WBNQ
Encyclopedia
WBNQ is the most powerful FM radio station
in McLean County, Illinois
: 50,000 watt
s on 101.5 MHz. It has had a contemporary hit radio
music format since the early 1980s.
Solid Gold format in 1974 and evolved to Drake-Chenault's XT-40 format, a blend of current Top 40 hits, recurrents and oldies. In the Spring 1976 Arbitron, using Drake-Chenault's XT-40 format, WBNQ attained its highest ever 12+ share of 24.3%, making it one of the highest rated FM stations in the U.S. at that time. In 1976 Denny Adkins, the Operations Director of WBNQ, joined Drake-Chenault as a programming consultant working with their client stations on format presentation, promotion and community involvement. Adkins rose through the ranks at D-C becoming President in 1985.
While WBNQ is reportedly an acronym for "We're Bloomington Normal Quality", the slogan was never used after the format change in 1972. In the early 1980s, WBNQ became a "live" operation with a contemporary hit radio
station, a format that remains today.
WBNQ enjoyed #1 ratings in 2000 and had a run of consecutive number one ratings from 2001 to 2004. Despite increased competition in 2005 from WRPW
which was then operating as a Rhythmic, but has since changed to News/Talk, WBNQ has remained a top rated station with #1 or #2 12+ Arbitron
rankings. Currently, it is #1 overall in the Bloomington-Normal market.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in McLean County, Illinois
McLean County, Illinois
McLean County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois. McLean County is included in the Bloomington–Normal, Illinois Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 169,572, which is an increase of 12.7% from 150,433 in 2000. Its county seat is...
: 50,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s on 101.5 MHz. It has had a contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
music format since the early 1980s.
History
WBNQ first signed on the air as WJBC-FM in the late 1940s. It was the practice among the early FM stations to simply add FM to the "sister" AM call letters and simulcast programming. After the call letter change to WBNQ in the 60's, the station aired a home-grown easy listening/beautiful music automated format recorded at the old studio site above the Castle Theater in downtown Bloomington. In August 1972 WBNQ became an oldies station using the Draper-Blore Olde Golde syndicated format, then changed to the Drake-ChenaultDrake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault Enterprises was a radio syndication company that specialized in automation on FM radio stations. The company was founded in the late-1960s by radio programmer and deejay Bill Drake , and his business partner, Lester Eugene Chenault...
Solid Gold format in 1974 and evolved to Drake-Chenault's XT-40 format, a blend of current Top 40 hits, recurrents and oldies. In the Spring 1976 Arbitron, using Drake-Chenault's XT-40 format, WBNQ attained its highest ever 12+ share of 24.3%, making it one of the highest rated FM stations in the U.S. at that time. In 1976 Denny Adkins, the Operations Director of WBNQ, joined Drake-Chenault as a programming consultant working with their client stations on format presentation, promotion and community involvement. Adkins rose through the ranks at D-C becoming President in 1985.
While WBNQ is reportedly an acronym for "We're Bloomington Normal Quality", the slogan was never used after the format change in 1972. In the early 1980s, WBNQ became a "live" operation with a contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
station, a format that remains today.
WBNQ enjoyed #1 ratings in 2000 and had a run of consecutive number one ratings from 2001 to 2004. Despite increased competition in 2005 from WRPW
WRPW
WRPW is a FM broadcast station in Central Illinois with a talk format. WRPW, licensed to Colfax, Illinois in the Bloomington-Normal market, broadcasts at 92.9 MHz with a ERP of 6000 watts. WRPW is owned by Pilot Media, a subsidiary of Great Plains Media. Great Plains' CEO is Jerry Zimmer, a...
which was then operating as a Rhythmic, but has since changed to News/Talk, WBNQ has remained a top rated station with #1 or #2 12+ Arbitron
Arbitron
Arbitron is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio audiences. It was founded as American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by merging with L.A. based Coffin, Cooper and Clay in the early 1950s...
rankings. Currently, it is #1 overall in the Bloomington-Normal market.
External links
- 101.5 WBNQ - official site