WRVQ

Last updated
WRVQ
WRVQ Q94Richmond logo.png
Broadcast area Central Virginia
Frequency 94.5 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingQ94
Programming
Language(s) English
Format Top 40 (CHR)
Subchannels HD2: WRNL simulcast (Sports radio)
Affiliations Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
August 10, 1948;76 years ago (1948-08-10)
Former call signs
  • WRVB (1948–56)
  • WRVA-FM (1956–72)
Call sign meaning
Richmond, Virginia Q (disambiguation of original WRVA calls)
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID 11963
Class B
ERP 200,000  watts
HAAT 107 meters (351 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
37°24′13.0″N77°18′59.0″W / 37.403611°N 77.316389°W / 37.403611; -77.316389
Links
Public license information
Webcast Listen live (via  Audacy)
Website www.audacy.com/q94

WRVQ (94.5 FM "Q94") is a commercial radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia, and serving Central Virginia. WRVQ is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. [2] It airs a top 40 (CHR) radio format. The syndicated Elvis Duran show from former sister station WHTZ in New York City is heard in morning drive time. The studios and offices are located just north of Richmond city limits on Basie Road in unincorporated Henrico County, Virginia.

Contents

WRVQ's transmitter is on WRVA Road in Henrico, co-located with the towers for sister station WRVA 1140 AM. [3] WRVQ has an unusually high effective radiated power (ERP) of 200,000 watts. It broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format. The HD2 digital subchannel carries the sports radio programming of sister station WRNL 910 AM.

History

Early years as WRVB, WRVA-FM

On August 10, 1948, the station signed on as WRVB. [4] [5] It was the FM counterpart to WRVA. WRVA and WRVB were owned by a tobacco company, Larus & Brother, with studios in the Hotel Richmond. WRVB had an effective radiated power of 25,000 watts, mostly simulcasting WRVA, including the line-up of CBS Radio Network dramas, comedies, sports and news, during the "Golden Age of Radio."

In 1956, Larus & Brother signed on WRVA-TV (now WWBT). At the same time, the FM call sign was switched to WRVA-FM. [6] When the TV station became an NBC network affiliate, WRVA-AM-FM switched to the NBC Radio Network as well.

Superpower authorization

In the 1960s, WRVA-FM was one of several Richmond FM stations receiving permission from the Federal Communications Commission for unusually high power. [7] Today, Richmond is in Zone 1, limited to a maximum of 50,000 watts effective radiated power (ERP). Before these rules were strictly enforced, WFMV (now WURV) was permitted to operate at 74,000 watts, WRNL-FM (now WRXL) broadcast at 120,000 watts, and, to this day, 94.5 is grandfathered at 200,000 watts. [8] Over time, those stations reduced their power but kept their coverage area by locating on taller towers. WRVQ has remained at 200,000 watts, but uses a relatively short tower of 107 meters (351 ft) in height above average terrain (HAAT).

In the 1960s, WRVA-FM began to broadcast its own programming, mostly easy listening music, with the AM station's news and other shows simulcast during some hours.

Top 40 WRVQ

In 1969, WRVA-AM-FM were sold to Southern Broadcasters. [9] On June 30, 1972, Southern Broadcasters switched WRVA-FM to a new Top 40 format as WRVQ. Until the 1970s, Top 40 stations were mostly on the AM band. In Richmond, the big contemporary stations were WTVR (now WBTK) and WLEE (now WTOX). Most home and car radios could only receive AM broadcasts at this time.

At midnight on June 30, 1972, the operations manager, Bill Garcia, was the first voice and the first song play was Celebrate by Rare Earth. WRVQ known as Super Q had Live DJ's from the start. In 1978, Southern Broadcasters became Harte-Hanks Radio. In 1984, WRVA and WRVQ were sold to Edens Broadcasting, [10] and were in turn sold to Clear Channel Communications (now iHeartMedia) in 1992. Through all the sales, WRVQ has stayed in the same format, as the leading Top 40 station in the Richmond radio market.

Entercom ownership

On November 1, 2017, iHeartMedia announced that it would swap its stations in Richmond and Chattanooga to Entercom, in exchange for stations in Boston and Seattle being divested by Entercom to comply with FCC ownership caps during its merger with CBS Radio. [11] In March 2021, Entercom changed its name to Audacy, Inc.

WRVQ HD-2

WRVQ broadcasts in the HD Radio format. WRVQ-HD2 formerly carried "The Planet", an automated classic rock format. On January 1, 2018, WRVQ-HD2 and FM translator W241AP 96.1 MHz, were converted to an FM simulcast of WRVA, returning the station to the same programming as its original AM sister station for the first time in decades.

The HD2 subchannel later changed to a simulcast of co-owned sports radio station WRNL 910 AM. WRVA is now heard on the HD2 subchannel of co-owned 98.1 WTVR-FM, which in turn feeds the W241AP translator.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRVA (AM)</span> Radio station in Richmond, Virginia

WRVA is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia and serving Central Virginia. WRVA airs a news/talk radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. Established in 1925, WRVA is one of Virginia's oldest radio stations, and the most powerful AM station in the Commonwealth. For much of its history, WRVA billed itself as the "Voice of Virginia."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WURV</span> Radio station in Richmond, Virginia

WURV is a commercial radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia. The station is owned by SummitMedia, through licensee SM-WURV, LLC. WURV broadcasts a hot adult contemporary music format to the Richmond/Petersburg/Central Virginia radio market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLUC-FM</span> Radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada

KLUC-FM is a commercial radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada, airing a Top 40/CHR format. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station's studios are on South Tenaya Way at West Warm Springs Road in Spring Valley, using a Las Vegas address.

KMXB is a commercial radio station licensed to Henderson, Nevada, and serving the Las Vegas radio market. KMXB airs a hot adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station's studios and offices are located in the unincorporated Clark County community of Spring Valley, while its transmitter is atop Black Mountain in Henderson.

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

WRXL is a commercial radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia, and serving Central Virginia. WRXL is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. WRXL airs an alternative rock radio format.

KMLE is a commercial radio station, licensed to Chandler, Arizona, and serving the Phoenix metropolitan area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a country music radio format. The studios and offices are on North Central Avenue in Downtown Phoenix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTBZ-FM</span> Radio station in Houston, Texas

KTBZ-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Houston, Texas. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves Greater Houston. KTBZ-FM's studios are located in Uptown Houston, while the station's transmitter is located near Missouri City, Texas; KTBZ-FM has an effective radiated power of 100,000 watts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBTJ</span> Urban radio station in Richmond, Virginia

WBTJ – branded as 106.5 The Beat – is a commercial urban contemporary radio station licensed to serve Richmond, Virginia. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station services the Greater Richmond Region and the Petersburg area. The WBTJ studios are located just north of Richmond proper in unincorporated Henrico County, while the station transmitter resides in the Richmond suburb of Bon Air. Besides a standard analog transmission, WBTJ broadcasts using HD Radio technology, and is available online via Audacy.

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

WWMX, known on-air as Mix 106.5, is a commercial radio station in Baltimore, Maryland. It broadcasts a hot adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The studios and offices are on Clarkview Road off Jones Falls Expressway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKMJ-FM</span> Radio station in Austin, Texas

KKMJ-FM is a commercial radio station in Austin, Texas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an adult contemporary radio format. The station has studios and offices on Westbank Drive, off Loop 360, near Westlake High School. The transmitter is off Buckman Mountain Road in Austin, amid numerous towers for other FM and TV stations. Like many AC stations, KKMJ flips to all-Christmas music from mid-November to Christmas Day. It uses the slogan "The Majic of Christmas."

KRSK is a commercial radio station licensed to Molalla, Oregon, and broadcasting to the Portland metropolitan area. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a hot adult contemporary radio format. The station broadcasts in HD Radio. The HD-2 subchannel carries Audacy's "Channel Q" LGBTQ service

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KYCH-FM</span> Radio station in Portland, Oregon

KYCH-FM is a commercial radio station in Portland, Oregon. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an adult hits radio format branded as "97.1 Charlie FM." KYCH-FM plays a fairly wide mix of music, mostly from the rock and pop genres, from the 1960s to today; much of the playlist is made up of modern rock and classic rock from the MTV music video era of the 1980s and 1990s. From mid-November through December 25 Charlie plays exclusively Christmas music. The station does not have disc jockeys, instead playing amusing or ironic messages after every three or four songs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLYF</span> Adult contemporary radio station in Miami

WLYF is a commercial radio station in Miami, Florida. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format. WLYF's studios and offices are co-located with its Audacy sister stations on NE 2nd Avenue in Miami.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKRZ</span> Radio station in Freeland, Pennsylvania

WKRZ is a commercial radio station licensed to Freeland, Pennsylvania, and serving the Wilkes-Barre - Scranton - Northeastern Pennsylvania radio market. It has aired a Top 40/CHR radio format since 1980. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc., through licensee Audacy License, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVR-FM</span> Radio station in Richmond, Virginia

WTVR-FM is a radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia. WTVR-FM serves Central Virginia with an adult contemporary music format. The station is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. with studios and offices located north of Richmond's city limits on Basie Road in Dumbarton. It formerly shared a nearby broadcasting tower with its former TV sister station, WTVR-TV. Currently, it shares a tower with PBS member stations WCVE-TV and WCVW.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBZA</span> Radio station in Rochester, New York

WBZA is a commercial radio station in Rochester, New York. It airs an adult hits format and is owned by Audacy, Inc., based at the High Falls Studios, on Commercial Street and State Street in downtown Rochester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KNSS-FM</span> Radio station in Clearwater, Kansas

KNSS-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Clearwater, Kansas, and serving the Wichita metropolitan area. It carries a news/talk radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The station simulcasts with co-owned KNSS. Its studios and offices are on East Douglas Avenue in Wichita.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRNL</span> Radio station in Richmond, Virginia

WRNL is a commercial radio station licensed to Richmond, Virginia. WRNL features a sports radio format and is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. The studios, offices and transmitter are all co-located just north of the Richmond city line on Basie Road in Dumbarton, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">W241AP</span> Radio station in Midlothian, Virginia

W241AP is a news/talk formatted broadcast translator licensed to Midlothian, Virginia, serving Central Virginia. W241AP is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc.

WRXL-HD2 – branded Big 98.5 – is a digital subchannel of Richmond, Virginia radio station WRXL (102.1 FM). Owned by Audacy, Inc., WRXL-HD2 functions as a commercial country music radio station, serving Greater Richmond and much of surrounding Central Virginia. Using the proprietary technology HD Radio for its main digital transmission, WRXL-HD2 also rebroadcasts over low-power analog Glen Allen translator W253BI (98.5 FM), and streams online via Audacy. The WRXL-HD2 studios, and transmitters for both WRXL-HD2 and W253BI, reside in the Richmond suburb of Dumbarton.

References

  1. "Facility Technical Data for WRVQ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "WRVQ Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. Radio-Locator.com/WRVQ-FM
  4. Information from the Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 310
  5. "WRVB (FM) in Richmond Is Launched on 94.5 mc" (PDF). Broadcasting. August 23, 1948. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  6. Broadcasting Yearbook 1957 page 270
  7. Broadcasting Yearbook 1970 page B-213
  8. BostonRadio.org/Super-FM
  9. Broadcasting Yearbook 1973 page B-210
  10. Broadcasting Yearbook 1990 page B-327
  11. "Entercom Trades Boston & Seattle Spin-Offs To iHeartMedia For Richmond & Chattanooga". RadioInsight. 2017-11-01. Retrieved 2020-03-30.