page_title: WHCY
section_title: History
hierarchical_section_title: WHCY / History
caption_attribution_description: English: Chuck Walsh
context_page_description: WHCY, known as Max 106.3, is a Top 40 class A FM radio station broadcasting on 106.3 FM. The format is now satellite programming along with some syndicated shows. The station is licensed to Blairstown, New Jersey and serves Sussex County and Warren County in western New Jersey, and Monroe County in eastern Pennsylvania. iHeartMedia, Inc. is the station's owner and licensee. The station's transmitter is located near Blairstown, while their studios and offices are currently co-located with currently co-owned WNNJ and WSUS in a state-of-the-art facility at 45 Ed Mitchell Avenue in Franklin, New Jersey.
context_section_description: The station signed on in October 1973 with an Oldies format and the WFMV call letters, broadcasting from studios in the former DL&W Blairstown railroad station.
  Warren Broadcasting Corporation and WCRV 1580 in Washington, New Jersey co-owned WFMV. From October 1973 to Early 1977. The station tagline was "Golden FMV," and featured DJs Sy Marsh, Chucky B, Wayne Scott, Scott O'Connor, Tommy John, Rod Baumann, Dave Garey, Tony Dee, Geoffrey Kevin Doll and others. WFMV also used the moniker "Tri-State Goldmine," since its signal banged into a sliver of New York State, although the Warren County/Poconos NJ-PA region was the station's primary target.  The music followed a 50's, 60's, 70's, and "Future Gold" (borrowed from WCBS-FM) 4-category rotation, with everything played in real-time on turntables except for the Future Gold/Currents, which were on cart.  FMV had a generous list of Future Gold songs, jumping on records such as "Emma" by Hot Chocolate, "L-O-V-E" by Al Green, John Lennon's "#9 Dream," Chaka Khan's "Once You Get Started," Ben E. King's "Supernatural Thing," Sammy Johns' "Chevy Van," Sugarloaf's "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" and War's "Low Rider."   Even if listeners weren't into the oldies, which weren't that old then, Golden FMV's current song category rivaled the playlists of any New York, Philly, or Allentown top forty station at the time.
  WFMV became very promotions-oriented during this period, tying in with venues such as The Still in Tranquility for contests like "Kissable Lips," in which female listeners were invited to send in a lipstick imprint of their lips for a chance to win a blind date with an 'FMV disc jockey, dinner and drinks included.  The station was unique among suburban/smaller market stations for being extremely personality-driven, with GM Chuck Bettyeman, to his credit, holding regular staff meetings at which the disc jockeys – mostly on their first or second jobs in radio – were encouraged to have fun on the air, add humor, and be themselves.  As Chucky put it, "You can be as good as anyone on WABC if you want to."
  In January 1977, Kurt Gebauer was hired as VP/General Manager and the station became "FM 106", retaining the oldies format, but updating to a more 1960s-centric sound. The DJs at the time were: Mark Austin, Steve Altemus, Tommy John, George Fuller, Rod Baumann, Ron Kaplan, Bill Chamberlain, Patty Martene and others.
  In 1980, with Russ Long as GM, the station switched to a Top 40/Rock hybrid format much deeper than the format on the frequency today. WFMV was sold to Clearview Broadcasting in 1981. In 1984, after Russ Long left for WVPO and WSBG, under a new GM Bill Dimmick, WFMV evolved into more of a Hot Adult Contemporary format. Ratings were always mediocre to below average. At the time advertising tended to be from the Stroudsburg and Pocono area. With Stroudsburg-based WSBG switching to a similar format in 1984, WFMV lost more advertising but survived. In 1986, Barbara Perry took over as GM.
  In the summer of 1988 due to environmental issues and the drought the station was forced to leave the air from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily for several summer months. Eventually, that problem was resolved. By then, the station format was mostly gold-based adult contemporary. On-air staff members included Rockin' T Tom Rocco, Allen Garrett, Paul Maason, Kevin Roe, Doctor J, Corey Hansen, Chris Maget, Mark West, Gerrie Burke, Paul LaFever, Chris DeBello, Jo-Ann (Holden) George and  Sean O'Casey, and Bill Reilly (Sunday mornings).
  In the spring of 1990 WFMV dropped this format and returned to oldies, with hits primarily from 1964 to 1984, and occasionally stretching the year range. The  tagline was "Classic Hits 106." In the fall of 1990 the station changed the range to music from 1955 to about 1983. Sue Lafever took over as GM in 1991. Ratings were very low and the station began to lose money.
  In the fall of 1992 the owners hired a new general manager, Rick Musselman who decided several weeks later to fill a hole in the market. Since May 1988, Sussex and Warren counties had no country music 
caption: Studios in 1988, in a former railway station.
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