WQQW (Connecticut)

Last updated
WQQW
Frequency 1590 kHz
Ownership
OwnerComko, Inc.
History
First air date
November 4, 1934;89 years ago (1934-11-04)
Last air date
March 27, 1992;31 years ago (1992-03-27)
Former call signs
W1XBS (1934–1936)
WBRY (1936–1968)
WTBY (1968–1972)
Former frequencies
1530 kHz (1934–1941)
Technical information
Facility ID 12530
Power 5,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
 41°35′27.6″N73°2′34.8″W / 41.591000°N 73.043000°W / 41.591000; -73.043000

WQQW was a radio station on 1590 AM in Waterbury, Connecticut, operating between 1934 and 1992. During this time it changed hands several times. In 1996 it was acquired by the Unity Broadcasting Corporation, owner of WWRL, which surrendered the license.

Contents

History

A high-fidelity station

On December 19, 1933, the Federal Radio Commission authorized three new channels for high-fidelity operation between 1500 and 1600 kHz. (At the time, the AM broadcast band ended at 1500 kHz.) These 20 kHz-wide channels were twice as wide as normal AM channels. Six applications were heard for the channels, and four of them were approved. [1] The application of the Republican-American newspaper group (American-Republican, Inc.) was among these four and was given the experimental call letters W1XBS. Transmissions on 1530 kHz with 1,000 watts began November 4, 1934. The station offered to retune receivers in order to receive 1530 kHz, and within a year, 98 percent of the station's broadcasting area had receivers that could pick up the station. [2] In 1935, W1XBS opened a new New Haven studio facility in the seventh floor of the Liberty Building. [3]

W1XBS was an affiliate of the short-lived American Broadcasting System, later renamed American Broadcasting Company (no relationship to the Blue Network that later became ABC in the 1940s). When this network died on March 26, 1935, [4] W1XBS began taking a new service from the Loew theatre group originating at New York's WHN over the same lines. [5] W1XBS later joined WMCA's Inter-City Network, which had stations from Washington to Boston. [6]

In November 1936, [1] the FCC allowed the four high-fidelity stations to select normal call letters. W1XBS became WBRY that December. As WBRY, the station changed affiliations, first to the Mutual Broadcasting System and then to CBS Radio. [7]

Move to 1590

Further changes came in 1941; upon the adoption of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, the high-fidelity stations converted to normal AM operation. WBRY was relocated to 1590 kHz, where it would remain for the next 51 years. The station further upgraded when it began broadcasting during the day with 5,000 watts in 1946. Additionally, the Republican-American demonstrated interest in FM radio, where it held a construction permit for 102.5 MHz that was deleted in 1949 amidst concerns about the business, [8] and television, commenting on a 1953 docket to get a channel allocated to Waterbury. [9] The WBRY Broadcasting Corporation acquired the station in 1958, and it was sold to Crystal-Tone Broadcasting in 1961. [10]

The WBRY call letters changed to WTBY when Lowell Paxson acquired the station in 1968. [10] Four years later, the station was sold to Waterbury Radio and adopted another callsign, one that would be its last: WQQW. In 1982, WQQW flipped from pop music to adult standards as "The Music of Your Life". [7]

Comko operation and closure

In 1987, The Taft Group, Inc., acquired WQQW, selling it in 1990 to Comko, Ltd. Comko was owned by Richard D. Barbieri, Sr., and John A. Corpaci. However, it did not take long for WQQW's new owners to become embroiled in other controversies. The same year Barbieri bought WQQW, his bank, Security Savings and Loan, became the target of a federal investigation of illegal banking activities in the late 1980s; the resulting corruption investigation led to the conviction of Waterbury mayor Joseph J. Santopietro. [11] Corpaci was a cooperating witness who delivered testimony in three trials. [12] With the owners dealing with other troubles, WQQW's adult standards format went silent on March 27, 1992. [13]

In 1996, the license—still active—was acquired by the Unity Broadcasting Corporation, owner of WWRL 1600 AM in New York City, for $60,000. [14] At the same time, Unity also acquired two other nearby and adjacent-channel stations to its WWRL, WERA in Plainfield, New Jersey, and WLNG on Long Island. All three stations were shut down (in the case of WQQW, the license merely surrendered) to allow WWRL to increase power to 25,000 watts. [15]

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References

  1. 1 2 "History of W9XBY". Route 56. Archived from the original on June 7, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  2. ↑ "High Fidelity on 1550 kc" (PDF). Radio Today. November 1935. p. 18. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  3. ↑ "Studio Notes" (PDF). August 1, 1935. p. 37. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  4. ↑ "ABC Demise Brings Projects For Mutual Program Exchange" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 1, 1935. p. 12. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  5. ↑ "Loew Theatre Group Projects Network; WMCA-WIP May Extend Program Plan" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 15, 1935. p. 8. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  6. ↑ "New Inter-City Rates" (PDF). Broadcasting. September 1, 1936. p. 32. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Hartford Radio History: WQQW". Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  8. ↑ "FM Deletions" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 20, 1949. p. 76. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  9. ↑ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 2, 1953. p. 98. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  10. 1 2 "FCC History Cards for WQQW". Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  11. ↑ Gagne, Michael. "Port pedestrian killed in accident had controversial past". Republican-American (via The Daily News). Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  12. ↑ Pazniokas, Mark (1995-10-21). "CROOK-TURNED-WITNESS FREED AFTER POLITICIANS' CONVICTIONS". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2019-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  13. ↑ "Format Changes" (PDF). M Street Journal. May 4, 1992. p. 1. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  14. ↑ "WQQW(AM) Waterbury, Conn" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. January 1, 1996. p. 31. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  15. ↑ Hinckley, David (March 6, 1997). "'Inspirational' WWRL advances in its quest for higher power". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2017.


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