WHYI-FM
WHYI-FM, better known as Y100, is a heritage FM Top 40 that broadcasts at 100.7 MHz. The station is licensed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida and owned by iHeartMedia. Y100 broadcasts at an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts from its 1,007 foot transmitter, which is located on the Miami-Dade side of the Miami-Dade/Broward County line near U.S. 441 and County Line Road. On a typical day its signal can generally be received north to Fort Pierce, southwest past Key Largo, and west deep into the Everglades. Its signal has even been known at times to go as far east as the Bahamas and as far south as Cuba. Its studios are located in Miramar.
Y100 is the longest-running Top 40 station in both the United States and North America with the same call letters and nickname.
History
WMFP/WMJR
The 100.7 FM frequency was signed-on in early 1960 as a religious station with the call letters WMFP. It was owned by Percy Crawford from 1960 to 1962.From 1962 to 1973, it was known as a beautiful music station with the call letters of WMJR. In late 1966, the station's studios, tower, and signal coverage were greatly upgraded from 56,000 watts to 100,000 watts by engineer and entrepreneur Ron Crider, who sold the station in 1973 to former Hawaii congressman Cecil Heftel for $1,500,000, a record price for a radio station at the time.
Y100
Y100 has been broadcasting continuously with various forms of contemporary hit music since it signed on August 3, 1973 at 6 a.m. with new call letters WLQY.The first song played on Y100 was "Diamond Girl" by Seals and Crofts. The original line-up included Roby Yonge and John Emm in mornings, Larry McKay in middays, future Power 96 jock Donnie "Cox On The Radio" Cox in afternoons, with Davey O'Donnell in nights, and Eric Rhoads on the overnights. Weekends included Bill Christie and Kevin Malloy. Bill Tanner was later hired as the midday personality and assistant Program Director, and later promoted to program director and moved to the morning show.
Several months after signing on, the call letters were changed from WLQY to WHYI following complaints from crosstown competitor at what was 96.3 WMYQ. They felt the call letters were too similar and would create confusion.
Y100 ushered in the era of the big money contests and aggressive promotional strategy that made the station one of the fastest-growing FM stations in the country during the 1970s. In 1975, Y100 was the first station in South Florida to broadcast live during the world-famous street party known as Calle Ocho. As Program Director, Bill Tanner hired the personalities who became so familiar to South Florida listeners including sports reporter John "Footy" Kross, newsman Jim Reihle, traffic reporter and the first "Captain Y" Glen Logan, midday host the late Cramer Haas, Joanne "Jo The Rock N Roll Madame" Meader became the first female DJ on Y100, who went to Z100 in New York as Jo Maeder, Jay Marks, Rick Eliott for afternoons, Robert W. Walker and Don Cox from crosstown WMYQ, Batt Johnson, Tom Birch, Dave Dunaway, Howard Perl, Quincy McCoy, with Earl "The Pearl" Lewis and overnight guy Marcus "Mark In The Dark" Shands. Mark was also served as music director during part of his time at Y100 and was substitute newsman on Tanner's show. John Hartman was music director during the early 1970s until Colleen "The Vinyl Queen" Cassidy became the first female music and research director in 1978, moving in from WMAQ in Chicago, which had been run by eventual iHeartMedia CEO Bob Pittman. Cassidy started Y100's first call-out research department. She later became a music consultant for Miami's WPOW as well for so many other stations. The station mascot was the lovable Y100 Dolphin who was WHYI's first and only undersea mascot from 1973 to 2009. Marketing reports back then once showed that the dolphin logo was one of the most recognized logos in South Florida.
Tanner's morning show was considered to be the high point of Y100's programming history, along with Tanner's role as Program Director.
In 1976, Heftel sold Y100 to Metroplex Communications. In 1994 that company sold its group of stations to Clear Channel Communications.
In January 2004, when sister classic rock station WBGG-FM moved its branding from Big 106 to Big 105-9, WHYI-FM rebranded as Y100.7, only to revert to the old branding by mid-2006. This was to avoid confusion with former Philadelphia alternative rock station WPLY), owned by Radio One. WPLY signed off the air in 2005. By 2007, the Y100.com URL formerly used by WPLY was acquired by WHYI-FM.
Y100: morning show history
Sonny Fox & Ron Hersey
In 1982 Bill Tanner and Jim Reihle left Y100 for WASH-FM/Washington, DC. To replace them, Sonny Fox and Ron Hersey were recruited for mornings from crosstown WSHE-FM. Using a blend of parody songs, phoney commercials, and impersonations of local and national celebrities and politicians Fox, Hersey, Mark "Captain Y" Lipof, John "Footy" Cross and Mr. Mike Raffone led the morning show to its highest ratings ever.In 1987, Hersey moved on to mornings at WNVZ-FM/Norfolk, WAPW-FM/Atlanta and KKFR-FM/Phoenix where he worked with Danny Bonaduce. Fox left the following year and moved to mornings at KHYI-FM/Dallas with Bill Murphy and Bill Tanner's former Y100 programming secretary, Joannie Siani.
Bobby & Footy
John Kross was a presence on the locally produced morning show for a record 32 years running from 1974 to 2006, thus holding the record of longest Top 40 CHR DJ in North America. Footy also hosted the "Y100 Wing Ding", a charity event to help fight drug abuse.Mark "Captain Y" Lipof left the show in 1993 after 17 years on-air, having produced the show and handling the duties of On-Air News Director and Traffic Reporter. He owns Lipof Advertising in Plantation, Florida.
Famous morning show character "Mike Van Driver" aka Michael Woods traveled all over the market adding to the fun on the show.
Czarnecki departed five years later to pursue a career as a local television producer. Bobby left Footy and South Florida in 1998 to head back home to Texas.
Footy & The Chix @ Six
In 1998, the morning show was renamed "Footy & The Chix @ Six", and Footy co-hosted the show with several female personalities, including Jade Alexander, Tina Malave, and Elaine Turner. Some commented that this line-up was the least successful, often referred to as "Footy with some Chix who don't like him".Kenny & Footy
On Monday June 18, 2001, a new era in the morning show began as Footy was paired-up with popular afternoon drive time deejay Kenny Walker for "The Y100 Early Morning Show". A few months later, in January 2002, the show was renamed "Kenny & Footy in the Morning". In May 2002, Froggy left The MJ Morning Show to join the show.On Tuesday January 31, 2006 after 10 years with the station, Kenny Walker was released from Y100, at the expiration of his contract which was not renewed.
In February, March, and April 2006 Footy and Froggy co-hosted the show with two popular afternoon and evening DJs - first Adam Bomb and then Michael Yo.
On Monday "May Day" of 2006 Footy announced his retirement from Y100. It was actually his last in-studio show. He then took the show on the road for the next four days to Miami Lakes, Ft. Lauderdale, Coral Gables, and Weston. The final weeks' worth of shows included special guests and former co-workers calling in or visiting Footy in person, classic highlights and comedy bits, and Y100 jingles from the past. His retirement was official as of the end of his Friday May 5, 2006 broadcast. A year later Footy came back out of retirement and landed a home back on the airwaves of South Florida on Fox News Radio affiliate 610 AM WIOD.