WMZQ-FM (98.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Washington, D.C. owned by iHeartMedia, it has had a country music radio format since 1977. The station's studios and offices are on Rockville Pike in Rockville, Maryland,[5] and its transmitter is on Tower Street in Falls Church, Virginia.[6] WMZQ-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts, the maximum power for radio stations in the Washington area.
WMZQ-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio format.[7] Its HD2 digital subchannel airs a conservative talk format, known as "Freedom 104.7." It feeds FM translator W284CQ at 104.7 MHz.[8]
History
This station signed on the air on April 2, 1947 as WWDC-FM, originally on 100.9 MHz, moving to 101.1 MHz a few months later.[9] It was owned by the Capital Broadcasting Company with its studios at 1000 Connecticut Avenue NW. The station originally simulcast its sister station, WWDC, then on AM 1450.
Meanwhile, WOL-FM signed on at 98.7 MHz in 1947, simulcasting its sister station, WOL 1260 kHz. In 1950, WWDC and WOL came under common ownership; that February 20, WWDC moved to the far higher-powered 1260 kHz allocation, and WOL was shifted to 1450 kHz to be resold. WWDC-FM also swapped callsigns and facilities with WOL-FM on the same day, and each simply modified their licenses to continue operating on their same frequencies.[10][11] As the actual licenses were not exchanged, WMZQ-FM is the legal successor of the original WWDC-FM.
WOL-AM-FM aired a full service Rhythm and blues format, featuring personalities, news and talk for the African-American community. It was owned by the Peoples Broadcasting Company, relocated to the 1000 Connecticut Avenue NW studios and offices.
In 1965, WOL-AM-FM were acquired by the Sonderling Broadcasting Company.[12] In 1968, Sonderling switched the FM station to an Oldies format, as WMOD, while the AM continued as an R&B station. WMOD played the rock-era hits of the 1950s and early 60s, including doo-wop music. By the mid-1970s, the format shifted to classic rock.
In 1977, Sonderling switched 98.7 to country music as WMZQ-FM.[13] Although press reports at the time attributed the call sign as a simple abbreviation of "music", then-program director Bill Figenshu claims to have chosen it in homage to WMAQ Chicago, which was at the time a successful large-market country station. A since-repealed FCC rule also required stations to notify their competitors of a call sign change, and Figenshu suspected the "Q" – then as now, a common branding for contemporary music stations – might fool them into thinking a Top 40 format was about to launch.[3][2]
The Washington market already had one FM station playing modern country, but it was based in Northern Virginia, 105.9 WXRA (today WMAL-FM) licensed to Woodbridge, Virginia. Its signal had a hard time reaching the D.C. suburbs north of Washington, while WMZQ-FM covered the entire D.C. radio market. The change proved a success for WMZQ-FM and the station at 105.9 eventually switched to classic rock.
Viacom acquired WMZQ-FM a few years after the switch to the country format. In 1987, Viacom began simulcasting WMZQ-FM on AM station WMZQ in Arlington, Virginia.[14][15]
In 1997, WMZQ-FM switched hands again, this time acquired by Chancellor Media.[16] In 2000, Chancellor was acquired by Clear Channel Communications, which a few years later became iHeartMedia, the current owner.
HD Radio and Translator
On July 10, 2023, WMZQ-HD2 dropped its simulcast with Black Information Network affiliate WUST (1120 AM), and launched a conservative talk format on its HD2 subchannel, branded as "Freedom 104.7".[17]
WMZQ rebroadcasts its HD2 format on the following translator:
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| W284CQ | 104.7 FM | Washington, D.C. | 31140 | 99 | 140 m (459 ft) | D | 38°53′30.0″N 77°07′54.0″W / 38.891667°N 77.131667°W | LMS |
References
- ^ a b "FCC History Cards for WMZQ-FM".
- ^ a b White, Thomas. "Washington, D.C. AM Station History". earlyradiohistory.us.
- ^ a b Rohter, Larry (June 29, 1977). "WMOD Changes Its Tune". The Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2022.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WMZQ-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "98.7 WMZQ Contact Info: Number, Address, Advertising & More". 98.7 WMZQ.
- ^ "WMZQ-FM 98.7 MHz - Washington, DC". radio-locator.com.
- ^ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=8 Archived October 2, 2015, at the Wayback Machine HD Radio Guide for Washington D.C.
- ^ "W284CQ-FM 104.7 MHz - Washington, DC". radio-locator.com.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 108
- ^ "WNEW, WWDC Sales Given Approval By FCC" (PDF). Broadcasting. January 30, 1950. p. 26.
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1952 page 105
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1969 page B-33
- ^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1979 page C-40
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1994 page B-383
- ^ Yorke, Jeffrey (July 21, 1987). "WKYS, singing a no. 1 tune". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2000 page B-84
- ^ Freedom Rings on 104.7 Washington DC Radioinsight - July 10, 2023
External links
- WMZQ Website
- WMZQ in the FCC FM station database
- WMZQ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- W284CQ in the FCC FM station database
- W284CQ at FCCdata.org