 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Philadelphia |
| Frequency | 102.1MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Q102 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Contemporary hit radio |
| Subchannels |
|
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WDAS,WDAS-FM,WRFF,WUMR,WUSL | |
| History | |
First air date | November 10, 1941; 84 years ago (1941-11-10)[1] |
Former call signs |
|
Former frequencies |
|
Call sign meaning |
|
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 20348 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 27,000watts |
| HAAT | 204 meters (669 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 40°02′37.4″N75°14′30.6″W / 40.043722°N 75.241833°W /40.043722; -75.241833 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | |
WIOQ (102.1FM) is acommercial radio station inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania. The station broadcasts acontemporary hit radioformat and is owned byiHeartMedia. Thestudios and offices are on Presidential Boulevard inBala Cynwyd.[3] The station carries a mixture of local programming andnationally syndicated shows, includingElvis Duran and the Morning Show.[4]
WIOQ has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 27,000watts. Thetransmitter site is located off Wigard Avenue in theRoxborough section of Philadelphia.[5] WIOQ broadcasts using theHD Radio hybrid format, with the HD2digital subchannel airingRussian language "DaNu Radio" and the HD3 subchannel carrying iHeart'sLGBTQ national format "Pride Radio" with some local programming as well.[6]
 | This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(December 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
In May 1940, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) authorized an FM band effective January 1, 1941, operating on 40 channels spanning 42–50 MHz.[7] The FCC granted the WFIL Broadcasting Company aconstruction permit for a new FM station at 45.3 MHz on February 4, 1941,[8] which was assigned thecall sign W53PH.[9] W53PH made its debut broadcast on November 11, 1941,[1] and was formally licensed by the FCC on September 9, 1942.[8]
At the time of its start, it was announced that the station's daily 2 P.M. to 8 P.M. schedule would rarelysimulcast itsAMsister station 560WFIL, and "approximately 82 percent of the station's time on the air is being devoted to fine music".[10]
Effective November 1, 1943, the FCC modified its policy for FM call signs,[11] and the station call letters were changed to WFIL-FM. After the FCC created the current FM band on June 27, 1945,[12] the FCC granted temporary authority for operation on 99.9 MHz beginning on December 29, 1945.[8]
The station's license was assigned toTriangle Publications, effective March 1, 1946. At the time,WFIL (560 AM) was owned by Triangle Publications, which publishedThe Philadelphia Inquirer daily newspapers andTV Guide magazine. WFIL-FM mostlysimulcast the AM station in its early years.
The FCC issued a new construction permit on June 10, 1946, for permanent operation on 99.9 MHz. However, on June 27, 1947, the FCC reallocated the station to 102.1 MHz and authorized temporary operation on the new frequency. On February 5, 1948, the FCC granted Triangle Publications permission for the station to cease broadcasting on 45.3 MHz. A new construction permit was issued by the FCC for permanent operation on 102.1 MHz on September 29, 1948, followed by a new license on January 4, 1950.[8] By the 1960s, WFIL-FM had been airing separateclassical music shows, breaking away from the AM simulcast.
On July 10, 1968, WFIL-FM switched away from classical music to an early version of asoft adult contemporary format. Known as "Popular 102", the station featured softer pop music of the day with a mix of currents, oldies and instrumentals. Each hour included a track from a featured album of the week, and voices on the station were pre-recorded announcements and news from the staff at sister station WFIL, including Jay Cook,J.J. Jeffrey, Tommy Tyler and news from Allen Stone and Glenn Barton.
The station promoted itself as playing "The Nicest Music for the Nicest People." This format continued through May 1971, when Triangle Publications decided to sell its Philadelphia broadcasting stations.[13]
In 1971, Triangle Publications sold WFIL-AM-FM-TV to Capital Cities Broadcasting (laterCapital Cities Communications). In turn, WFIL-AM was sold to LIN Broadcasting and WFIL-FM was spun off to Richer Communications in May 1971. The FM call letters were changed to WIOQ representing the script version of the frequency "102". The familiarjingle of Popular 102 was also changed to "W102". Initially, the familiarPAMS jingles were updated to reflect the new call letters and the station continued as before. By 1972, the station's imaging changed to Stereo Island, which trended even softer than the station had been, but added liveDJs while the music rotated on an IGMautomation unit.
Air staff at this time included Jeff Dean, Lee Meredith, Art Andrews, Alan Drew (Frio), Jere Sullivan, and Jay Mathieu, with Dave Klahr continuing as program director. After a year or so in this format, the station brought back thePopular 102 moniker and started playing a slightly more uptempo mix of pop tunes. When Dave Klahr left, Roy Laurence was hired as program director and the station's mix became Top 40-based with a more adult presentation than former sister station 560 WFIL.
Gradually the music became more rock-oriented, and by about 1975 WIOQ had aprogressive rock format. Around this time the station began using an extract from the albumIntergalactic Trot by Stardrive as the music bed for hourly station IDs. It would remain WIOQ's audio signature for over a decade.
The station also started using the moniker "Q102" during that time. For a time in the mid-'70s, the station affiliated withABC's "American FM Radio Network" in order to air some programs hosted by then-hipGeraldo Rivera. That contract also required the station to air the network'sABC news at :15 past the hour, as its competition was playing music. The station had trouble competing with established FM rock leader 93.3WMMR and aggressiveAOR upstart 94.1WYSP. Programming duties were split between Alex DeMers and Bill Fantini, with DJs Jim Harlan, John Harvey, and Bill Paul rounding out the full-time air staff. After a few years, the owner (by then listed as Que Broadcasting, Inc.) declaredbankruptcy. WIOQ emerged from the bankruptcy under the ownership ofThe Outlet Company, a retail and broadcasting firm based inProvidence, Rhode Island.
Under Outlet, WIOQ evolved into an eclectic music format described as "adult rock". The station played a blend of softer songs heard on rock music stations, some deeper album cuts, a few top 40 crossover hits, and a bit of uptempo jazz. Leading air personalities on WIOQ in this era includedJohn Harvey ("Harvey in the Morning"), Helen Leicht who hosted a show called "Breakfast With The Beatles" on Sunday mornings,David Dye,Ed Sciaky and Michael Tozzi. (Leicht and Dye later joined the adult alternative public stationWXPN. The former hosted "Leicht Lunch" program at noon, and Dye became the producer and host of the nationally distributedWorld Cafe.)
After a proposed sale of Outlet's broadcast properties toCoca-Cola'sColumbia Pictures subsidiary around 1982 fell through, the station group was acquired byWesray Capital Corporation, a corporation partially owned by former Treasury SecretaryWilliam E. Simon.
After years of low to moderate ratings, on November 10, 1987, at 6 a.m., the adult rock format was dropped in favor of anoldies format as "Solid Gold 102". WIOQ's playlist focused on the hits of 1955–1973.[14]
While WIOQ was changing its format,CBS-owned WCAU-FM switched from a top 40 format to also play oldies asWOGL. Within a matter of days, Philadelphia went from having no oldies FM station to having two. CBS had been putting the oldies format on a number of its FM stations around the U.S., based on the success ofWCBS-FM inNew York City. WIOQ had trouble competing for the same oldies audience as WOGL.
In 1988, WIOQ was sold toEZ Communications. On January 18, 1989, at 7:18 a.m., the station dropped oldies and switched to arhythmic contemporary format, branded as "Q102".[15][16]
The station initially leaned toward dance and urban material, but played some rock and pop crossover songs, changing according to chart trends and competitive conditions. In 1994, urban rivalWUSL was bought by EZ, forming a sales and demographic combo where WUSL targetedAfrican-American listeners, while WIOQ targeted more of aCaucasian andLatino audience. In 1996, EZ merged withAmerican Radio Systems. To satisfy ownership limits (as well as taking advantage of a larger advertising market), WIOQ and WUSL were traded to Evergreen Media (owner ofWJJZ), with EZ receiving Evergreen'sCharlotte stations in return. In February 1997, Evergreen and Chancellor Media merged. After the Chancellor acquisition, WIOQ became co-owned with WYXR (nowWRFF),WDAS,WDAS-FM,WUSL, and WJJZ (nowWUMR). On November 20, 1998, the station evolved to Mainstream CHR.[17]
As a result of a large merger in 2000, WIOQ and the other stations in its cluster became properties of Clear Channel Communications. Clear Channel later changed its name toiHeartMedia.
On March 8, 2022, at midnight, WIOQ began a temporary simulcast on sister stationWISX as a stunt for the latter frequency.[18] The simulcast lasted until March 10, when WISX shifted its stunting to all-Bad Bunny songs leading into a format change to Spanish CHR the following day.[18]