WZQS

Last updated
WZQS
Satellite of WYQS and WCQS-HD2
Broadcast area Jackson and Haywood counties in western North Carolina
Frequency 90.5 MHz
BrandingBPR Classic
Programming
Format Public radio (classical music, news, jazz)
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
1977 (1977)
Former call signs
WWCU (1977–2021)
Former frequencies
91.7 MHz (1977–1981)
Call sign meaning
Variation of WCQS and WYQS
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 71766
Class A
ERP 240 watts
HAAT 289.0 meters
Transmitter coordinates
 35°26′23.00″N83°7′11.00″W / 35.4397222°N 83.1197222°W / 35.4397222; -83.1197222
Links
Public license information

WZQS is a radio station on 90.5 FM in Cullowhee, North Carolina, broadcasting to Jackson and Haywood counties in the western part of the state. It is owned by Blue Ridge Public Radio (BPR). It is part of the "BPR Classic" network, originating from WYQS (90.5) in Mars Hill and the second HD Radio channel of WCQS (88.1 FM) in Asheville.

The 90.5 facility was acquired by Blue Ridge, effective February 1, 2021, from Western Carolina University, under which it had operated as WWCU from 1977 to 2021. The university would rebuild WWCU on a newer and higher-power license at 95.3 MHz.

History

In 1977, Western Carolina University, which had maintained a carrier current station on campus since 1947, built and signed on WWCU at 90.5 FM. This student radio station broadcast from a main site on Cutoff Mountain, but the region's rough terrain impeded any expansion of the station's coverage area. After applying in 2010, WCU was awarded a construction permit to build a 95.3 FM station, licensed to Dillsboro and broadcasting from Brown Mountain, in 2015. This station began temporary service as WWOO, a simulcaster of WWCU, using a temporary 90-foot (27 m) fiberglass mast, in 2018, and work began on the construction of a new permanent tower after that. [2]

The 95.3 frequency had been used by a translator of BPR's WCQS, which was forced to move to another frequency. [3] The university sold the WWCU facility to BPR in 2020 for $97,000, excluding the station's former booster. [4] After the sale was completed on February 1, 2021, the 90.5 facility—renamed WZQS—was taken silent while it was relocated to a new site. [5] On October 31, 2022, WZQS began airing the "BPR Classic" programming of WYQS and WCQS-HD2, as part of a realignment of BPR's two networks. [6]

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References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for WZQS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ "Turn It Up - WWCU-FM has growth spurt". WCU Stories. November 19, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  3. ↑ Johnson, Becky (September 9, 2015). "WCU moving up on the dial: Winners and losers in the shifting world of radio frequencies". Smoky Mountain News. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Asset Purchase Agreement". Federal Communications Commission. July 16, 2018. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Silent STA". Federal Communications Commission. February 2, 2021. Retrieved March 12, 2021.
  6. ↑ "BPR's Big Switch". Blue Ridge Public Radio. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
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