WHPT - A History
WHPT-FM 102.5 Sarasota – Lowell “Bud” Paxson, president of Paxson Communications, negotiated the sale of Sarasota’s The Wave 102.5 WHVE from Susquehanna Radio in 1991, and flipped it to 102-5 The Point WHPT. It also had a new format – Adult Album Alternative, or AAA.
Paxson sold WHPT to Clear Channel in 1997, which sold it to Cox Radio two years later. Cox dumped the alternative format, switched it to classic rock, and branded it The New 102.5. In 2003, WHPT became 102-5 The Bone.
Today (2009) the 100,000-watt station broadcasts from studios on 4th Street North in St. Petersburg. Its transmitter/tower site is located north of SR 70 in southeast Manatee County, near the northeastern corner of Sarasota County.
Some names in the history of 102.5 The Point include Drew Rashbaum (GM), Bob Cummings (PD), and on-air staffers Nick Van Cleve, Carson Cooper, Cynthia Clark, Tammy Jett, Mark Kreuger, Tim Kelly, Tim Harper, and Kevin Mitchell (music director).
Some names in the history of 102.5 The Bone include Keith Lawless (VP/GM), Jay O’Connor (market manager), and on-air staffers Bubba the Love Sponge (Todd Clem, mornings), Slater (mid-days), Mike “Cowhead” Calta (afternoons), and Kelly (nights).
(Please contact us if you have additional information to share about WHPT.)
Station History
1991 - 2009 Other Tampa Bay Area Stations (History)
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