WHLI adds FM signal, will simulcast AM station

WHLI, the venerable AM oldies station, has a new FM signal to simulcast its programing. The launch took place Tuesday morning at 10:47 — an appropriate time, since the new station is located at 104.7 on the FM dial.

But while WHLI has a better signal, both station and format will remain unchanged. Moreover, WHLI will continue to broadcast at 1100 on the AM dial, where it has been since 1947 when the station was launched by former newspaper reporter Elias Godofsky. WHLI's original FM sister station, WHNY, later WHLI-FM, launched the same year. It's known today as WKJY/98.3 (KJOY).

WHLI's AM signal will now be simulcast on FM — or technically via an FM "translator" signal, which the FCC occasionally grants to long-running AM stations on the condition that they use it to simulcast the AM signal, according to David Bevins, chief operating officer of WHLI's Westport, Connecticut-based owner, Connoisseur Media.

The advantage for the station (and listeners) is better sound, while Bevins says the FM signal will also give WHLI "the ability to service all of Nassau County and far Western parts of Suffolk." (The station's transmitter is in Baldwin, while the studio is in Farmingdale.)

Another advantage: WHLI is now able to broadcast its mixture of oldies from the '60s and '70s for a full day. Until Tuesday's move, WHLI's signal had gone off the air at sundown as part of a long-standing FCC rule to minimize signal interference.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, who activated the new FM signal at a launch ceremony in East Meadow's Eisenhower Park Tuesday, said in a statement: "We’ve seen how, particularly in the last year, listeners turned to radio to stay informed, be entertained, maintain a connection to the outside world, or to simply escape. Amid the pandemic, radio became even more of a critical platform — getting real time information to residents and businesses. Whether informing through local news or transforming moods with music, radio can make a difference in our lives — providing a sense of connection and community."