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WQAM (AM)
Encyclopedia
WQAM is a South Florida radio station
owned by Beasley Broadcast Group
. The call letters WQAM were claimed to stand for We Quit At Midnight ... since the station signed off at midnight every night until 6 AM the next morning.
Things were primitive in the early days. Fred W. Barton, president of the Miami Broadcasting Company made many of the electical parts himself. In 1926 the station increased its power to 500 watts. The station was the first in the United States to install a permanent remote pick-up from the U. S. Meteorological Department. Power was increased to 1000 watts in 1928 and WQAM became a full time affiliate of CBS
. In 1947 its affiliation was changed to the American Broadcasting System
. In 1948 Barton sold his interest and The Miami Herald
became the station's owner.
The station is famous for its days in the 1960s, under ownership of Storz Broadcasting, when it presented a Top Forty
format and competed vigorously with rival WFUN
(at 790 AM). These were the WQAM "glory years." In 1964, WQAM promoted the Beatles
heavily prior to their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
, which took place in Miami Beach
.
On February 29, 1980, after many years as contemporary music station, competition from FM competitors forced the station to switch to a country music format, but not after running a montage of music and sound bites from its Top 40 days. WQAM was widely listened to in Cuba, especially in Havana, where youngsters used to pick up the signal effortlessly with ordinary radio sets. It was hip to listen to it and during the late 1970s when the only form of fun young Cubans had was to gather at a friend's house to dance to American music, there were hosts who had recorded tapes of WQAM programming aired during the week and eventually played those tapes at their Saturday night home parties. Generations of high school boys and college students used to keep tabs on Casey Kasem's American Top 40 on WQAM.
Around 1992, WQAM became an all-sports station
Currently, WQAM is the University of Miami Hurricanes
flagship station.
WQAM ceased broadcasting in HD Radio during daytime hours only, but is simulcast on WPOW-FM HD3.
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...
owned by Beasley Broadcast Group
Beasley Broadcast Group
Beasley Broadcast Group, Inc. , based in Naples, Florida, is an owner/operator of radio stations in the United States. As of January 2011, the company owned 17 AM stations and 28 FM stations. -History:...
. The call letters WQAM were claimed to stand for We Quit At Midnight ... since the station signed off at midnight every night until 6 AM the next morning.
History
The station was Florida's first radio station, going on the air in February 1921 when a license was issued to WFAW. In the beginning the young station was helped with programming by the Miami Metropolis newspaper, but after the paper stopped its participation in 1922 the station adopted the call letters WQAM in January 1923.Things were primitive in the early days. Fred W. Barton, president of the Miami Broadcasting Company made many of the electical parts himself. In 1926 the station increased its power to 500 watts. The station was the first in the United States to install a permanent remote pick-up from the U. S. Meteorological Department. Power was increased to 1000 watts in 1928 and WQAM became a full time affiliate of CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. In 1947 its affiliation was changed to the American Broadcasting System
American Broadcasting System
American Broadcasting System, Inc. was the corporate entity created by Edward J. Noble to purchase the assets of the Blue Network, a radio network that was being divested by the National Broadcasting Company under pressure from anti-trust regulators....
. In 1948 Barton sold his interest and The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald
The Miami Herald is a daily newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company headquartered on Biscayne Bay in the Omni district of Downtown Miami, Florida, United States...
became the station's owner.
The station is famous for its days in the 1960s, under ownership of Storz Broadcasting, when it presented a Top Forty
Top Forty
The Top Forty or Top 40 is a music industry shorthand for the currently most-popular songs in a particular genre. When used without qualification, it typically refers to the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music songs of the previous week...
format and competed vigorously with rival WFUN
WAXY
WAXY is a radio station licensed in South Miami, Florida broadcasting on 790 kHz with a sports talk format. The station is owned by Lincoln Financial Media, which was previously known as Jefferson-Pilot Communications...
(at 790 AM). These were the WQAM "glory years." In 1964, WQAM promoted the Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
heavily prior to their second appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show
The Ed Sullivan Show is an American TV variety show that originally ran on CBS from Sunday June 20, 1948 to Sunday June 6, 1971, and was hosted by New York entertainment columnist Ed Sullivan....
, which took place in Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
.
On February 29, 1980, after many years as contemporary music station, competition from FM competitors forced the station to switch to a country music format, but not after running a montage of music and sound bites from its Top 40 days. WQAM was widely listened to in Cuba, especially in Havana, where youngsters used to pick up the signal effortlessly with ordinary radio sets. It was hip to listen to it and during the late 1970s when the only form of fun young Cubans had was to gather at a friend's house to dance to American music, there were hosts who had recorded tapes of WQAM programming aired during the week and eventually played those tapes at their Saturday night home parties. Generations of high school boys and college students used to keep tabs on Casey Kasem's American Top 40 on WQAM.
Around 1992, WQAM became an all-sports station
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
Currently, WQAM is the University of Miami Hurricanes
Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
flagship station.
WQAM ceased broadcasting in HD Radio during daytime hours only, but is simulcast on WPOW-FM HD3.
Current Lineup
- Former Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
player Joe Rose hosts AM drive, 6-10 AM. - Gino TorrettaGino TorrettaGino Louis Torretta is a Heisman Trophy winner who played quarterback for several teams in the National Football League from 1993 to 1997....
, former University of MiamiUniversity of MiamiThe University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
quarterback, hosts 10-12 a.m. with Steve White. - From 12-3 PM, University of MiamiUniversity of MiamiThe University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
and Dallas Cowboy star Michael IrvinMichael IrvinMichael Jerome Irvin is a former American football player for the Dallas Cowboys, and actor. He is also a former broadcaster for ESPN's NFL Countdown and currently an analyst for NFL Network. Irvin was self-nicknamed "The Playmaker" due to his penchant for making big plays in big games during his...
hosts a show with Curtis Stevenson. - Sid RosenbergSid RosenbergSidney Arthur Rosenberg is an American radio personality currently heard weekday mornings on 1010 WINS in New York City, and afternoons on WQAM in Miami, Florida....
hosts afternoon drive from 3-7 p.m. - Kevin Rogers hosts a show from 7-10 p.m.
Former Sports/Talk Hosts
- Prior to June 22, 2009, WQAM would interrupt its all-sports format to air a general talk showTalk showA talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
hosted by Neil RogersNeil RogersNeil Rogers was an American talk radio personality. Until his retirement on June 22, 2009, "The Neil Rogers Show" aired weekdays from 10am-2pm on 560 WQAM. It was consistently the top rated show in the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale media market and had been since his Miami debut in 1976...
from 10 AM-2 PM - WQAM was for a short while the local affiliate of the Howard SternHoward SternHoward Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
morning show. - he "Big O", Orlando Alzugaray, now hosts from 3-7 PM on WFTL 640 Sports(http://wftlsports.com/).
- Hank GoldbergHank GoldbergHank Goldberg , aka Eggs Goldberg is an American sports radio and television personality based in Miami, Florida.-Biography:...
hosted afternoon drive. Now on ESPNESPNEntertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... - Jim MandichJim MandichJames Michael "Mad Dog" Mandich was a professional American football tight end with the Miami Dolphins. Mandich was an All-American at the University of Michigan. In 2004 he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. As color commentator for the Miami Dolphins , he was teamed with Jimmy...
hosted middays and PM drive.
Sports properties
- Miami DolphinsMiami DolphinsThe Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
(1997-2004, 2007-2009, moving to AM 940 The Sports AnimalWINZ (AM)WINZ, AM 940 The Sports Animal is a sports talk radio station that serves Miami-Fort Lauderdale. The stations airs primarily syndicated programming. It daytime signal reaches as far north as Ft. Pierce and as far west as Ft. Myers and Naples and as far south as The Bahamas. The station has managed...
and Big 105.9WBGG-FMWBGG-FM, branded as Big 105.9, is a classic rock radio station licensed to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and serving the Miami-Ft. Lauderdale market. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station is licensed for HD Radio and carries WIOD 610 AM on HD2....
in 2010) - Miami HeatMiami HeatThe Miami Heat is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. The team is a member of the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association . They play their home games at American Airlines Arena in Downtown Miami...
(1988-1993, currently on 790 The TicketWAXYWAXY is a radio station licensed in South Miami, Florida broadcasting on 790 kHz with a sports talk format. The station is owned by Lincoln Financial Media, which was previously known as Jefferson-Pilot Communications...
) - Florida MarlinsFlorida MarlinsThe Miami Marlins are a professional baseball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. Established in 1993 as an expansion franchise called the Florida Marlins, the Marlins are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Marlins played their home games at...
(1993-2007, currently on 790 The TicketWAXYWAXY is a radio station licensed in South Miami, Florida broadcasting on 790 kHz with a sports talk format. The station is owned by Lincoln Financial Media, which was previously known as Jefferson-Pilot Communications...
) - Florida PanthersFlorida PanthersThe Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...
(1993-2007, 2010-Present) - University of Miami HurricanesMiami HurricanesThe Miami Hurricanes, of Coral Gables, Florida, are the varsity sports teams of the University of Miami. They compete in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference . The university fields 15 athletic teams for 17 varsity sports...
(1999-Present)