WBMQ

Last updated
WBMQ
WBMQ 630WBMQ logo.png
Broadcast area Savannah metropolitan area
Frequency 630 kHz
BrandingNews-Talk 630 WBMQ
Programming
Format Defunct (was news/talk)
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WEAS-FM, WIXV, WJCL-FM, WJLG
History
First air date
December 29, 1939;84 years ago (1939-12-29) (as 1310 WSAV)
Last air date
July 2020;3 years ago (2020-07)
Former call signs
  • WSAV (1939–1977)
  • WKBX (1977–1985)
Former frequencies
  • 1340 kHz (1941–1949)
  • 1310 kHz (1939–1941)
Technical information
Facility ID 54800
Class D
Power
  • 4,800 watts (day)
  • 47 watts (night)

WBMQ (630 kHz) was a commercial AM radio station in Savannah, Georgia. It was owned by Cumulus Media and aired a news/talk format. The studios and offices were on Television Circle in Savannah. [1] The transmitter was off Dulany Avenue near the Savannah River. [2]

Contents

WBMQ's weekday schedule was made up of mostly syndicated conservative talk shows from the co-owned Westwood One Network. They included Michael Savage, Chris Plante, Mark Levin, Clark Howard, Phil Valentine, John Batchelor, Red Eye Radio and America in the Morning with John Trout. Most hours began with Westwood One News. NBC-TV network affiliate WSAV-TV 3 supplied WBMQ with some local news and weather. (At one time, the two stations had been co-owned.)

History

Early years as WSAV

On December 29, 1939, the station first signed on as WSAV, with the call sign standing for Savannah. [3] It broadcast on 1310 kHz at a power of only 100 watts. Studios and offices were in the Liberty National Bank Building. After the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) took effect in 1941, the station moved to AM 1340. WSAV was an NBC Red Network affiliate, carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts during the Golden Age of Radio.

In 1947, an FM station was added, 100.3 WSAV-FM. It mostly simulcast the AM station's programming, but management did not see much of a future for FM radio and was more interested in building a TV station. Because of this, WSAV-FM stopped broadcasting in the mid-1950s and the license was turned in.

Move to AM 630

In 1949, WSAV moved to AM 630, coupled with a big boost in power. WSAV began running at 5,000 watts around the clock, non-directional by day but using a directional antenna at night to protect other stations on the frequency. [4] WSAV used a three-tower antenna array on Oatland Island.

In 1956, WSAV put Savannah's second TV station on the air. WSAV had battled with rival radio station 900 WJIV for the last VHF TV license available in Savannah. (Channel 11 WTOC-TV had gone on the air two years earlier.) WSAV emerged the winner. Channel 3 WSAV-TV became an NBC-TV affiliate, since WSAV was an NBC Radio affiliate.

Sale to Beasley

In 1977, management decided to sell the radio station, while retaining the TV station. AM 630 WSAV was sold to Beasley Broadcasting. [5] Because two stations that were no longer co-owned could not share the same call letters, AM 630 became WKBX. Beasley teamed up the station with FM station 95.5 WSGF, which it also owned. (WSGF is now active rock WIXV.) WKBX's full service middle of the road format was continued for several years. But in 1981, the station switched to a Christian radio format. In 1983, WKBX began airing country music. It changed to WBMQ in 1985 and began playing oldies.

WBMQ and WSGF were bought by Radio Southeast in 1988. [6] Radio Southeast changed WBMQ's format to talk in 1990. The station featured local hosts and at night carried syndicated shows from NBC Talknet. World and national news was supplied by CBS Radio News.

Sale to Cumulus

In 1998, Cumulus Media bought WBMQ and its FM sister station, WIXV. Cumulus also acquired 93.1 WEAS-FM, 96.5 WJCL-FM, 900 WJLG and 102.1 WZAT, creating a six-station cluster. All of the stations were moved to studios on Television Circle in Savannah.

In the early 2010s, WBMQ gave up its transmitter site on Oatland Island, and moved to a new location in Savannah, near the Savannah River. Because it was now using a single non-directional tower, it had to reduce its output. Daytime power dropped slightly to 4,800 watts, and nighttime power was reduced significantly to 47 watts. While the daytime signal covered a large region of Coastal Georgia and South Carolina, the nighttime signal only served Savannah and its adjacent communities. [7]

WBMQ's transmitter was damaged by a lightning storm in July 2020, taking the station silent; WJLG, which operated from the same site, would remain on the air at reduced power. On October 9, Cumulus elected to return both stations' licenses to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) instead of making repairs; the surrender also invalidated a construction permit for an FM translator station, W245DD (96.9), to relay WBMQ. [8] WBMQ's license was cancelled on October 13, 2020.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WCNN</span> Radio station in North Atlanta, Georgia

WCNN is a radio station licensed to North Atlanta and serving the Atlanta-area radio market. It is owned by Dickey Broadcasting and airs a sports radio format. The station is commonly known by the on-air branding as "The Fan". Local sports shows are heard weekdays with the ESPN Radio Network airing nights and weekends. WCNN is the flagship of the Atlanta Braves Radio Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WSAV-TV</span> NBC/CW affiliate in Savannah, Georgia

WSAV-TV is a television station in Savannah, Georgia, United States, affiliated with NBC, The CW Plus, and MyNetworkTV. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, the station maintains studios on East Victory Drive/US 80/SR 26 in Savannah's Live Oak section, and its transmitter is located on Little Neck Road in unincorporated northwestern Chatham County, near Pooler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KAAY</span> Radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas

KAAY is a commercial radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas, owned by Cumulus Media. It airs a Christian radio format of instruction and preaching, with most of the schedule made up of brokered programming featuring local and national religious leaders, including Charles Stanley, Jim Daly, John F. MacArthur, and Albert Pendarvis. Overnight, automated contemporary Christian music is heard. The station's studios are located in West Little Rock, and the transmitter is located off McDonald Road in Wrightsville. KAAY is Arkansas's primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WGOW (AM)</span> News/talk radio station in Chattanooga, Tennessee

WGOW is a commercial AM radio station in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It is owned by Cumulus Media, and broadcasts a news/talk format. Cumulus also owns 102.3 WGOW-FM, which simulcasts some shows shared with 1150 WGOW, but has its own schedule most of the day. The radio studios and offices are on Pineville Drive in Chattanooga.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WIXV</span> Radio station in Savannah, Georgia

WIXV is a classic rock formatted radio station licensed to Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is owned by Cumulus Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKS (AM)</span> Radio station in Savannah, Georgia

WTKS is a radio station licensed to Savannah, Georgia. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., with iHM Licenses, LLC holding the license. WTKS airs a news/talk format. Its transmitter is located behind WTKS's studios on Alfred Street in Garden City, Georgia, with a Savannah address.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KWPN (AM)</span> Sports radio station in Oklahoma City

KWPN is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Moore, Oklahoma, and serving the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a sports format. While Cumulus owns three sports stations in Oklahoma City, WWLS-FM and WKY have mostly local shows on weekdays, while KWPN carries mostly syndicated programming from ESPN Radio. The studios and offices are on NW 64th Street in Northwest Oklahoma City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKOH</span> Radio station in Nevada, United States

KKOH is a commercial radio station licensed to Reno, Nevada. KKOH airs a news/talk format and is owned and operated by Cumulus Media. Studios and offices are on East Plumb Lane. It transmits from a three-tower array off Chickadee Drive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTMA</span> Radio station in Charleston, South Carolina

WTMA, “News Talk 1250 WTMA”, is a commercial radio station licensed to Charleston, South Carolina. It has a news/talk format and is owned by Cumulus Media. WTMA's studios and offices are on Faber Place Drive in North Charleston.

KMJ is a commercial AM radio station in Fresno, California. It airs a news/talk radio format, and simulcasts with sister station KMJ-FM. Owned by Cumulus Media, the studios and offices are located at the Radio City building on Shaw Avenue in North Fresno.

WJIM is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Lansing, Michigan. It is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts a news/talk format. It is also the flagship station of the Michigan Talk Network. Studios and offices are on Pinetree Road in Lansing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXLM</span> Radio station in Groton, Connecticut

WXLM is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Groton, Connecticut, and serving the New London - Groton area. It broadcasts a news/talk radio format and is owned by Cumulus Media. The studios and offices are located on Governor Winthrop Boulevard in New London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXQW</span> Radio station in Fairhope, Alabama

WXQW is a news/talk radio station licensed to Fairhope, Alabama, and serving the Mobile metropolitan area. The station is owned by Cumulus Media and the broadcast license is held by Cumulus Licensing LLC. The radio studios and offices are on Dauphin Street in Midtown Mobile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFH (AM)</span> Sports radio station in Wichita, Kansas

KFH is a commercial AM radio station in Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. It airs a sports radio format. The station's studios and offices are located on East Douglas Avenue.

KRDO is a commercial radio station in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The station is owned and operated by the News-Press & Gazette Company of St. Joseph, Missouri and it airs a news/talk radio format, simulcast with KRDO-FM. Both stations are aided by the news department of co-owned KRDO-TV, with some TV newscasts also heard on the radio stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNIS</span> Radio station in Hampton Roads, Virginia

WNIS is a commercial radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, and serving the Hampton Roads media market. WNIS is owned and operated by Sinclair Telecable, Inc. It airs a talk radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KCSF</span> Radio station in Colorado Springs, Colorado

KCSF is a radio station serving the Colorado Springs area with a sports format. It is under ownership of Cumulus Media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMAC</span> Radio station in Macon, Georgia

WMAC is a commercial Class B radio station in Macon, Georgia. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a news/talk format. The studios and offices are on Mulberry Street in Macon. It is one of the oldest radio stations in Georgia. WMAC is a primary entry point for the Emergency Alert System (EAS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJLG</span> Radio station in Savannah, Georgia

WJLG was a radio station broadcasting a sports radio format. Licensed to Savannah, Georgia, United States, the station served the Savannah area. The station was last owned by Cumulus Media and featured programming from Fox Sports Radio and Premiere Radio Networks. Its studios were located on Television Circle in Savannah; its transmitter was located east of historic downtown at the interchange of President Street and Harry S. Truman Parkway.

KARN is a commercial AM radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas, owned and operated by Cumulus Media. It airs a sports radio format known as "920 AM The Sports Animal." The station's studios are located on Wellington Hills Road in West Little Rock. The transmitter tower is located off North Hills Boulevard in North Little Rock. KARN broadcasts at 5,000 watts, using a directional antenna at night to avoid interfering with other stations on AM 920. KARN is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast a digital HD signal.

References

  1. ↑ WBMQ.net/station-information
  2. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WBMQ
  3. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1940 page 114
  4. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1954 page 120
  5. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1979 page C-57
  6. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1991 page B-87
  7. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/WBMQ
  8. ↑ Venta, Lance (October 14, 2020). "Cumulus Surrenders Pair Of Savannah AMs". RadioInsight. Retrieved October 14, 2020.

32°03′51″N81°00′52″W / 32.06417°N 81.01444°W / 32.06417; -81.01444

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.