WQPO is 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...

 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 Harrisonburg, Virginia

Harrisonburg, Virginia

Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...

, serving the Central 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...

. WQPO is owned and operated by M. Belmont Verstandig, Inc.

History

WQPO went on the air in 1946 as WSVA-FM, it was the third FM on in the state. It was automated with a variety of music formats as from the start. The last before changing call letters was "Country Sunshine". Call letters changed in 1972 to WQPO, Stereo 101 - using Drake Chenault's Solid Gold format (4 reels and a bunch of cart decks) - a solid sound, but FM had not taken off yet. Around 1982, then-owner Gilmore Broadcasting decided to try to make money with it, taking out the automated format and hired a full staff and hosted an Adult Contemporary format. They changed the name to Q-101 and built out the facility to its fully licensed 50KW signal. Prior to that they ran at 7200w from one of the AM towers of sister WSVA. A new 500-ft tower was built in the field next to the studios on Rt. 33 West

U.S. Route 33

U.S. Route 33 is a United States federal highway that runs northwest-southeast for 709 miles from northern Indiana to Richmond, Virginia, passing through Ohio and West Virginia en route. Although most odd-numbered U.S...

. Station took off in the ratings, quickly outpacing the dominant WSVA-AM during the '80s. Gilmore sold the AM-FM combo in 1987 to VerStandig.

Format Change

On May 8, 1998, the hot adult contemporary format was moved from WQPO to WMXH-FM

WMXH-FM

WMXH-FM is an adult standards music formatted broadcast radio station, affiliated with the Music of Your Life network. WMXH is licensed to Luray, Virginia, United States, serving the Luray and Page County area, but puts a "Grade B" signal into north-eastern sections of Harrisonburg, Virginia...

at 105.7 FM, while Q101 switched to a mainstream top 40 (CHR) format.

External links

• Q-101 Online