ WWKI WWKL WWKX WWLD WWLI WWLS-FM WWWM WWQQ-FM WWSN WWTN WWWQ W255CJ/WWWQ-HD2 WWWW-FM WWWX WWWZ WXBM-FM WXFX WXKC WXKR WXKR-HD2/W265CB WXLO WXMX WXTA WXZZ WYFM WYNN-FM WYZB WZCY-FM WZNS WZPL WZPW WZRH WZRR WZYP
Radio networks	Arkansas Radio Network CBS Sports Radio* Titans Radio Network Westwood One (see navpage)
Online assets	Nash Country Weekly iHeartRadio¹
Television-related assets	Nash TV
Other assets	CumulusJobs.com San Francisco Giants (minority interest in LP)
See also	Citadel Broadcasting Cumulus Media Networks Susquehanna Radio Corporation
¹ = Owned by iHeartMedia; operated by Cumulus under an LMA. ² = Co-owned with Champlin Broadcasting under an LMA. ³ = Operated by the Mohegan Sun under an LMA. * = Owned by CBS Corporation, operated by Cumulus.