On December 2, 1959, the station first signed on as WMPS-FM. It was the FM counterpart to AM 680 WMPS and ran at only 6,600 watts, a fraction of its power today. WMPS-AM-FM were owned by the Plough Corporation, a pharmaceutical firm founded in Memphis that also had a radio division, with stations in Chicago, Atlanta, Boston and other cities. At first the two stations mostly simulcast. But during the 1960s and 1970s, WMPS-FM was separately programmed with a classical music format. In the 1970s, WMPS-FM got a boost to 100,000 watts, and then made a transition to a Progressive Rock format in a effort to take on then-Rock rival WMC-FM.
Switch to Rhythmic, CHUrban/Crossover, and Urban
In the mid-1970s, the owners decided that the Rock format was underperforming in ratings and revenue. In October 1976, the station flipped to a Rhythmic Contemporary format that featured Disco, utilizing the same formula that its counterpart in Philadelphia, WCAU-FM, was using at the time. The call sign was changed in 1977 to WHRK, to honor Harold R. Krelstein, who had been the President and CEO of Plough Broadcasting, Inc. Krelstein retired in 1976. In 1977 he was awarded the National Association of BroadcastersDistinguished Service Award for his contributions to broadcasting and especially, radio. He died in July 1977. WHRK's success with Disco also paid off ratings-wise during the last four years of the genre's period. By 1981, a year after disco's demise, the station moved in a CHUrban/Crossover direction, featuring Rap, Freestyle, New Jack Swing, Dance Music, Pop, and R&B hits. When Billboard introduced its Crossover Chart in February 1987, WHRK was added to the panel as one of its reporters. By the end of the 1989, WHRK had evolved to from CHUrban/Crossover sound, into an Urban Contemporary sound.
New Ownership
In 1985, Adams Communications bought the top AM and top FM stations in Memphis, aimed at the African American community: WHRK and AM 1070WDIA, which airs a full service format for black listeners, including R&B, soul music and gospel, plus news, sports and talk. In 1988, noted African American radio executive Regan Henry bought WHRK and WDIA for $13 million. In 1996, WHRK and WDIA were purchased by Chancellor Broadcasting. Chancellor also acquired WHRK's former urban competitor, 101.1 KJMS. KJMS was moved to an urban adult contemporary sound, while WHRK continued as a more youthful urban station. A short time later, Chancellor switched its name to AMFM, Inc., and was acquired by Clear Channel Communications in 1999. In 2014, Clear Channel became iHeartMedia, the current owner of WHRK, WDIA and KJMS.
