KFQC

Last updated
KFQC
Frequency 1580kHz
Ownership
OwnerQuad City Minority Broadcasters, Inc.
History
First air date
November 17, 1952 (1952-11-17)
Last air date
1998 (1998)
Former call signs
  • KFMA (1952–1960)
  • KWNT (1960–1982)
  • KXRK (1982–1985)
  • KTSS (1985–1989)
  • KBQC (1989–1990)
Call sign meaning
"Family Radio for the Quad Cities", from format in 1990
Technical information
Power
  • 500 watts day
  • 7 watts night

KFQC was a radio station licensed to Davenport, Iowa, United States, serving the Quad Cities area and broadcasting on 1580 kHz AM. It was last owned by Quad City Minority Broadcasters, Inc., and operated from 1952 to 1998.

Contents

Established as a country music station in 1952 under the call letters KFMA and later KWNT, the frequency became home to a host of revolving formats and owners after 1982. Local media critic Alan Sivell noted that it "changed ownership and formats almost as regularly as dental check-ups are recommended". [1]

History

KFMA

On February 17, 1951, the KFMA Broadcasting Company filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission for a new radio station to serve Davenport on 1580 kHz. [2] However, even by the time the successful construction permit application was made, substantial work had gone into the new station. Ground was broken at the transmitter site, along the northern edge of Davenport, on February 3, 1950. [3] However, problems had tied up one of the principal owners of the proposed KFMA at the FCC. Larry W. Andrews was involved with a station in Ely, Minnesota, WXLT, whose license was ordered revoked due to an unauthorized transfer of control that he claimed occurred without his knowledge; as a result, the FCC moved to revoke the construction permit for KFMA unless Andrews filed for a hearing, which he did. [4] Even as work on the facilities was described as being in its "final stages" in July, [5] Andrews then opted to drop his application and devote himself full-time to a radio school he had set up to train future broadcasters, [6] but the KFMA Broadcasting Company was incorporated to pursue a construction permit for the station, with local Masonic leader Arthur D. Peirce as its sole officer. [7]

The FCC granted the new construction permit on May 7, 1952, on the condition that the two towers that had already been built at the site be removed. [2] The station began broadcasting on November 17 of that year as Davenport's third local service, with no network affiliation. [8] [9] In 1955, the company was acquired by Lester and Dorothy Gould of Jacksonville, North Carolina; [10] the FCC approved in January 1956. [2] The Goulds filed within months to improve KFMA's facilities by moving its studios to 415 Perry Street, previously a downtown sales office, and upgrade to 500 watts from 250. [2] [11]

KWNT

Doralcar Associates of Chicago acquired KFQC in 1958; the firm was owned by Alex Clark, a real estate company owner, and WGN announcer Howard Dorsey. [12] The call letters were changed to KWNT, pronounced "quint", on February 1, 1960, in line with its habit of calling the multi-city area the "Quint-Cities". [13] At that time, the disc jockeys started wearing red blazers as a symbol of the station. [2] [14] Right after the change, the station was acquired by Frank and Lynne Babcock and sold in 1962 to Robert W. and Oneita Schmidt; both the Babcocks and Schmidts were from Chicago. [15] The Schmidts expanded KWNT and its country music programming to the FM band with the launch of a full-time simulcast, KWNT-FM 106.5, on September 1, 1966. [16] The FM station was sold to Moline, Illinois, station WQUA in 1972. [17]

After more than a year of illness, Robert Schmidt died in 1974. [18] Robert's widow Oneita sold KWNT three years later to Hallstrom Communications, then in the process of selling WRAM at Galesburg, Illinois; the new owner stated he would not change the format. [19]

KXRK and KTSS

In 1982, Hallstrom moved KWNT from facilities on Mound Street, which it had occupied since 1960, [2] to a new building on 11th Street and replaced the long-running country format and KWNT call sign with the syndicated Music of Your Life standards format under the new designation of KXRK. [20] General manager Terry Loder was not kind to the legacy of the outgoing format and name, stating that KWNT was "a station that had been floundering for 15 years and has been known for all types of things other than quality". [21]

After Hallstrom sold KXRK to Timothy P. Anderson for $350,000 in October 1984, [22] The standards format was abandoned in March 1985 when the station switched to adult contemporary and new call letters KTSS (known on air as "KT-Sixteen"), citing a lack of advertiser support and a wider potential audience. [23] The adult contemporary programming lasted less than a year, and before 1985 was over, the station had changed to urban contemporary. [24] While airing this format, the station took part in a project to promote the plight of the area's homeless during which program director Terry Haywood spent 10 days living on the streets. [25] The format was successful enough to give KTSS steady ratings and advertising for a time. [26]

However, the flirtation with adult contemporary proved expensive. In mid-1987, KTSS filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization; when the station was to shut down on August 14, a Friday, the DJs opted to work without pay for a weekend and host a fundraising drive to make up a $7,000 shortfall. [27] The fundraiser drew less than half that sum, but enough money was raised to keep KTSS going while new financing was sought; Haywood also blamed advertisers reticent to buy air time on a station with a primarily Black audience. [28] A month later, on September 22, the station went silent, citing both transmitter and financial issues. [29] Temporarily, KFMH in Muscatine, Iowa, paid the electricity bill and used the 1580 frequency to simulcast its FM programming. [30] There were several opt-outs from the main KFMH programming, notably old airchecks from a new KFMH DJ's morning show on another station and a weekend oldies show. [31]

Religious programming

Salvation for the AM station would ultimately come from a religious group. In 1987, the Valley General Baptist Church of Bettendorf, Iowa, incorporated Valley Broadcast Ministries and acquired KBQC-FM 93.5, a failing station, switching it to gospel music. [32] Two years later, the ministry filed to buy KTSS from its trustees for $70,000. [33]

Within a year, however, the Baptist church found the Christian radio business too expensive and opted to sell both of its stations. Faith Walk Christian Center in Silvis, Illinois, acquired the AM station, which had also taken on the KBQC call sign, and renamed it KFQC "Family Radio in the Quad Cities", operating it under the banner of Christian Family Media. [34] The radio station's studios also moved across the Mississippi River to Silvis from Davenport; the church was expanding on property in that town. [35]

The final years

Christian Family Media reached a deal to sell KFQC to Richard "Andy" Andresen, long a contract engineer at various radio stations in the Quad Cities, in late 1993. Andresen had developed and sold radio automation equipment, giving him the cash to make the acquisition; he immediately began programming the station while the sale was pending, returning it to a standards format. The FCC approved the sale in February 1994, and construction began in Davenport on studios in shopping center space once used for driver's license examinations, with Andresen doing much of the work himself to save money. [36] In the meantime, KFQC broadcast from studio space at KFMH. [37]

Having desired to own a station and saved up for it, Andresen was reluctant to sell. However, in advance of the passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and the likely media consolidation it would lead to, Andresen opted to exit the station ownership business and focus on engineering work and marketing his automation products. KFQC was sold to a Des Moines-based buyer, Quad City Minority Broadcasting. [1] The format under Quad City Minority Broadcasters was urban contemporary. [38] It was the first time the format had been attempted since the folding of KTSS in 1987. [39]

KFQC disappeared with little fanfare in 1998. In 1999, an involuntary bankruptcy petition was filed against the licensee. [40] In 2008, a Chicago radio station, WKKD in Aurora, Illinois, considered moving across the state to Silvis to permit a power increase for a co-owned station in Evanston, Illinois. [41]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Davenport, Iowa</span> City in Iowa, United States

Davenport is a city in and the county seat of Scott County, Iowa, United States. It is located along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state, and is the largest of the Quad Cities, a metropolitan area with a population estimate of 382,630 and a CSA population of 474,226; it is the 90th-largest CSA in the nation. Davenport was founded on May 14, 1836, by Antoine Le Claire and was named for his friend George Davenport, a former English sailor who served in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, served as a supplier Fort Armstrong, worked as a fur trader with the American Fur Company, and was appointed a quartermaster with the rank of colonel during the Black Hawk War. According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 101,724.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quad Cities</span> Metropolitan area in the United States

The Quad Cities is a region of cities in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport and Bettendorf in southeastern Iowa, and Rock Island, Moline and East Moline in northwestern Illinois. These cities are the center of the Quad Cities metropolitan area, which as of 2013 had a population estimate of 383,781 and a Combined Statistical Area (CSA) population of 474,937, making it the 90th-largest CSA in the nation.

Moline, Illinois Place in Illinois, United States

Moline is a city located in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. With a population of 42,985 in 2020, it is the largest city in Rock Island County. Moline is one of the Quad Cities, along with neighboring East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois and the cities of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa. The Quad Cities have an estimated population of 381,342. The city is the ninth-most populated city in Illinois outside the Chicago Metropolitan Area. The corporate headquarters of Deere & Company is located in Moline, as was Montgomery Elevator, which was founded and headquartered in Moline until 1997, when it was acquired by Kone Elevator, which has its U.S. Division headquartered in Moline. Quad City International Airport, Black Hawk College, and the Quad Cities campus of Western Illinois University-Quad Cities are located in Moline. Moline is a retail hub for the Illinois Quad Cities, as South Park Mall and numerous big-box shopping plazas are located in the city.

The year 1960 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBEA-FM</span> Radio station in Muscatine, Iowa

KBEA-FM is a radio station in Davenport, Iowa, serving the Quad Cities, that is licensed to Muscatine, whose format is Top 40 (CHR). The station broadcasts at a power of 100 kW, from a transmitter located near Wilton, Iowa. The signal can be received in both the Cedar Rapids and Iowa City areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I-74 Bridge</span> Bridges across the Mississippi River between Iowa and Illinois

The Interstate 74 Bridge, officially known as the Iowa-Illinois Memorial Bridge, and often called The Twin Bridges, or the I-74 Bridge, are basket-handle, through arch twin bridges that carry Interstate 74 across the Mississippi River and connect Bettendorf, Iowa and Moline, Illinois. It is located near the geographic center of the Quad Cities.

<i>Quad-City Times</i> Newspaper in Davenport, Iowa

The Quad-City Times is a daily morning newspaper based in Davenport, Iowa, and circulated throughout the Quad Cities metropolitan area.

WKBF (AM) Former radio station in Rock Island, Illinois

WKBF was a radio station licensed to Rock Island, Illinois, which last carried a regional Mexican format. The station's frequency was 1270 kHz, and was broadcast at a power of 5 kW. It last broadcast in Autumn 2018, and its license was cancelled on June 1, 2020. Its transmitter was located on 22nd Avenue in Moline, alongside the Moline–East Moline border just off 53rd Street and Avenue of the Cities.

The year 1973 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KWQC-TV</span> NBC affiliate in Davenport, Iowa

KWQC-TV is a television station licensed to Davenport, Iowa, United States, serving the Quad Cities area as an affiliate of NBC. Owned by Gray Television, the station maintains studios on Brady Street in downtown Davenport, and its transmitter is located near Orion, Illinois.

WVIK Public radio station in Rock Island, Illinois

WVIK is the flagship National Public Radio station for the Quad Cities region of eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois. It is based in Rock Island, Illinois, and licensed to and owned by Augustana College. The studios are located on Augustana's campus in Rock Island. The station also operates two low-powered translators – K240DZ at 95.9 FM in Dubuque, Iowa and K289BI at 105.7 in Davenport, Iowa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KUUL</span> Radio station in East Moline, Illinois

KUUL is an American commercial Top 40 (CHR) radio station serving the Quad Cities area. They are owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. with studios located in Davenport, Iowa, and a transmitter located near Port Byron, Illinois.

The year 1978 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.

KRNI is a radio station licensed to Mason City, Iowa, United States. The station is owned by the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). KRNI is part of Iowa Public Radio and carries the network's "News and Information" service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quad Cities MetroLINK</span>

The Quad Cities MetroLINK, officially the Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District, provides mass transportation for the Illinois half of the Quad Cities metro area. Both Iowa cities that make up the region have their own systems, but one MetroLINK route does connect with Davenport, Iowa. It is the only transit system in the Quad Cities that operates seven days a week and holidays. The system has a fleet of 60 fixed route buses that is composed of twenty-five 30-foot compressed natural gas buses, eight 40-foot compressed natural gas buses and twenty-two 40-foot diesel buses. As of 2019, they have eight all electric buses. Its annual ridership is 3.5 million.

Newspapers, radio, and television in the Quad Cities area of the United States.

<i>The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus</i> Newspaper based in East Moline, Illinois

The Dispatch–Argus is a daily morning newspaper in East Moline, Illinois and circulated primarily throughout the Illinois side of the Quad Cities — Moline, East Moline, Rock Island and Rock Island County, but also for sale in retail establishments on the Iowa side of the Quad Cities — Davenport and Bettendorf. The Dispatch is circulated in and around Moline while The Rock Island Argus is circulated in and around that city. The two are essentially the same newspaper, only with different front covers. They have a combined circulation of about 25,000.

Interstate 74 in Iowa Highway in Iowa

Interstate 74 (I-74) is the central freeway through the Iowa Quad Cities. It roughly divides Davenport to the west and Bettendorf to the east. The Interstate Highway begins at an interchange with I-80 at the northeastern edge of Davenport and continues into Illinois at the Mississippi River by crossing the I-74 Bridge. The freeway was built in stages during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Velie Memorial Cup

The Velie Memorial Cup, more commonly known as the Velie Cup, is an annual golf tournament held among several country clubs in the Quad-Cities area of Illinois and Iowa. The tournament derives its name from a silver loving cup offered to the Rock Island Arsenal Golf Club by members of the Velie family in memoriam to Willard L. Velie and son Willard L. Velie, Jr. The senior Velie was founder and president of the Velie Motor Corporation and Willard Jr. was an executive. Both were members of the Arsenal Club; Willard Jr. was an accomplished golfer winning several amateur golf titles. Willard Sr. died in 1928 and Williard Jr. in March 1929 at the age of 32.

Hugh Ralph "Sonny" Gamber was an American referee and basketball player. He starred at Davenport High School where he was selected to two Iowa All-State high school basketball teams. After graduating from high school, he played for the Davenport Central Turners. He then played college basketball for the University of Dubuque before going on to play professionally for the Davenport Central Turner Rockets. He played for the team during the 1941 World Professional Basketball Tournament, where he led the team in scoring in its first round loss against the Chicago Bruins. Following his stint in the military during World War II, Gamber continued to play for the Rockets in the late 1940's.

References

  1. 1 2 Sivell, Alan (December 3, 1995). "The money grab forces radio to lose touch with Q-C". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. p. 6A. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 FCC History Cards for KFQC
  3. ↑ "Break Ground For New Radio Station". The Democrat and Leader. Davenport, Iowa. February 3, 1950. p. 11. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Andrews Files for New FCC Hearing On KFMA Permit". The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. June 23, 1950. p. 36. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Work on KFMA Is In Final Stages". The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. July 22, 1950. p. 9. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "L. W. Andrews, City Radio Consultant, to Quit Advisory Role in Favor of Teaching". The Democrat and Leader. Davenport, Iowa. February 18, 1951. p. 15. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Peirce Heads KFMA Station Corporation". The Democrat and Leader. Davenport, Iowa. February 25, 1951. p. 15. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "New Davenport Radio Station To Open Nov. 17". The Morning Democrat. Davenport, Iowa. November 11, 1952. p. 5. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Strezlecki, Jenne (November 14, 1952). "KFMA Radio Begins Operations Monday; Inaugural Set for TV". The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. p. 2-G. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "KFMA Sold By Peirce". The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. November 21, 1955. p. 11-B. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "KFMA Plans Expansion". The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. March 17, 1956. p. 9. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ "Chicagoans Purchase KFMA Radio". The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. October 30, 1958. p. 21. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Davenport Radio Station Changes Call Letters". The Rock Island Argus. Rock Island, Illinois. February 17, 1960. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ Reynolds, Carla (February 17, 1960). "Clearing the Air". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. p. 25. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ "KWNT Gets New Owners". The Daily Times. Davenport, Iowa. March 22, 1962. p. 28. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "KWNT-FM" (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. 1968. p. B-61. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-09-26. Retrieved 2022-03-04– via World Radio History.
  17. ↑ "Davenport FM station is purchased". The Rock Island Argus. Moline, Illinois. December 15, 1972. p. 29. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Robert Schmidt, owner of KWNT Radio, dies at 54". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. June 3, 1974. p. 23. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "Radio station in Davenport is purchased". The Rock Island Argus. Moline, Illinois. Associated Press. May 12, 1977. p. 22. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  20. ↑ "Station changes call letters". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. July 14, 1982. p. 28. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  21. ↑ Wilson, Connie (August 2, 1982). "KXRK a new find: Station boss takes chance". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. p. 10. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  22. ↑ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 8, 1984. p. 105. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2022-03-04– via World Radio History.
  23. ↑ "Adult contemporary comes to AM dial". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. May 2, 1985. p. Go 10. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  24. ↑ "AM radio plays musical chairs: Q-C stations flip flop formats". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. March 30, 1986. p. 1D, 4D. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  25. ↑ Davidson, Tom (May 21, 1986). "Life as a homeless Quad-Citian". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. p. 1. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  26. ↑ Wilcox, Sherri (July 14, 1986). "Station gives Q-C some soul". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. p. Business Times 11. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  27. ↑ Willard, John (August 15, 1987). "Radio station seeks $7 grand". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  28. ↑ Grau, Scott (August 18, 1987). "Radio station urges support for advertisers". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  29. ↑ "KTSS-AM is off Q-C airwaves". The Rock Island Argus. Moline, Illinois. September 23, 1987. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  30. ↑ "KFMH goes on AM temporarily". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. October 30, 1987. p. 12. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  31. ↑ Ashcraft, Michael (November 3, 1987). "KFMH-FM to broadcast on KTSS-AM air space". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. p. A7. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  32. ↑ Walker-Baley, Elsie (January 28, 1987). "Bettendorf church to buy radio station KBQC-FM". The Rock Island Argus. Moline, Illinois. p. 3. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  33. ↑ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. April 14, 1989. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2022-03-04– via World Radio History.
  34. ↑ Wiklund, Joanne (May 5, 1990). "Faith Walk Christian Center to bread ground for new building". The Rock Island Argus. Moline, Illinois. p. B10. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  35. ↑ Wiklund, Joanne (February 2, 1991). "Faith Walk Christian Center expands ministry". The Rock Island Argus. Moline, Illinois. p. A5. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  36. ↑ Willard, John (March 24, 1994). "Station owner strives to carve out a niche". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. p. 7A. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  37. ↑ Leary, Sean (January 23, 1994). "Station creates its own style". The Rock Island Argus. Moline, Illinois. p. H5. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  38. ↑ Duff-Weintraut, Kerry (September 14, 1996). "Pastor Ed shares faith on airwaves". The Dispatch. Moline, Illinois. p. D5. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  39. ↑ Taylor, Chuck (February 24, 1996). "WKTU: Better Than Mashed Potatoes; Jacor, SFX Among Those In 'Buy' Mode" (PDF). Billboard. p. 92. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-02-08. Retrieved 2022-03-04– via World Radio History.
  40. ↑ In matter of Quad City Minority Broadcasters, Inc., B.R.773 (Bankr. S.D. Iowa2000).
  41. ↑ Burke, David (February 25, 2008). "Chicago radio station may move to Silvis". Quad-City Times. Davenport, Iowa. p. B5, B6. Archived from the original on March 4, 2022. Retrieved March 4, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.