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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Milwaukee |
| Frequency | 102.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 102.9 The Hog |
| Programming | |
| Format | Mainstream rock |
| Subchannels | HD2:WJOI simulcast (BrokeredChristian) |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| WJMR-FM,WJOI,WKLH,WRXS | |
| History | |
First air date | April 22, 1962; 63 years ago (1962-04-22) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "Hog" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 36372 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 130 meters (430 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 43°02′49″N87°58′52″W / 43.047°N 87.981°W /43.047; -87.981 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WHQG (102.9FM, "102.9 The Hog") is a commercialradio station inMilwaukee, Wisconsin. It airs amainstream rock radio format and is owned by Saga Communications, operating as part of its Milwaukee Radio Group.
WHQG is aClass B FM station, with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000watts, the maximum for most Milwaukee-area stations. The studios, which are shared with WHQG's foursister stations, along with thetransmitter tower, are on West McKinley Avenue, on the city's west side.[2]
The stationsigned on the air on April 22, 1962, as WRIT-FM, co-owned with WRIT (1340 AM, nowWJOI). The stationssimulcasted aTop 40 format.
In 1971, 102.9 split from the simulcast, becoming WFWO-FM ("For Women Only").[3] WFWO playedsoft adult contemporary music.
The station flipped tocountry music as WBCS on October 1, 1972.[4] WBCS found success with the format, as they were the only country station in the market at the time, after rivalWMIL-FM (95.7) had switched toTop 40 as WZUU the year before. In 1983,WMIL-FM (106.1 FM) launched a country format, putting WMIL and WBCS in competition for Milwaukee country music fans.
WLZR succeeded WBCS with a hard rock format on February 16, 1987.[5][6] "Lazer 103" dominated thealbum-oriented rock market, such that competing stationWQFM switched tosmooth jazz in 1996. WLZR's longtime morning show ofBob and Brian debuted in July 1987. The station ran a simulcast on sister station 1340 AM beginning in the WBCS era, sporadically until 1997, when 1340 AM became the faith-basedWJYI.
Even with Bob and Brian's success, during Lazer 103's last few years, the aging audience of the station's morning show did not translate to listenership of the station's younger-skewingactive rock format the rest of the day, as older listeners dispersed to the more work-appropriate offerings of sister stationWKLH, orWKTI and other offerings after the show's end. Also in 2004,WLTQ suddenly dropped their lightadult contemporary format and switched to an 1980s-orientedclassic rock format as "97.3 The Brew", which also stripped listeners of WLZR post-Bob and Brian, along with WKLH. Management decided to rebuild the station around the demographic of their popular morning show, along with the general decline in the active rock format altogether at the time.
On August 15, 2005, WLZR startedstunting with wide-ranging music and teasers. The stunt also included songs with the word "Jack" in their title (in reference to the rapidly growingJack FM format). The next day, just after 10:00 a.m.,Bob and Brian signed off their morning show by signing on a new radio station -- "102-9 The Hog". The station re-imaged itself, dropped much of the younger-skewing rock music from bands likeSlipknot,Mudvayne andLinkin Park, added more rock from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and widely expanded their playlist. The new slogan was "Everything That Rocks", and serves as a harder rocking counterpart to itsclassic rock sister, WKLH. Another slogan used to help change the station's image and to steal listeners from other stations included "Not Just the 80's, Everything That Rocks". The results of the image and playlist changes were immediate, as "The Hog" soon eclipsed "The Brew" in the local ratings, eventually hastening their May 2010 conversion toTop 40 as WRNW.
The Hog's mascot hog was named "Dr. Squealgood" in a contest which is takeoff of the popularMötley Crüe song "Dr. Feelgood". The Hog branding's success has led toJanesville, Wisconsin stationWWHG changing its branding to mirror WHQG's.
In recent years, WHQG's format shifted back towards active rock, similar to the former WLZR.