WHOO-FM 96.5 
Orlando

Original Call Letters: WHOO

Originally Licensed: 1948

Original City of License: Orlando

Original Frequency: 96.5

Origin of Call Letters: 

Original Power: 59,000 Watts

Original Location:

Original Format: Beautiful Music


Network Affiliation(s):


Owner(s):


1948-Orlando Daily Newspaper
1958-Bluegrass Broadcasting
1987-TK Communications ($12 million)
1996-Infinity Broadcasting Corp
1997-Cox Broadcasting


History Of Call Letters and Formats:


WHOO-1952-Beautiful Music (First stereo station in Central Florida)
WHOO-1984-Country "96 Country"
WHTQ-1987-Rock  "Q96"
WHTQ-1993-AOR


History of WHOO FM
Thanks to Chuck Wilson for this history of WHOO-FM. "...WHOO-FM was either the first or second station in Florida to go stereo... and as Steve (Rutledge) said, one of the first in the country. For many years the main purpose of the station was to support the background music service (called) Musaire. I helped Clint Gorey install Musaire receivers in stores on the east coast. The music service was also fully automated ... way ahead of its time. The station was simulcasting for many years ... 60% on one side of the band (commercial format) and 40% on the other (background music subscribers). We had customers all over central Florida. Our competition was WDBO-FM 92.3 who was promoting MUZAK.  John (Rutledge) struck a deal with WDBO and we sold them all our customers. This left us with a ready made stereo station!  We went stereo shortly after that. WHOO-FM supposedly broadcast with an effective radiated power of 59,000 watts.  But, the engineer, Charlie Chrismon, tweaked the antenna (the antenna was on top of a 1,000 ft cable supported tower) and we were far above that. I would get letters from listeners in ALABAMA!  How is that for an FM station in Orlando.  Believe it or not, more people listened to WHOO-FM than any station in Central Florida.


Names In WHOO-FM History
Thomas Seaver-1948

Garvis Kincaid-1958-President-Bluegrass Broadcasting

Marty Stebbins-1967 Biography

Steve Kennedy-Biography

Bill Cody

Dave Edwards-Nights Biography 

Ruby Love-Overnights


June Myers-1983-1985  Biography 

Anne Jeffries-7PM-Midnight

Bucks Braun-1979-1985-Program Director/Mornings Biography

Mike Kinosian-1985-Program Director

Rick (Saylor)-Morning co-host with Dick Sollom

Dick (Sollom) -Morning co-host with Rick Saylor In Memory

Bill Michaels-Mid-days

Clayton Delaney-Afternoons                                            WHOO 2nd annual reunion booklet 1984

Tony George-Mornings                                                                Courtesy of Dave Edwards

Jesse Lynne-Mid-days

Mike Goode-Afternoons

Charlie Chrismon-Engineer

Cecil West-Program Director

Dan Jones-Assistant Chief Engineer

Lee Brandel


             
                                                Courtesy of Dave Edwards pictured above

                                                                     
                                                                 








Thanks to John S. Smith for this old clipping from the Orlando Sentinel dated 2/26/87 regarding the switch from WHOO "96 Country" to WHTQ "Q-96". 


                       














       


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