| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Quad Cities |
| Frequency | 93.5MHz |
| Branding | I-Rock 93.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Active rock |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KBEA-FM,KIIK-FM,WXLP | |
| History | |
First air date | July 4,1984 (as KBQC) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Jock" (former sports format) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 19791 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 6,000watts |
| HAAT | 97 meters (318 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°36′14.1″N90°24′44.5″W / 41.603917°N 90.412361°W /41.603917; -90.412361 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | irock935 |
KJOC (93.5MHz) is acommercialFMradio stationlicensed toBettendorf, Iowa, and serving theQuad Citiesradio market. It broadcasts anactive rockradio format, known as "I-Rock 93.5". KJOC is owned byTownsquare Media, withstudios and offices on Brady Street inDavenport, Iowa.
KJOC has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 6,000watts. Itstransmitter is located on 205th Street in ruralLeClaire inScott County.[2]
The stationsigned on the air as KBQC-FM, on July 4, 1984. Thecall sign stood for "Bettendorf-Quad Cities". KBQC-FM first began broadcasting live from a bandshell in Middle Park, during the "Old Fashioned 4th of July" event staged by the city ofBettendorf. For several weeks prior to going live, the station had broadcastThe Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun" continuously, as a teaser to the slogan of the station, "B-93, Where it's Always 93 and Sunny".
KBQC was Bettendorf's first licensed commercial FM radio station, and was built off anFCCconstruction permit issued in May 1983, after a contentious application process by several proposed owner/operators.
The prevailing party was Stromquist Broadcast Services, owned by Peter Stromquist, ofEdina, Minnesota. Stromquist and his first hired employee, Barry Martin, originally fromJoplin, Missouri, oversaw construction from the ground up, of the transmitting facilities in LeClaire, Iowa, and of the new studios and offices on State Street in downtown Bettendorf, located adjacent to Omeara's Pub. When the station premiered, Martin was known as "Martin in The Morning" and served as the host of morningdrive time.
Stromquist sold his interest in the station in 1985 and went on to become VP/GM Europe Middle East, Africa for United Press International, CEO of ABC's radio division in Asia, and Director of Mainland China operations for the broadcasting division of Paris-based Hachette media.
Martin subsequently became the morning host ofKVON in theSan Francisco Bay Area for nearly 20 years, and later worked in public relations for local government.
The station underwent a number of format changes from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. Formats includedoldies as KGLR-FM andChristian rock as KQCS.
On March 14, 1995, the station, now under the KORB call letters, flipped toalternative rock as "Planet 93.5".[3] From 1997 to 2000, thesyndicatedHoward Stern Show was broadcast in mornings. Following a day and a half of stunting, on March 23, 2000, KORB-FM flipped toactive rock as "93 Rock".[4][5]
The active rock format proved successful, with KORB becoming one of the highest rated stations in the Quad Cities for a few years. However, the ratings ofsister stationWXLP ("97X") were not as good, and it didn't help that the two shared somewhat similar formats. In April 2004, management decided to merge the two stations; the rock format become "97 Rock", while retaining the WXLP call letters.[6] Following a week of simulcasting, on April 7, aHot AC format took over the 93.5 frequency as "Star 93.5", and call letters were changed back to KQCS.[7]
Despite being the only hot AC outlet in the Quad Cities market, and having 10 years to build a loyal following, "Star" struggled in the ratings. Year after year, it was among the lowest-rated FM stations in the market. "Star" featured "Intelligence for Your Life" hosted byJohn Tesh in the evenings, and carried the "Daily Dees" syndicated program hosted byRick Dees. Local air talent included Melissa Martin and Steve Donovan.
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare Media would acquire 53Cumulus Media stations, including KQCS, for $238 million. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition ofDial Global. Townsquare and Dial Global were both controlled byOaktree Capital Management.[8][9] The transaction was consummated effective November 14, 2013.
On June 13, 2014, it was announced that on June 16, KQCS would flip tosports radio, partially simulcastingKJOC (1170 AM) and carryingESPN Radio programming asESPN 93.5. As a Hot AC station, KQCS registered just a 1.5 in the fall 2013Arbitron ratings. A number of other changes were announced, including a local sports talk show and broadcasting of area high school games. KQCS became the Quad Cities' home forChicago Cubs baseball,Chicago Bears football andIowa State University sports.[10] On July 9, 2014, KQCS changed its call letters to KJOC-FM to match the call sign on 1170 AM.[11]
On August 30, 2019, the station flipped back to active rock after a 15-year absence, branded this time as "I-Rock 93.5". Concurrently, the sports format moved to KBOB, replacingclassic country on that frequency.[12] Despite no longer carrying sports, the KJOC call letters remain on 93.5.