Editing WQHT (section)

==== From dance to hip-hop and R&B ====
Towards the end of 1992 and early 1993, Hot 97 dropped to "dead last among New York's three pop stations."<ref name="Charnas"/>{{rp|336}} In response, Emmis named Judy Ellis its general manager (a position in which she served until 2003), and WQHT started to add more R&B and [[hip hop music]]. The station started a gradual two-year change towards an urban-oriented [[rhythmic top 40]] format.<ref name="Charnas"/>{{rp|320, 334–336}}

A new generation of "hot jocks" began appearing on "Hot 97". [[Dan Charnas]] recounted the perception of this move: "The trades ran stories on the new trend, typified by the Emmis stations, Hot 97 and [[Power 106]]: hiring street kids or entertainers with little or no radio experience at the expense of longtime professionals who had paid their dues."<ref name="Charnas"/>{{rp|347}} Among the most famous was the addition of a new morning show hosted by [[Ed Lover]] and [[Doctor Dré]] of ''[[Yo! MTV Raps]]''. With rising ratings and a focus on [[East Coast hip hop|East Coast]] artists like the [[Wu-Tang Clan]], Charnas credited "Hot 97" as leading a comeback for East Coast hip hop.<ref name="Charnas"/>{{rp|347–348}}

In 1993, [[Funkmaster Flex]] joined the station and was host of the ''Friday Night Street Jam'' and a weekly two-hour show where he mixed hip-hop live from the studio.

Other noteworthy personalities included the addition of [[Wendy Williams]] to afternoon drive (Williams used to be the overnight jock back on "Hot 103" in 1988). [[Angie Martinez]], a researcher on [[WABC-TV]]'s ''[[New York Hot Tracks]]'' in the late 1980s and who previously worked in the promotions department, was promoted to nights. A few years later, the two had a public falling out, resulting in Williams being fired from WQHT and Martinez assuming afternoon drive, where she remained until she was hired by [[WWPR-FM]] on June 19, 2014.

In 1995, WQHT again became New York's top station in the [[Arbitron]] ratings. While the station reported as a rhythmic CHR, the station was musically more of an [[urban contemporary]] format leaning toward hip hop, though in some trades, they reported as a rhythmic CHR.

In the fall of 2008, WQHT served as the home of the nationally syndicated ''[[KPWR#Big Boy's Neighborhood|Big Boy's Neighborhood]]'', produced by [[Cumulus Media Networks|ABC Radio]] and based at WQHT's then-sister station, [[KPWR]] in Los Angeles. However, by July 2009, WQHT dropped the program and instead expanded their local morning show hosted by new morning jocks [[DJ Cipha Sounds]] and [[Peter Rosenberg]].

By 2010, WQHT switched to urban contemporary, ending the longtime rhythmic top 40 format at the station.