WQTQ
Encyclopedia
WQTQ is a high school radio
station licensed to the Hartford Board of Education and operates out of Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut
. Operating with 112 watts on 89.9 MHz FM from a tower on top of the Oak Hill School in Hartford, the station has thousands of listeners throughout Hartford County.
The station is unusual among high school radio station
s for its urban contemporary
format and the fact that the station is operated at an inner city (as opposed to suburb
an or rural) high school.
WQTQ provides a training ground for high school students interested in broadcasting and serves the community with unique programming.
History:
WQTQ was originally licensed in the early 1970's with 10 watts on 88.3 MHz with a small antenna on top of the Weaver High School building on Granby St. in Hartford. The low height of this antenna along with the low power and poor frequency (right between two other, more powerful stations) resulted in very limited coverage. In the mid seventies, Harold Dorschug, VP of Engineering for WTIC arranged for WQTQ's to move to 89.9 MHz, a much clearer frequency. He also moved transmitter to the roof of the Oak Hill School for the Blind on Holcolm Street in Hartford. The new frequency allowed the power to be increased to 63 watts and the new location, at one of the highest points in the city of Hartford, resulted in greatly expanded coverage. In 1998 the power was increased to 112 watts securing the future of the station by making it a "primary" Class A station in the eyes of the FCC.
High school radio
High school radio within the United States is almost as old as radio broadcasting itself. Simply defined as a radio station, with its studios located at a high school and usually operated by its students with faculty supervision, stations fitting this description existed in the mid-1920s...
station licensed to the Hartford Board of Education and operates out of Weaver High School in Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
. Operating with 112 watts on 89.9 MHz FM from a tower on top of the Oak Hill School in Hartford, the station has thousands of listeners throughout Hartford County.
The station is unusual among high school 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...
s for its urban contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
format and the fact that the station is operated at an inner city (as opposed to suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
an or rural) high school.
WQTQ provides a training ground for high school students interested in broadcasting and serves the community with unique programming.
History:
WQTQ was originally licensed in the early 1970's with 10 watts on 88.3 MHz with a small antenna on top of the Weaver High School building on Granby St. in Hartford. The low height of this antenna along with the low power and poor frequency (right between two other, more powerful stations) resulted in very limited coverage. In the mid seventies, Harold Dorschug, VP of Engineering for WTIC arranged for WQTQ's to move to 89.9 MHz, a much clearer frequency. He also moved transmitter to the roof of the Oak Hill School for the Blind on Holcolm Street in Hartford. The new frequency allowed the power to be increased to 63 watts and the new location, at one of the highest points in the city of Hartford, resulted in greatly expanded coverage. In 1998 the power was increased to 112 watts securing the future of the station by making it a "primary" Class A station in the eyes of the FCC.