| Broadcast area | Birmingham metropolitan area -Northern andCentral Alabama |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 103.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 103.7 The Q |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 - CHR |
| Subchannels | HD2:Mainstream urban "103.1 The Beat" |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WDXB,WERC,WERC-FM,WMJJ | |
| History | |
First air date | October 7, 1966; 59 years ago (1966-10-07) |
Former call signs | WJBY-FM (CP, 1966) WLJM (1966–1975) |
Call sign meaning | Queen City (refers toGadsden, the station's formercity of license) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 22997 |
| Class | C1 |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 285 meters (935 ft) |
| Translator | HD2: 103.1 W276BQ (Birmingham) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | FM/HD1:Listen Live HD2:Listen Live |
| Website | FM/HD1:1037theq.iheart.com HD2:1031thebeat.iheart.com |
WQEN (103.7FM, "103.7 the Q") is acommercialradio stationlicensed toTrussville, Alabama, and serving theBirmingham metropolitan area. It airs aTop 40--CHRradio format and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc.[2] It carries thenationally syndicated midday showOn Air with Ryan Seacrest. Studios and offices are at Beacon Ridge Tower on First Avenue South in Birmingham.
WQEN is aClass C1 station. It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts, the maximum for most FM stations. Thetransmitter is off Venice Road on the west end of theRed Mountain range.[3] WQEN broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. Its HD2subchannel carries anurban contemporary format known as "The Beat." That feedsFM translator W276BQ at 103.1MHz.
The stationsigned on the air on October 7, 1966; 59 years ago (1966-10-07).[4] The originalcall sign was WLJM, licensed toGadsden.[5] The call letters stood for Lloyd, John and Mary Faye, the three children of original owner Charlie Boman.
WLJM was thesister station to WJBY 930 AM (nowWGAD). WLJM had abeautiful music format, playing quarter-hour sweeps of soft, instrumental music with limited commercials and chatter. It was mostlyautomated.
In 1974, WLJM was sold to Charles Smithgall and Mike McDougald, who operatedWAAX 570 AM, also in Gadsden. The following year, it took its current call letters, which stand for "Queen City," a nickname for Gadsden. It had the nickname "Alabama's Music Giant."[6] WQEN became one of the first Top 40 stations in Alabama to broadcast exclusively on the FM dial. WQEN has remained a Top 40 station for most of the last half century.
By 1976, the transmitter for WQEN was moved toSteele, some 15 miles (24 km) south of Gadsden. The power of its signal was increased to 100,000 watts. This enabled the station to cover not just the Gadsden area but many parts of the Birmingham metropolitan area. During this time, WQEN had several monikers: "Super Q104, WQEN", "SuperHot Q104", and "Q104 WQEN, The Southern Super Giant". Except for a brief period in the late 1980s when the station was known as "103.7 QFM", the station was called "Q104" for over 20 years.
Until the mid 1990s, WQEN was primarily focused on Gadsden,Anniston and Eastern Alabama. In August 1991, WQEN adjusted the format from Top 40/CHR toadult contemporary.[7] But it switched back to Top 40 after a short time.
In 1998, WQEN began broadcasting from a tower nearSpringville, enabling its signal to cover the entire Birmingham market. It also moved its studios into Birmingham. The station was rebranded under the "103.7 The Q" moniker in June.[8] At about the same time that the station focused on the Birmingham market, it began simulcasting onWQEM (101.5 FM), licensed toColumbiana. The simulcast continued until 2002, when WQEM was sold to Glen Iris Baptist School in Birmingham, aChristian radio organization that also ownsWGIB.
WQEN was the first Top 40 station in the Birmingham market sinceWAPI-FM (I-95) dropped the format in 1994. Ironically, a second station in the market adopted the same format a few months later whenWEDA, known on the air as Hot 97.3, signed on. That station changed formats in 2000. The WQENDJ line-up featuredRick and Bubba in the mornings, Scott Bohannon (formerly ofWAPI-FM/I-95) in middays, and Luka (formerly ofWRAX/107.7 The X) in the afternoons.
In August 2000, WQEN was acquired byClear Channel Communications.[9] Then in 2014, Clear Channel changed its name to iHeartMedia.
In 2005, WQEN was one of several stations in northAlabama and southernTennessee that changed either their city of license, broadcast frequency, or both. As a result, WQEN, is now licensed toTrussville rather than Gadsden. It began broadcasting fromRed Mountain in Birmingham, greatly improving its signal inJefferson County andShelby County.
33°26′38″N86°52′48″W / 33.444°N 86.880°W /33.444; -86.880