99.7 signed on the air July 15, 1988 as WHTK. The station at the time was licensed to Port Royal, with studios located near the town of Bluffton under the ownership of Barnicle Broadcasting. WHTK featured a CHR format targeting nearby Hilton Head and Savannah. Although ratings were very good in its home market of Hilton Head/Beaufort, SC, the station faced stiff competition from competitor WZAT in the Savannah market as well as a weak signal in that area. WHTK played a major role during Hurricane Hugo in 1989 as it was one of the few radio stations that was able to stay on the air for most of the storm and broadcast information to the Lowcountry.