 | |
| Broadcast area | Miami, Florida South Florida Metropolitan Area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1080kHz |
| Branding | Relevant Radio |
| Programming | |
| Format | Catholic radio |
| Affiliations | Relevant Radio |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Relevant Radio, Inc. |
| History | |
First air date | February 16, 1949; 77 years ago (1949-02-16) |
Former call signs | WVCG (1949–2006) WTPS (2006–2007) WMCU (2007–2010) WWFH (2010) WHIM (2010–2018) WKAT (2018–2019) WOCN (2019) |
Former frequencies | 1070 kHz |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 74165 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 50,000watts day 10,000 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 25°44′53″N80°32′47″W / 25.74806°N 80.54639°W /25.74806; -80.54639 |
| Translator | 97.7 W249DM (Miami) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | relevantradio |
WQOS (1080AM) is aradio stationlicensed toCoral Gables,Florida, serving theSouth Florida Metropolitan Area, includingMiami. The station is owned by Relevant Radio, Inc. and is an affiliate ofCatholic talk networkRelevant Radio. The transmitter is located inEverglades, Florida. Programming is also heard on low-poweredFM translator W249DM (97.7 FM) in Miami.
WVCG signed on the air on February 16, 1949. It was known as the "Voice of Coral Gables" and was the Miami area's first all-Classical music station. It was owned by the Peninsula Broadcasting Company and had studios on Aragon Avenue. WVCG originally broadcast on 1070 kHz as adaytimer, powered at 1,000 watts and required to be off the air at sunset.
The station upgraded its daytime power to 50,000 watts in the 1960s and moved up the dial to 1080. Through the years, it tried various formats, includingMiddle of the Road, a brief stint asOldies, and then two decades as a time brokered multi-ethnic station, mostly under the ownership ofScott Ginsburg. The station switched to anall-Talk format geared toAfrican Americans in 2006 underRadio One, and abandoned its legacycall sign, switching to WTPS ("The Peoples' Station"). Legendary Miamidisc jockey James T. was the morning host for a brief period during this time.
The station was then purchased fromRadio One, its former owner, bySalem Media and assigned to its Caron Broadcasting subsidiary. The transaction was completed on April 11, 2008.[2] Under Salem, the station adopted aChristian radio format and the WMCU call sign, both formerly associated with 89.7 FM, now aK-LOVE station,WMLV.
On April 1, 2010, the station changed its call letters to WHIM and aired English-language Christian talk programming 14 hours a day, Spanish-language Christian talk 3 hours a day andHaitian Creole programming 7 hours overnight. On June 1, 2010, WHIM began its signature program, "Sound Word Live" from 1 to 3 p.m. daily, hosted by Frank Trotta and co-hosted by Dave Mitchell, Steve James and Bernie Diaz.
In 2011, WHIM entered an agreement withWAXY to carryMiami Heat orFlorida Marlins games when both teams would play at the same time. WHIM aired a Heat regular season game on April 6 of that year and carried several Marlins games during theNBA playoffs. WHIM was also the full-time radio station ofFlorida International University Golden Panther Football.
In 2017, "1080 The Word" carried nationalChristian talk and teaching shows such asFocus on the Family,John MacArthur, and Turning Point withDavid Jeremiah. The afternoons included Christian music and local ministry programs making all daytime programming in English.
On January 1, 2018, the station changed its call letters to WKAT following the company's sale of the previousWKAT on 1360 AM.
On July 25, 2019,Salem Media Group agreed to sell WKAT andWZAB, as well asWLCC andWWMI inTampa Bay, toImmaculate Heart Media, Inc. for more than $8.2 million.[3][4] The call sign was changed to WOCN on September 16, 2019, and to WQOS on September 26, 2019. The sale closed on September 30, 2019. Following the sale, much of WQOS's Relevant Radio programming was simulcast on WZAB until 2020, when WZAB was sold toiHeartMedia.
