WCOY

Last updated

WCOY
Frequency 99.5 MHz
BrandingWCOY 99.5
Programming
Format Country
Affiliations Compass Media Networks
Premiere Networks
Westwood One
Ownership
Owner STARadio Corporation
History
First air date
1948;77 years ago (1948)
Former call signs
  • WTAD-FM (1948–1974)
  • WQCY (1974–1999)
Call sign meaning
Coyote Country
Technical information
Licensing authority
 FCC
Class C1
ERP 100,000 watts
HAAT 149 meters (489 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 39°56′30.00″N91°35′3.00″W / 39.9416667°N 91.5841667°W / 39.9416667; -91.5841667
Links
Public license information
Website wcoy.com

WCOY (99.5 FM) is a 100,000-watt radio station based in Quincy, Illinois with a country music format. The station is owned by STARadio Corporation.

Contents

History

WTAD-FM went on the air in 1948, four years after having filed for its construction permit on 44.1 MHz [1] —before FM was relocated to 88–108 MHz. It was owned by Lee Enterprises as a sister to WTAD 930 AM. When Lee-owned KHQA-TV signed on in 1953, it did so from WTAD-FM's tower, [2] standing 804 feet (245 m) above the surrounding flat terrain. [3]

When New York's WBAI—also on 99.5—was sabotaged and fell off air in 1967, it borrowed a crystal from WTAD-FM in order to resume operation. [4] WTAD-FM became WQCY on December 30, 1974. [1]

Lee exited the Hannibal-Quincy market in 1986, selling KHQA-TV to Benedek Broadcasting and WTAD-WQCY radio for $1.1 million to Noble Broadcast Corporation, [5] which operated as Eastern Broadcasting. The group was purchased three years later (later known as Tele-Media Broadcasting). [6] [7] [8] In 1997, Tele-Media was purchased by Citadel; [8] [9] Citadel sold its Quincy cluster the next year to STARadio Corporation. [10] In 1999, the hot AC format and callsign WQCY moved to 103.9 FM, formerly WMOS; [11] programming consultant Keith Bansemer flipped the station's format to country using the "Coyote Country" slogan.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 FCC History Cards for WTAD-FM
  2. ↑ "Hannibal-Quincy Television Station Test Signals Come In Clearly Here". Macon Chronicle-Herald. August 27, 1953. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  3. ↑ "First Program From KHQA-TV On Air Today". The Daily Times. September 21, 1953. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  4. ↑ Buck, Jerry (September 15, 1967). "Radio Station Back On Air After Apparent Sabotage". Associated Press. Retrieved July 25, 2019– via Clarion-Ledger.
  5. ↑ "AM-FM Combos" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 9, 1987. p. 84. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Groups" (PDF). Broadcasting . February 13, 1989. p. 46. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  7. ↑ " "TMZ Broadcasting Company has acquired the stock of Eastern Broadcasting Corporation" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 15, 1989. p. 62. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  8. 1 2 https://www.nasdaq.com/markets/ipos/filing.ashx?filingid=1061655 Citadel Communications Corp (Form: 424B4, Received: 07/01/1998 13:23:18], Nasdaq, July 7, 1998. Retrieved August 4, 2018.
  9. ↑ " "Citadel Sitting Pretty With Tele-Media Buy" (PDF). Radio & Records . April 4, 1997. p. 6. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  10. ↑ " "Elsewhere" (PDF). The M Street Journal. July 1, 1998. p. 9. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Call Letter Changes" (PDF). M Street Journal. June 23, 1999. p. 5. Retrieved July 25, 2019.

39°56′31″N91°35′02″W / 39.942°N 91.584°W / 39.942; -91.584


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