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| Broadcast area | Baltimore metropolitan area |
| Frequency | 102.7MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 102.7 Jack FM |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Adult hits |
| Subchannels | HD2:Urban gospel (simulcast ofWCAO) |
| Affiliations | Jack FM network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | December 15, 1947; 77 years ago (1947-12-15)[1] |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | WQSR, originally on 105.7, was intended to be part of ABC's "Super Radio" Network |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 63778 |
| Class | B |
| ERP |
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| HAAT | 133 meters (436 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 39°23′11.3″N76°43′50.9″W / 39.386472°N 76.730806°W /39.386472; -76.730806 (WQSR) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | 1027jackfm |
WQSR (102.7FM, "102.7Jack FM") is a commercial radio station licensed toBaltimore, Maryland, United States. The station is owned byiHeartMedia through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC. It broadcasts anadult hits format, using thesyndicated "Jack FM" service andtrademark. There are no DJs. Instead, a prerecorded male voice representing himself as "Jack" makes sarcastic and ironic quips.
WQSR has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000 watts. Thetransmitter is inPikesville, next to the Pikesville Reservoir and the Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695).[3] The radio studios and offices are atThe Rotunda Shopping Center in Baltimore.
On December 15, 1947, the stationsigned on as WCAO-FM, thesister station toWCAO (600 AM). WCAO-FM originally simulcasted WCAO, owned by the Monumental Broadcasting Company.[4] WCAO-AM-FM were network affiliates ofCBS Radio, carrying its dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows andbig band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio".
As network programming moved from radio to television, WCAO-AM-FM switched to afull service,middle of the road (MOR) format of popular music, news and sports. By the late 1960s/early 1970s, the two stations began airing separate programming, with WCAO-FM concentrating on classical music.
By 1977, the station was sold to Plough Broadcasting, a division of the pharmaceutical companySchering-Plough. WCAO-FM became WXYV on April 24. It aired programming for theAfrican American community asV103, the major FM rival to bothWWIN (1400 AM) and WEBB (1360 AM, nowWQLL at 1370 AM). Originally playingautomateddisco music, WXYV eventually evolved into anurban contemporary format by the early 1980s. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, it was often Baltimore's top rated radio station.
By 1995, WXYV and then-sister station WCAO were sold to Granum Communications. The following year, the stations were sold again toInfinity Broadcasting, a division ofCBS. That made it a sister station toHot AC-formattedWWMX,Mix 106.5. (WCAO was later sold to Clear Channel Communications (nowiHeartMedia), and eventually become a sister station to WQSR).
On June 27, 1997, at noon, after having lost a large number of listeners to urban powerhouseWERQ (92.3 FM), WXYV becamecontemporary hit radio102.7 XYV. The final song on "V103" was "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" byBoyz II Men, while the first song on "102.7 XYV" was "Be My Lover" byLa Bouche.[5][6][7][8]
The new format started with a dance lean, before repositioning to a hip-hop lean, and then alternative; this was done in search of an audience. The station changed branding toB102.7 on August 7, 1998, shifting theplaylist to a more mainstream direction the following year.[9] WXYV and WWMX competed against each other due to the similarity of their formats, despite being sister stations. While WXYV had higher ratings than WWMX, the latter station had better advertising revenue, so WXYV was chosen to flip to end the competition.
On September 8, 2001, at 6 am, after playing "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" by Boyz II Men, WQSR and itsoldies format moved over from 105.7 FM to 102.7 FM. (WQSR programming was simulcast on both 102.7 and 105.7 to direct listeners to the new frequency). Two days later, the WXYV call sign moved to 105.7 and changed back to anurban contemporary format branding asX105.7, positioning itself against WERQ once again.[10][11]
The call sign swap between the two stations took place four days later.[12] In addition, WQSR acquired the rights toBaltimore Ravens games from sister stationWLIF, and retained those rights until 2006, whenWBAL (1090 AM) andWIYY (97.9 FM) took over. Musically, WQSR's playlist also changed a little, cutting back the pre-1964 songs and some 1980s music was introduced. By 2003, the station was playing mostly songs from 1964 to 1979, with a handful of pre-1964 and post-1979 titles.
On May 4, 2005, at 10:30 am, after playing "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" bySteam, the station began a half-hourstunt. Then, at 11 am, the station officially flipped toadult hits, branded as102-7 Jack FM. The first song on "Jack" was "Get the Party Started" byPink.[13]
On December 15, 2008, CBS Radio announced that it would be swapping WQSR and four of its other medium-market radio stations toClear Channel Communications for two radio stations,KLOL andKHMX inHouston. Clear Channel took over WQSR at 11:59 pm on Tuesday, March 31, 2009.
After playing songs at CBS Radio's Baltimore studios such as "End of the Road" by Boyz II Men,R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" and "Goodbye Stranger" bySupertramp at roughly 11:57 pm, the station went todead air as Clear Channel officially took ownership of the station. Shortly thereafter, the station returned to the air at the Clear Channel Baltimore studios. The sale also resulted in the station reuniting with former sister station WCAO under common ownership for the first time since 1998.
Although there are no on-air personalities on the station, the station carries classic episodes ofAmerican Top 40: The 1980s, with hostCasey Kasem, which are heard on Sunday evenings from 7 pm to 11 pm WQSR is one of two Jack-FM stations owned by iHeartMedia, withKJAQ inSeattle also under iHeart ownership.