WTBQ
Encyclopedia
WTBQ is an independent radio
station broadcasting from Warwick, New York
, featuring oldies, local talk shows and specialty programming. The last locally-owned radio station left in Orange County, New York
(and one of the few in the entire Hudson Valley
), WTBQ broadcasts on 1110 AM and 93.5 FM, throughout Orange County and northern New Jersey).
, who moved the studios to nearby Florida, New York
. After another change in ownership (George Dacre's "Goodtime Broadcasting"), the station went silent in late 1992, but returned to the air under current owner Frank "Smokin'" Truatt on July 1, 1994.
Ed Klein died on October 18, 2008, at the age of 86. Klein had long wanted Dixieland
jazz
music to be played at his funeral; WTBQ obliged by airing a program of New Orleans jazz selections during the service, with attendees tuning in on their car radios. http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081030/COMM/810300314/-1/NEWS
. A daily feature of the morning show is "Our Town", heard each day from 8:05-8:30 am, in which local politicians and people of interest are interviewed on a rotating basis. "Our Town" was created by veteran singer and WTBQ Saturday morning host Dick Wells, who also served as co-anchor of the weekday morning newscasts. On September 9, 2007 (a warm and humid day), Wells suffered a heart attack while performing a live outdoor concert on Railroad Green in Warwick. After a hiatus, Dick made a surprise return to his Saturday morning show on December 8, 2007, and has remained ever since.
Other weekday WTBQ personalities include Neal Boortz
starting at 10 am, Clark Howard
from 2 until 4 pm and John Tesh
starting at 4 pm. The staff also includes 40-year radio veteran Rich Ball, Souzie Miller (from Sydney, Australia), polka queen Nat "The Cat" Gubala-Magdon, 18-time (and counting) Grammy award winner Jimmy Sturr
, and the ever-popular Uncle Buck.
On November 30, 2007, WTBQ moved its studios from the Village of Florida, New York to 97 Ronald Reagan Boulevard in the Town of Warwick, NY. It had been located in the "Professional Building" at 62 North Main Street in Florida since 1984, prior to which it was located in the Village of Warwick. On February 7, 2008, WTBQ held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new studios, attended by the news media, as well as many government officials and station personnel.
On July 27, 2009 (at 11:10 am, of course), WTBQ celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special ceremony at the station's broadcasting tower. A plaque was placed at the antenna site, honoring Ed Klein for signing on the station on July 27, 1969.
Although WTBQ broadcasts on AM during the daylight hours only (due to WBT
in Charlotte
, a clear-channel station that owns the frequency at night), WTBQ has streamed on the internet 24 hours a day since 1999, the first station in the Hudson Valley
to do so. (WTBQ was also the first area radio station with a website, back in 1995.)
The weekend starts every Friday at noon with Into The Weekend, hosted by Walt Popailo and Lisa Ann. Friday evening programs include Souzie Miller's Mellow Brick Road, the only Australian radio program in the US, and Chris Cordani's internationally-syndicated Revenge of the 80's, a program devoted to early alternative music.
Saturday programming includes Dirks Outdoors with David Dirks, Horse Talk, The Dick Wells Show, Spotlight and teen talk show Girl Talk. Sunday morning features the always-entertaining Hawkeye Show and the eclectic music of "...And All That Jazz" with Frank Lowell. (This new name is the result of an alleged trademark infringement with the former name, "Anything Goes".) Other syndicated programming includes Magic of the 80s with Tom Furci and Music Memories Radio with Pete Michaels and Company.
The station is an affiliate of ABC Radio and featured Paul Harvey
until his death in 2009. Laura Schlessinger
was also in the WTBQ lineup until she left terrestrial radio at the end of 2010; John Tesh
now holds down her old timelsot.
Sports programming is headlined by coverage of NASCAR
racing from The Motor Racing Network
and the Performance Racing Network
. Select Indycar Series
races are also featured. Local Warwick Valley High School football
airs weekends in the fall, with Rob McLean and Rich Arnott calling the action.
, a 15,000-watt rock station in Connecticut
; the closest station on its new frequency is WVIP
in New Rochelle, New York
.)
WTBQ became one of the first American AM stations to use an FM translator when it began airing on W256BD on January 25, 2008. The arrangement, made possible by a Special Temporary Authority from the Federal Communications Commission
and Digital Radio Broadcasting, allowed WTBQ to broadcast its programs 24 hours a day via an FM antenna located on WTBQ's AM broadcast tower. (The new translator also broadcasts from WTBQ's tower, located on West Ridge Road in the Town of Warwick.)
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
station broadcasting from Warwick, New York
Warwick (village), New York
Warwick is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 6,412 at the 2000 census. The 2010 census population was 6,731...
, featuring oldies, local talk shows and specialty programming. The last locally-owned radio station left in Orange County, New York
Orange County, New York
Orange County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located at the northern reaches of the New York metropolitan area. The county sits in the state's scenic Mid-Hudson Region of the Hudson Valley...
(and one of the few in the entire Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
), WTBQ broadcasts on 1110 AM and 93.5 FM, throughout Orange County and northern New Jersey).
Early history
Local media mogul Ed Klein brought WTBQ to air July 27, 1969 with studios in the village of Warwick; the call letters came from Klein's young daughter's affection for her Teddy Bear. Originally, WTBQ had a "Beautiful Music" format (dubbed "The Casual Q"), in contrast to Top 40 music, which Klein hated. In 1982 it was purchased by polka king Jimmy SturrJimmy Sturr
James W. "Jimmy" Sturr, Jr. is a polka musician, trumpeter/clarinetist/saxophonist and leader of Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra. His recordings have won 18 out of the 24 Grammy Awards given for Best Polka Album. Sturr's orchestra is on the Top Ten List of the All-Time Grammy Awards, and has acquired...
, who moved the studios to nearby Florida, New York
Florida, Orange County, New York
Florida is a village in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 2,757 at the 2007 census estimates. It is part of the Poughkeepsie–Newburgh–Middletown, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the larger New York–Newark–Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined...
. After another change in ownership (George Dacre's "Goodtime Broadcasting"), the station went silent in late 1992, but returned to the air under current owner Frank "Smokin'" Truatt on July 1, 1994.
Ed Klein died on October 18, 2008, at the age of 86. Klein had long wanted Dixieland
Dixieland
Dixieland music, sometimes referred to as Hot jazz, Early Jazz or New Orleans jazz, is a style of jazz music which developed in New Orleans at the start of the 20th century, and was spread to Chicago and New York City by New Orleans bands in the 1910s.Well-known jazz standard songs from the...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
music to be played at his funeral; WTBQ obliged by airing a program of New Orleans jazz selections during the service, with attendees tuning in on their car radios. http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081030/COMM/810300314/-1/NEWS
WTBQ today
Frank Truatt and newsman Rob McLean co-host the morning show, which airs weekdays until 9:00 am Eastern TimeNorth American Eastern Time Zone
The Eastern Time Zone of the United States and Canada is a time zone that falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its UTC time offset is −5 hrs during standard time and −4 hrs during daylight saving time...
. A daily feature of the morning show is "Our Town", heard each day from 8:05-8:30 am, in which local politicians and people of interest are interviewed on a rotating basis. "Our Town" was created by veteran singer and WTBQ Saturday morning host Dick Wells, who also served as co-anchor of the weekday morning newscasts. On September 9, 2007 (a warm and humid day), Wells suffered a heart attack while performing a live outdoor concert on Railroad Green in Warwick. After a hiatus, Dick made a surprise return to his Saturday morning show on December 8, 2007, and has remained ever since.
Other weekday WTBQ personalities include Neal Boortz
Neal Boortz
Neal A. Boortz, Jr. is an American Libertarian radio host, author, and political commentator. His nationally syndicated talk show, The Neal Boortz Show, airs throughout the United States on Dial Global . It is ranked seventh in overall listeners, with 4.25+ million per week...
starting at 10 am, Clark Howard
Clark Howard
Clark Howard , is a popular U.S. talk radio host of the nationally syndicated consumer advocate program The Clark Howard Show. The show covers consumer and financial news, with advice on how to spend less, save more and avoid rip-offs...
from 2 until 4 pm and John Tesh
John Tesh
John Frank Tesh is an American pianist and composer of pop music, as well as a radio host and television presenter. His 10-year-old 'Intelligence for Your Life Radio Show' reaches 14.2 Million listeners/week, and is syndicated by Teshmedia on 400 stations in US, Canada, and the UK...
starting at 4 pm. The staff also includes 40-year radio veteran Rich Ball, Souzie Miller (from Sydney, Australia), polka queen Nat "The Cat" Gubala-Magdon, 18-time (and counting) Grammy award winner Jimmy Sturr
Jimmy Sturr
James W. "Jimmy" Sturr, Jr. is a polka musician, trumpeter/clarinetist/saxophonist and leader of Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra. His recordings have won 18 out of the 24 Grammy Awards given for Best Polka Album. Sturr's orchestra is on the Top Ten List of the All-Time Grammy Awards, and has acquired...
, and the ever-popular Uncle Buck.
On November 30, 2007, WTBQ moved its studios from the Village of Florida, New York to 97 Ronald Reagan Boulevard in the Town of Warwick, NY. It had been located in the "Professional Building" at 62 North Main Street in Florida since 1984, prior to which it was located in the Village of Warwick. On February 7, 2008, WTBQ held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony at their new studios, attended by the news media, as well as many government officials and station personnel.
On July 27, 2009 (at 11:10 am, of course), WTBQ celebrated its 40th anniversary with a special ceremony at the station's broadcasting tower. A plaque was placed at the antenna site, honoring Ed Klein for signing on the station on July 27, 1969.
Although WTBQ broadcasts on AM during the daylight hours only (due to WBT
WBT (AM)
WBT is a radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina, broadcasting on the AM dial at 1110 kHz. A 50,000-watt clear-channel station, it can be heard across most of the eastern half of North America at night. It simulcasts on WBT-FM, at 99.3 MHz in Chester, South Carolina. It is owned by Greater...
in Charlotte
CHARLOTTE
- CHARLOTTE :CHARLOTTE is an American blues-based hard rock band that formed in Los Angeles, California in 1986. Currently, they are signed to indie label, Eonian Records, under which they released their debut cd, Medusa Groove, in 2010. Notable Charlotte songs include 'Siren', 'Little Devils',...
, a clear-channel station that owns the frequency at night), WTBQ has streamed on the internet 24 hours a day since 1999, the first station in the Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
to do so. (WTBQ was also the first area radio station with a website, back in 1995.)
Special programming
Station owner Frank Truatt also hosts Rockollections, a show devoted to 1970s music, every Monday from 7 to 9pm. Dave Edwards hosts Perfect Albums Tuesdays at 9pm, while Rob McLean's The RMc 10010, a countdown show spanning the entire history of popular music, airs Wednesday nights from 9pm to midnight. (The 10010 began October 13, 2010, replacing RMc's popular The Compleat 80s, which aired every hit record from that decade. Playing roughly fifty songs per week, McLean estimates the show will end sometime in the late summer of 2014.)The weekend starts every Friday at noon with Into The Weekend, hosted by Walt Popailo and Lisa Ann. Friday evening programs include Souzie Miller's Mellow Brick Road, the only Australian radio program in the US, and Chris Cordani's internationally-syndicated Revenge of the 80's, a program devoted to early alternative music.
Saturday programming includes Dirks Outdoors with David Dirks, Horse Talk, The Dick Wells Show, Spotlight and teen talk show Girl Talk. Sunday morning features the always-entertaining Hawkeye Show and the eclectic music of "...And All That Jazz" with Frank Lowell. (This new name is the result of an alleged trademark infringement with the former name, "Anything Goes".) Other syndicated programming includes Magic of the 80s with Tom Furci and Music Memories Radio with Pete Michaels and Company.
The station is an affiliate of ABC Radio and featured Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
until his death in 2009. Laura Schlessinger
Laura Schlessinger
Laura Catherine Schlessinger is an American talk radio host, socially conservative commentator and author. Her radio program consists mainly of her responses to callers' requests for personal advice and has occasionally featured her short monologues on social and political topics...
was also in the WTBQ lineup until she left terrestrial radio at the end of 2010; John Tesh
John Tesh
John Frank Tesh is an American pianist and composer of pop music, as well as a radio host and television presenter. His 10-year-old 'Intelligence for Your Life Radio Show' reaches 14.2 Million listeners/week, and is syndicated by Teshmedia on 400 stations in US, Canada, and the UK...
now holds down her old timelsot.
Sports programming is headlined by coverage of NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
racing from The Motor Racing Network
Motor Racing Network
The Motor Racing Network is the principal radio broadcasting operation of NASCAR, promoting themselves as "The Voice of NASCAR." It broadcasts coverage of most major NASCAR races at the top three levels of NASCAR at tracks owned by International Speedway Corporation as well as Dover International...
and the Performance Racing Network
Performance Racing Network
The Performance Racing Network is a radio network controlled by Speedway Motorsports, Inc..Performance Racing Network broadcasts all NASCAR-sanctioned Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series events held at Speedway Motorsports-controlled tracks which include Atlanta, Bristol, Infineon, Las Vegas,...
. Select Indycar Series
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
races are also featured. Local Warwick Valley High School football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
airs weekends in the fall, with Rob McLean and Rich Arnott calling the action.
FM translator
At 1:30 pm on January 28, 2011, WTBQ switched its FM frequency to 93.5 MHz, after just over three years at 99.1 MHz. The new translator, W228CG, broadcasts at 250 watts; this is a considerable upgrade from the previous 19 watts, and the coverage area is about 50% larger than on 99.1. (In addition, 99.1 was subject to interference from WPLRWPLR
WPLR based out of New Haven, Connecticut, is a rock station owned by Cox Radio....
, a 15,000-watt rock station in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
; the closest station on its new frequency is WVIP
WVIP
WVIP is a radio station broadcasting a World Ethnic format. Licensed to New Rochelle, New York, USA, it serves the New York metropolitan area. Formerly known as WRTN-93.5 and renamed WVIP, the station is currently owned by Hudson-Westchester Radio, Inc. and features programing from Jones Radio...
in New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
.)
WTBQ became one of the first American AM stations to use an FM translator when it began airing on W256BD on January 25, 2008. The arrangement, made possible by a Special Temporary Authority from the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
and Digital Radio Broadcasting, allowed WTBQ to broadcast its programs 24 hours a day via an FM antenna located on WTBQ's AM broadcast tower. (The new translator also broadcasts from WTBQ's tower, located on West Ridge Road in the Town of Warwick.)
Notable alumni
- Jimmy SturrJimmy SturrJames W. "Jimmy" Sturr, Jr. is a polka musician, trumpeter/clarinetist/saxophonist and leader of Jimmy Sturr & His Orchestra. His recordings have won 18 out of the 24 Grammy Awards given for Best Polka Album. Sturr's orchestra is on the Top Ten List of the All-Time Grammy Awards, and has acquired...
- Howard Hoffman
- Jimmy HowesJimmy HowesJimmy Howes is a radio disc jockey and talk show host, stand-up comic. New York City On-Air Radio Host under dozens of different synonyms. Morning Show Host on Jukebox Radio, New York City, Mid-Day host with WVNJ, Program Director and a morning show host of WGHT...
- Max Kinkel
- Rob Dillman
- Alex Miller
- Eric Hodge
- Joe Ryan
- George Dacre
- Joe Mann
- Mike Erickson
- Joe Cyr
- Rick Davis
- John Moultrie
- Ted Baker
- Dick Wells
- Mark West
- Frank Bruno