WHTA (107.9 FM) is owned by UrbanOne and is licensed to Hampton, Georgia, and serves the Atlanta metropolitan area with an urban contemporary radio format, focused on Hip Hop and R&B music. The studios and offices are located inside the Centennial Tower building in downtown Atlanta.

The transmitter is about 30 miles south southwest of Atlanta in Tyrone, Georgia,  and has an effective radiated power of 35,000 watts.

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WCRY-FM/WPEZ Macon

The station began as WCRY-FM in Macon on October 19, 1973, and was owned by Central Georgia Broadcasting. At first, it mostly simulcast its AM counterpart, WCRY at 900 kHz (now WYPZ). By the late 1970s, WCRY-FM was airing a beautiful music format.

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In 1981, with a 100,000 watt signal, it switched its call sign to WPEZ, and was playing easy listening music. It later shifted to soft adult contemporary music as "Lite Rock" WPEZ. In the mid-1980s, it was known as Z108 and was one of 2 stations using the "Z" name in the Macon market, with the other being WQBZ.

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The station was acquired in 1996 by U.S. Broadcasting, which wanted to move it into the more lucrative Atlanta radio market. To get FCC approval, a few stations in Middle Georgia were relocated: WPEZ's Soft AC format was switched from 107.9 to an existing frequency at 93.7 in Jeffersonville, while the original Top 40 format on 93.7 was shifted to a new Macon-area station as WMGB at 95.1 MHz. Then, U.S. Broadcasting petitioned the FCC to reallocate the broadcast license for 107.9 from Macon to Hampton.

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With the FCC giving its OK, Radio One paid $60 million for the new "move in" Atlanta-area station at 107.9.  Radio One already owned a station in the Atlanta market, Urban Contemporary 97.5 WHTA, in Fayetteville. WHTA had signed on as an urban station on July 17, 1995; Radio One had plans to put WHTA's call letters and format on its new acquisition. (NOTE: 97.5 is now the simulcast partner to sister station Majic 107.5.)

 

WHTA Hot 107.9

At first, Radio One didn't want its competitors in Atlanta to figure out its game plan, so in September 2001, the new Atlanta-area 107.9 transmitter signed on as WEGF "107.9 the End" with a modern rock format. Stunting on its first day, it played "Smooth Criminal" by Alien Ant Farm and "Rollin'" by Limp Bizkit continuously.

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After several weeks with the rock format on 107.9 FM, "Hot 97.5" morning host Ryan Cameron made an announcement that "Hot" was moving to 107.9, revealing that the rock format was a publicity stunt. WHTA officially switched frequencies on November 1, 2001. 107.9 became "Hot 107.9" WHTA, while 97.5 became WPZE, playing urban gospel music. (WPZE later moved to 102.5 MHz in Mableton.)

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Digital Hip Hop

On July 31, 2007, WHTA began using a new slogan, "Hot 107.9, Your Digital Hip Hop Station."

 

In October 2008, WHTA became the Atlanta network affiliate of the Rickey Smiley Morning Show. It was originally based at co-owned KBFB in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. In 2011, WHTA became the flagship station for the show.

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In 2011, Radio One changed several of its Atlanta-area stations' formats and call signs; WAMJ moved from 102.5 to 107.5, and began simulcasting its Urban AC format on 97.5 as WUMJ, while WPZE's urban gospel format moved from 97.5 to 102.5. That left WHTA as the only station in Radio One's Atlanta cluster that was unaffected by the change.

NOTE: Radio One was renamed Urban One on May 8, 2018.

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Current Programming

The weekday on-air lineup consists of the syndicated "The Morning Hustle Show", which is based at Urban One’s Reach Media in Atlanta,  Mo Quick 10am-3pm,  The Trap House with J Nicks in the Afternoons 3pm-7pm, and PostedOnTheCorner with Incognito Weeknights at 7p-Midnight.