| WHMP | |
| City: | Northampton, Massachusetts |
| Country: | US |
| Area: | Pioneer Valley |
| Branding: | Newstalk WHMP |
| Frequency: | 1400 kHz |
| Airdate: | [1] |
| Format: | News/talk |
| Power: | 1,000 watts unlimited |
| Class: | C |
| Facility Id: | 46962 |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
| Callsign Meaning: | Hampshire County |
| Owner: | Saga Communications |
| Licensee: | Saga Communications of New England, LLC |
| Sister Stations: | WAQY, WHAI, WLZX, WLZX-FM, WPVQ-FM, WRSI |
| Website: | whmp.com |
WHMP (1400 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a news/talk format. Licensed to Northampton, Massachusetts, it serves the Pioneer Valley. It is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Northampton Radio Group. Its programming is also heard on translator station W268CZ (101.5 FM) in Northampton, and the second HD Radio channel of WRSI (93.9 FM) in Turners Falls.
In February 2014, WHMP on weekdays is broadcasting a mix of general interest and politically progressive oriented talk shows. These include the Kim Komando tech gadgets show, Wall Street Journal This Morning, the Ed Schultz Show, and the Thom Hartmann Show.[2]
During the 2000s and 2010s, WHMP was simulcast on WHMQ (1240 AM) in Greenfield and WHNP (1600 AM) in East Longmeadow (near Springfield). WHNP and WHMQ previously simulcast sister FM stations; WHNP was a simulcast of WAQY-FM (as WAQY,[3] [4] WMRE,[3] [4] and WPNT[5]) until 2000[6] [7] (it carried a promotional loop for Six Flags New England for several months after dropping the WAQY simulcast[6] [8]), while WHMQ repeated WHAI-FM (as WHAI) until 2001.[9]
WHMP's network of stations constituted part of a network of progressive talk stations throughout the northeastern United States that were owned by Saga Communications (others included WNYY in Ithaca, New York, and WKVT in Brattleboro, Vermont); these, in turn, were among the last progressive talk stations still on the air in early 2017. Because of the migration of most progressive talk shows to off-air platforms, Saga announced plans to drop the format from WNYY in Ithaca effective February 1, 2017;[10] WHNP received WNYY's translator under a policy that allows translators to be moved up to 250 miles from their original city of license.[11] On February 3, 2017, following the translator's move, WHNP dropped out of the simulcast with WHMP and became WLZX, a simulcast of WLZX-FM 99.3.[12] WHMP was previously carried on translator W245BK (96.9 FM) in Amherst. Following the launch of W268CZ, the 96.9 facility was repurposed as an oldies station, fed by the HD3 channel of WLZX-FM, in June 2018.[13] Until February 1, 2021, WHMQ in Greenfield had its own translator, W298CA (107.5 FM); that facility then launched a soft adult contemporary format originating from the HD2 channel of WPVQ-FM.[14]
Saga Communications surrendered WHMQ's license to the Federal Communications Commission on March 20, 2023, and it was cancelled the same day.