WFQX (FM)
Encyclopedia
WFQX is an Active Rock
formatted broadcast
radio station
licensed to Front Royal, Virginia
, serving the Northern Shenandoah Valley
. WFQX is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications
.
While WFQX is licensed to Front Royal, it's studios are housed in the Clear Channel complex in Winchester, Virginia
.
(south of Winchester
).
During the 1970s and through the early 1980s, WFFV adopted the "V-99" branding and picked up CBS News at the top of the hour. By 1978, the station was a mix of Country
and Light Adult Contemporary. Current WINC-FM morning show host Barry "Lee" Bowser started at WFFV and Don James (who also went on to WINC) spent time at WFFV.
Other "on air" personalities featured on WFFV were Gil Bryant and Ed "The White Rabbit" Bishop (Bishop headed up the nighttime country on WFFV, until he left to host his morning radio show on WWOO in Berryville in 1980). WFFV carried Strasburg High School football games during the fall seasons.
Weekend personalities such as Connie Billmyer and Alan "Big Al" Bickert received their start as "on air" personalities in 1979. Bickert would later move onto local rival radio station, WHPL/WEFG in Winchester in 1979 before joining the US Navy in 1981.
The station, after being owned by the Wayside Inn (with official owner being Bentley Communications), was sold to Wolfe Computer Systems in the early 1980s.
In 1984, WFFV switched to Top 40 full time as "Rock 99". It was also around this time the studios left Wayside Inn and moved south to Strasburg, Virginia
, right next to then location of their transmitter.
The WFFV calls were retired in favor of WFQX, a play on the word "Fox", on October 31, 1985. Their branding switched to "Fox 99" then just "The Fox".
Throughout the remainder of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, WFQX went from a Top 40 format to Active Rock
, then segued to a Classic rock
format. For a time, it was distinguished as one of the few radio stations with Don Pardo
as its voiceover artist.
By 1993, WFQX was sporting a Classic rock
format and Baltimore based Benchmark Communications bought the station from Wolfe.
At 11:57pm on December 31, 1993, WFQX played Sweet's "Fox on the Run". At midnight on January 1, 1994, after a recorded "Welcome to the Bayou" (Bayou was meant to mean Winchester), "Froggy 99" was born.
Benchmark had a lot of success with its "Froggy" format in Ocean City, Maryland
, so it was decided to bring it to Winchester
. The twist was that most "froggy" stations were (and still are) country. Winchester
's "Froggy 99" was a Hot Adult Contemporary formatted station, with some 1980s music.
While the new WFQX was a big hit with the younger set, adults hated the new format. Part of the problem wasn't exactly the music or the DJs, just the whole "froggy thing" with the amphibian inspired DJ names and the word "frog" in every liner, like "Froggy Valley Frogcast".
The "Froggy 99" format would continue until the firing of program director Dennis Hughes in 1994. After hiring Charlie Fish from the old "Fox" days, modern rock returned to WFQX, but still with some adult contemporary.
"Froggy" was finally dropped for "99-3 The Frog" and a 100% modern rock format in 1996.
Benchmark sold WFQX (and sisters WUSQ and WLVE
) to Capstar in late 1996. Capstar began using automation and voicetraking and less and less local DJs.
In 1999, "The Fox" returned to 99.3, and John Boy and Billy
took over the mornings. More and more classic rock was added to WFQX.
In December 2003, WFQX began broadcasting from a new tower in northern Shenandoah County
and 6,000 Watts of power to fully cover Winchester
which had long had problems receiving WFQX clearly.
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
formatted broadcast
Broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and video content to a dispersed audience via any audio visual medium. Receiving parties may include the general public or a relatively large subset of thereof...
radio station
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...
licensed to Front Royal, Virginia
Front Royal, Virginia
Front Royal is a town in Warren County, Virginia, United States. The population was 13,589 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Warren County.-Geography:Front Royal is roughly west of Washington, D.C....
, serving the Northern Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
. WFQX is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
.
While WFQX is licensed to Front Royal, it's studios are housed in the Clear Channel complex in Winchester, Virginia
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
.
History
WFQX started in 1973 when, then 3,000 watt, WFFV signed on. "Stereo 99.3" was a "middle-of-the-road"/Light Adult Contemporary formatted station. Ads invited listeners to listen to "The Carpenters and Tony Bennett in Stereo on 99.3" The format made sense considering that at the time WFFV was located in the historic Wayside Inn in Middletown, VirginiaMiddletown, Virginia
Middletown is a town in Frederick County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,265 at the 2010 census.- History :Belle Grove Plantation, about a mile southwest of Middletown, was first settled in about 1750 and its historic Federal-style manor house was completed in 1797...
(south of Winchester
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
).
During the 1970s and through the early 1980s, WFFV adopted the "V-99" branding and picked up CBS News at the top of the hour. By 1978, the station was a mix of Country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
and Light Adult Contemporary. Current WINC-FM morning show host Barry "Lee" Bowser started at WFFV and Don James (who also went on to WINC) spent time at WFFV.
Other "on air" personalities featured on WFFV were Gil Bryant and Ed "The White Rabbit" Bishop (Bishop headed up the nighttime country on WFFV, until he left to host his morning radio show on WWOO in Berryville in 1980). WFFV carried Strasburg High School football games during the fall seasons.
Weekend personalities such as Connie Billmyer and Alan "Big Al" Bickert received their start as "on air" personalities in 1979. Bickert would later move onto local rival radio station, WHPL/WEFG in Winchester in 1979 before joining the US Navy in 1981.
The station, after being owned by the Wayside Inn (with official owner being Bentley Communications), was sold to Wolfe Computer Systems in the early 1980s.
In 1984, WFFV switched to Top 40 full time as "Rock 99". It was also around this time the studios left Wayside Inn and moved south to Strasburg, Virginia
Strasburg, Virginia
Strasburg is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States, which was founded in 1761 by Peter Stover. It is the largest town, population-wise, in the county and is known for its pottery, antiques, and Civil War history...
, right next to then location of their transmitter.
The WFFV calls were retired in favor of WFQX, a play on the word "Fox", on October 31, 1985. Their branding switched to "Fox 99" then just "The Fox".
Throughout the remainder of the 1980s and into the early 1990s, WFQX went from a Top 40 format to Active Rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
, then segued to a Classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
format. For a time, it was distinguished as one of the few radio stations with Don Pardo
Don Pardo
Dominick George "Don" Pardo is an American radio and television announcer. He is best known as the voice of the long-running late night sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live....
as its voiceover artist.
By 1993, WFQX was sporting a Classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
format and Baltimore based Benchmark Communications bought the station from Wolfe.
At 11:57pm on December 31, 1993, WFQX played Sweet's "Fox on the Run". At midnight on January 1, 1994, after a recorded "Welcome to the Bayou" (Bayou was meant to mean Winchester), "Froggy 99" was born.
Benchmark had a lot of success with its "Froggy" format in Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, Maryland
Ocean City, sometimes known as OC, or OCMD, is an Atlantic Ocean resort town in Worcester County, Maryland, United States. Ocean City is widely known in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is a frequent destination for vacationers in that area...
, so it was decided to bring it to Winchester
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
. The twist was that most "froggy" stations were (and still are) country. Winchester
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
's "Froggy 99" was a Hot Adult Contemporary formatted station, with some 1980s music.
While the new WFQX was a big hit with the younger set, adults hated the new format. Part of the problem wasn't exactly the music or the DJs, just the whole "froggy thing" with the amphibian inspired DJ names and the word "frog" in every liner, like "Froggy Valley Frogcast".
The "Froggy 99" format would continue until the firing of program director Dennis Hughes in 1994. After hiring Charlie Fish from the old "Fox" days, modern rock returned to WFQX, but still with some adult contemporary.
"Froggy" was finally dropped for "99-3 The Frog" and a 100% modern rock format in 1996.
Benchmark sold WFQX (and sisters WUSQ and WLVE
WLVE
WMIA-FM is a rhythmic AC radio station that is licensed to Miami Beach, Florida. Its slogan is "Your Feel Good Variety"-History:93.9 has been WMBM-FM , WGOS , WBUS, "The Magic Bus", progressive rock, then a full time traditional jazz station. In 1976, the station became "Love 94", changing to a...
) to Capstar in late 1996. Capstar began using automation and voicetraking and less and less local DJs.
In 1999, "The Fox" returned to 99.3, and John Boy and Billy
John Boy and Billy
John Isley and Billy James, known as John Boy & Billy, named after "John-Boy Harris and brother Bross Harris", are American radio hosts based in Charlotte, North Carolina. Their comedic morning program The John Boy & Billy Big Show broadcasts from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m...
took over the mornings. More and more classic rock was added to WFQX.
In December 2003, WFQX began broadcasting from a new tower in northern Shenandoah County
Shenandoah County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 35,075 people, 14,296 households, and 10,064 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 16,709 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...
and 6,000 Watts of power to fully cover Winchester
Winchester, Virginia
Winchester is an independent city located in the northwestern portion of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the USA. The city's population was 26,203 according to the 2010 Census...
which had long had problems receiving WFQX clearly.