WXQW
Encyclopedia
WXQW is an American radio station
licensed to serve the community of Fairhope, Alabama
. The station, established in 1964, is currently owned by Cumulus Media
and the broadcast license
is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC.
format
to the greater Mobile metropolitan area
, as a simulcast
of sister station
WGOK
(900 AM, "Gospel 900").
Begun as a country & western outlet in 1964, this station had broadcast contemporary Christian music
, children's radio
, urban contemporary gospel
, all-news radio
from CNN Headline News
, blues music, and syndicated talk radio
formats in its nearly 50 years of service to the Mobile area.
(FCC) for a new AM radio station to be licensed to broadcast with 50,000 watt
s of power on 1550 kHz
as a daylight-only station serving the community of Mobile, Alabama
. The FCC granted them a construction permit
to build this new station and assigned call sign
"WMOE" while construction was under way. Springhill Broadcasting was initially led by Marvin Burton as president and Samuel R. David as both vice president and general manager.
Assigned new call sign "WMOO", the station began licensed broadcast operations in 1964 with a country & western music format. By 1969, Samuel R. David would take over as president of license holder Springhill Broadcasting. Under his leadership, Springhill Broadcasting reached a deal to sell WMOO to Trio Broadcasters, Inc. (George Beasley, president) which was consummated on December 17, 1969. The new owners flipped the format from country to contemporary Christian music
and maintained it through the 1970s and into the 1980s.
for WMOO. They applied to change the community of license from Mobile to Fairhope, Alabama, to convert this daytimer to 24-hour operation with reduced daytime power plus nighttime service at 1,000 watt
s, to change broadcast frequency from 1550 kHz to 660 kHz, and to move a reconfigured antenna system to a new location just outside Daphne, Alabama
. The FCC accepted the filing on May 15, 1981, and finally granted a construction permit
for these changes on September 26, 1984. This permit was scheduled to expire one year later, on September 2, 1985. After a long series of modifications and extensions, the station completed construction and applied for a license to cover
these changes in August 1988. The FCC granted this request and the station began licensed operation on the new frequency from the new location with the new operating hours and power levels on November 10, 1988. As part of these changes, the station requested a new call sign from the FCC and was assigned "WLIT" on January 24, 1988. That change proved short-lived as the station became "WBLX" on July 4, 1988.
The new WBLX was sold shortly after it was completed. Trio Broadcasters, Inc., reached a deal to sell the station to Central Life Broadcasting of Alabama, Inc., in September 1988. The FCC approved the sale on November 2, 1988, and the transaction was formally consummated on May 11, 1989.
On October 4, 1996, the station's call sign was changed to "WHOZ" when the station flipped to children's radio
as an affiliate of Radio AAHS
. The new format made its formal debut with a promotion at Bayfest
on October 5, 1996. WHOZ became the first radio station in the Mobile metropolitan area
to air a radio format
designed for children. Unable to compete with Radio Disney
, the entire Radio AAHS network discontinued programming in January 1998.
agreed to purchase WDLT from April Broadcasting, Inc., in November 1999. After a legal challenge to the sale was dismissed, the FCC approved the sale on November 30, 1999, and the transaction was formally consummated the same day.
Nine years later, the station was briefly assigned "WWFF" on September 21, 2007, before switching to the current "WXQW" on December 31, 2007. This WXQW call sign was most recently assigned to a sister station
(now WWFF-FM
, 94.1 FM
) in the Huntsville, Alabama
, market.
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 serve the community of Fairhope, Alabama
Fairhope, Alabama
Fairhope is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, on a sloping plateau, along the cliffs and shoreline of Mobile Bay. The 2010 census lists the population of the city as 16,176....
. The station, established in 1964, is currently owned by Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
and the broadcast license
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC.
Programming
WXQW broadcasts a gospel musicGospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
to the greater Mobile metropolitan area
Mobile metropolitan area
Metropolitan Mobile has a population of 412,992 within Mobile County Alabama in the southwestern tip of Alabama. The Mobile metropolitan area is the third-largest metropolitan area in the state of Alabama. The Mobile–Daphne–Fairhope combined statistical area also includes the micro but...
, as a simulcast
Simulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
of sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
WGOK
WGOK
WGOK , "Gospel 900") is a radio station serving the Mobile, Alabama, area with a Gospel music format. The station is under ownership of Cumulus Media.-History:...
(900 AM, "Gospel 900").
Begun as a country & western outlet in 1964, this station had broadcast contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
, children's radio
Children's radio
Children's radio is a radio format aimed primarily at pre-teen children. Examples include the Radio Disney network of radio stations, XM Kids satellite radio channel and in the UK Fun Kids....
, urban contemporary gospel
Urban contemporary gospel
Traditional black gospel is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
, all-news radio
All-news radio
All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcast of news.All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried in some form on both major US satellite radio networks...
from CNN Headline News
CNN Headline News
HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
, blues music, and syndicated talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
formats in its nearly 50 years of service to the Mobile area.
Launch
In the early 1960s, Springhill Broadcasting, Inc., applied to the Federal Communications CommissionFederal 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...
(FCC) for a new AM radio station to be licensed to broadcast with 50,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of power on 1550 kHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
as a daylight-only station serving the community of Mobile, Alabama
Mobile, Alabama
Mobile is the third most populous city in the Southern US state of Alabama and is the county seat of Mobile County. It is located on the Mobile River and the central Gulf Coast of the United States. The population within the city limits was 195,111 during the 2010 census. It is the largest...
. The FCC granted them a construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
to build this new station and assigned call sign
Call sign
In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign is a unique designation for a transmitting station. In North America they are used as names for broadcasting stations...
"WMOE" while construction was under way. Springhill Broadcasting was initially led by Marvin Burton as president and Samuel R. David as both vice president and general manager.
Assigned new call sign "WMOO", the station began licensed broadcast operations in 1964 with a country & western music format. By 1969, Samuel R. David would take over as president of license holder Springhill Broadcasting. Under his leadership, Springhill Broadcasting reached a deal to sell WMOO to Trio Broadcasters, Inc. (George Beasley, president) which was consummated on December 17, 1969. The new owners flipped the format from country to contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music is a genre of modern popular music which is lyrically focused on matters concerned with the Christian faith...
and maintained it through the 1970s and into the 1980s.
Move to 660 kHz
In March 1981, Trio Broadcasters, Inc., applied to the FCC to make extensive changes to their broadcast licenseBroadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
for WMOO. They applied to change the community of license from Mobile to Fairhope, Alabama, to convert this daytimer to 24-hour operation with reduced daytime power plus nighttime service at 1,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s, to change broadcast frequency from 1550 kHz to 660 kHz, and to move a reconfigured antenna system to a new location just outside Daphne, Alabama
Daphne, Alabama
Daphne is a city in Baldwin County, Alabama, United States, on the eastern shoreline of Mobile Bay. The city is located along I-10, 11 miles east of Mobile and 150 miles southwest of the state capital of Montgomery. The United States Census 2000 lists the population of the city as 16,581 making...
. The FCC accepted the filing on May 15, 1981, and finally granted a construction permit
Construction permit
A construction permit or building permit is a permit required in most jurisdictions for new construction, or adding on to pre-existing structures, and in some cases for major renovations. Generally, the new construction must be inspected during construction and after completion to ensure compliance...
for these changes on September 26, 1984. This permit was scheduled to expire one year later, on September 2, 1985. After a long series of modifications and extensions, the station completed construction and applied for a license to cover
Broadcast license
A broadcast license or broadcast license is a specific type of spectrum license that grants the licensee the privilege to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses are generally straddled with additional restrictions that...
these changes in August 1988. The FCC granted this request and the station began licensed operation on the new frequency from the new location with the new operating hours and power levels on November 10, 1988. As part of these changes, the station requested a new call sign from the FCC and was assigned "WLIT" on January 24, 1988. That change proved short-lived as the station became "WBLX" on July 4, 1988.
The new WBLX was sold shortly after it was completed. Trio Broadcasters, Inc., reached a deal to sell the station to Central Life Broadcasting of Alabama, Inc., in September 1988. The FCC approved the sale on November 2, 1988, and the transaction was formally consummated on May 11, 1989.
1990s
Less than a year later, in April 1990, a deal was reached to sell WBLX to April Broadcasting, Inc. The FCC approved the sale on July 23, 1990, and the transaction was formally consummated on October 31, 1990.On October 4, 1996, the station's call sign was changed to "WHOZ" when the station flipped to children's radio
Children's radio
Children's radio is a radio format aimed primarily at pre-teen children. Examples include the Radio Disney network of radio stations, XM Kids satellite radio channel and in the UK Fun Kids....
as an affiliate of Radio AAHS
Radio AAHS
Radio AAHS was a radio network managed by the Children's Broadcasting Corporation. Its flagship station was WWTC-AM 1280 in Minneapolis, which broadcast from the former First Federal Bank building at Highway 100 and Excelsior Boulevard in St. Louis Park. At its height in 1996, Radio AAHS had 29...
. The new format made its formal debut with a promotion at Bayfest
Bayfest (Mobile)
BayFest is an annual three day music festival in the heart of downtown Mobile, Alabama.-History:Growing from an initial attendance of 50,000 people in 1995 BayFest has become known for its array of musical talent suited to a wide variety of tastes...
on October 5, 1996. WHOZ became the first radio station in the Mobile metropolitan area
Mobile metropolitan area
Metropolitan Mobile has a population of 412,992 within Mobile County Alabama in the southwestern tip of Alabama. The Mobile metropolitan area is the third-largest metropolitan area in the state of Alabama. The Mobile–Daphne–Fairhope combined statistical area also includes the micro but...
to air a radio format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
designed for children. Unable to compete with Radio Disney
Radio Disney
Radio Disney is a radio network based in Burbank, California and headquartered out of the Disney Channel headquarters on West Alameda Ave., from where it has been based since November 2008. Prior to that, the network was based in Dallas, Texas...
, the entire Radio AAHS network discontinued programming in January 1998.
Cumulus era
On January 21, 1998, the FCC assigned this station the "WDLT" call sign. Cumulus MediaCumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
agreed to purchase WDLT from April Broadcasting, Inc., in November 1999. After a legal challenge to the sale was dismissed, the FCC approved the sale on November 30, 1999, and the transaction was formally consummated the same day.
Nine years later, the station was briefly assigned "WWFF" on September 21, 2007, before switching to the current "WXQW" on December 31, 2007. This WXQW call sign was most recently assigned to a sister station
Sister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
(now WWFF-FM
WWFF-FM
WWFF-FM is an American radio station licensed to New Market, Alabama, and serving the Huntsville, Alabama, market. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and its broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC...
, 94.1 FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
) in the Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
, market.