 | |
| Broadcast area | Lansing metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 106.1MHz |
| Branding | Q106 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Active Rock |
| Affiliations | United Stations Radio Networks Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Midwest Communications |
| WLMI,WQTX,WWDK | |
| History | |
First air date | 1964 (as WKHM-FM) 1976 (as WJOX-FM) |
Former call signs | WKDM-FM (1964–1976) WJOX-FM (1976-3/13/81) |
Call sign meaning | Jackson |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 55656 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 49,000watts |
| HAAT | 151.3 meters (496 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 42°23′31″N84°37′22″W / 42.39194°N 84.62278°W /42.39194; -84.62278 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | q106fm.com |
WJXQ (106.1FM, "Q106") is acommercialradio stationlicensed toCharlotte, Michigan, and serving theLansingradio market. WJXQ is owned byMidwest Communications and airs anactive rockradio format. Studios and offices are located on Cedar St. inHolt. Thetransmitter is on Prime Road inSpringport.[2]
The station begins each weekday withThe Bob & Tom Show,syndicated fromIndianapolis. LocalDJs are heard the rest of each weekday. Weekends featureThe House of Hair with Dee Snider,Racing Rocks withRiki Rachtman andHard Drive withLou Brutus
In 1964, the station firstsigned on asWKHM-FM, originally licensed toJackson.[3] It was thesister station toWKHM (970 AM), owned by the Jackson Broadcasting & TV Corporation.
It originallysimulcasted WKHM'sfull servicemiddle of the road music format, along with news coverage from theMutual Broadcasting System. (Other than call letters, WJXQ is not related to the currentWKHM-FM licensed toBrooklyn, Michigan, known as "K105.3.")
The simulcast ended in 1976, when 106.1 FM changed itscall sign toWJOX, and switched toTM Programming'sautomated "Stereo Rock"Top 40 format. The station's morning show, hosted by local talent Jerry Barnhart, was live, but the rest of the dayparts were full automation, complete with pre-recorded song backsells from TM's John Borders, a voice heard on many Stereo Rock stations across the country at the time. The station's moniker was "Rock 106 WJOX." WJOX only broadcast at aneffective radiated power of 20,000watts from a 180-foot tower, so its signal was limited, mainly serving the Jackson area.
The TM format was maintained until 1981, when the station moved its tower and transmitter from Jackson to a location four miles east-north-east of the town of Springport, in the northwestern part ofJackson County and increased power to 50,000 watts in preparation to begin serving the largerLansing market with a brand new format. (WJXQ can be heard as far away asAngola, Indiana,Alma, Michigan, as far west as Kentwood on the outskirts ofGrand Rapids and as far east asNovi in the western suburbs ofDetroit.)
On March 11, 1981, the call letters were switched toWJXQ. The station's power had more than doubled from a new tower site, giving it a strong signal into Lansing. Gone was the automated TM Stereo Rock format, and it was replaced by a Rock 40 format with high energy live air talent under the new monikerQ106. WJXQ's very first song was "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" fromBob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band.
The original Q106 "QJs" consisted of Patricia "Patty" Cheeks & Jimmy "Jim" Ryan for mornings, Roger "Big Rog" Sinclair for middays, Jim Ryan in afternoon drive, Terrence "Terry Hester" Hesters in evenings, Michael "Mike" Vaughn in nights, Donald "Don" Poole in overnights, and Jackson "Jack" Daniels for weekends.
Within three months, WJXQ claimed the #1 spot 12+ in the LansingArbitron ratings from relative obscurity. WILS-FM was hit hard and changed to anAC format in April 1984.
Other Q106 talent included Brian "Maloney" Montgomery, David "Dave" Mennard, with Craig Bordeaux, and Peter "Pete" Bucalo.
The new Q106 would soon face tough competition from another Top 40 station,WVIC, consulted by E. Alvin Davis. The two stations engaged in aTop 40/CHR radio war in the early and mid 1980s, from which WVIC would eventually emerge as the ratings leader. In the fall of 1985, Q106 dropped their rock 40 approach for a more pop-oriented top 40 direction, playing artists such asMadonna andMichael Jackson, trying to take on WVIC directly. But the effort ultimately failed, and within two years, WJXQ was gearing back towards a rock 40 format, this time concentrating on anAOR basis. It was that here the station found its very own niche and Q106's ratings began to rebound.
By the early 1990s, Q106 had solid ratings helped in part by the success of the Debbie Hart and Timmy Barron morning show, which had developed a steady following. Then, in January 1997, when Debbie and Timmy left the station forWVIC (which, by then, was airing anactive rock format asBuzz 95), they were replaced by the syndicatedBob and Tom Show fromIndianapolis'WFBQ, which remains popular on the station to this day.
WJXQ briefly changed its moniker toThe All Brand Spanking New Q106 in the fall of 1997. This was accompanied by a format modification towardalternative rock. The moniker returned to the legendaryQ106 within six months, although the format modifications remained in place. In 2000, WJXQ was acquired by the Rubber City Radio Group based inAkron, Ohio.[4]
On March 17, 2010, it was announced that the Rubber City Radio Group was planning to sell WJXQ, along with sister stationsWWDK,WQTX, andWLMI toMidwest Communications. The deal officially closed on July 1, 2010. Midwest Communications later shifted WJXQ'scity of license from Jackson to Charlotte, although the location of the transmitter and studios remained the same.