| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Hudson Valley |
| Frequency | 920kHz |
| Branding | The Beacon |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Conservative talk radio |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Pamal Broadcasting |
| History | |
First air date | March 4, 1956 (1956-03-04) |
Former call signs | WSKN (1956–1959) |
Call sign meaning | "General Headquarters" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 27396 |
| Class | D |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 41°53′13.3″N73°58′15.5″W / 41.887028°N 73.970972°W /41.887028; -73.970972 |
| Translator | 92.5 W223CR (Kingston) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
WGHQ (920kHz) is a commercialAM radio stationlicensed toKingston, New York, and serving theHudson Valley. WGHQ is owned byPamal Broadcasting and itsimulcasts aconservative talk radio format known as "The Beacon" withsister stationsWLNA (1420 AM) inPeekskill andWBNR (1260 AM) inBeacon. The studios are onNew York State Route 52 in Beacon.
By day, WGHQ is powered at 1,000 watts; at night, to protect other stations on920 AM from interference, power is reduced to 38 watts. It broadcasts anon-directional signal from a singletower located south ofPort Ewen, New York.[2] WGHQ also broadcasts onFM translator W223CR Port Ewen, at 92.5MHz.
Weekdays on "The Beacon" (WGHQ, WBNR and WLNA) begin with a local news and interview show,Hudson Valley Focus with Tom Sipos. The rest of the day,nationally syndicated programs are heard:Brian Kilmeade,Dan Bongino,Charlie Kirk,Joe Pags,Bill O'Reilly,America at Night with Rick Valdés,Red Eye Radio andAmerica in the Morning. Weekends feature specialty shows on travel, golf, cars and guns. Syndicated weekend hosts includeDave Ramsey,Larry Elder,Hugh Hewitt,Mike Gallagher,Rudy Maxa andEric Metaxas.
The Beacon carries live sports includingNew York Rangers hockey,New York Knicks basketball andArmy Black Knights football from nearbyWest Point.
The station firstsigned on the air on March 4, 1956.[3] Thecall letters were WSKN.[4] The originalcity of license wasSaugerties, New York, a small community inUlster County.
The station had 1,000 watts of power and was adaytimer, required to go off the air at night. Its transmitter and studio were located on the Glasco Turnpike, in the Town of Saugerties.
In 1959, the call letters were changed to WGHQ. The city of license was changed to Kingston and the transmitter site was moved toU.S. Route 9W, just south ofPort Ewen. The station's operating power was increased to 5,000 watts, still as a daytimer.[5]
WGHQ was the second radio station licensed to Kingston (afterWKNY).[6] In 1965, WGHQ-FM 94.3 (later the original WBPM, nowWKXP) was licensed. It was a full-time simulcast of the AM's programming for much of the next decade.[7]
Rising costs and the decline of full service formats on AM forced the station to drop much of its news coverage. It changed to anadult contemporary music format. In 1988, WGHQ was licensed for 78 watts nighttime power; however, the station dropped local programming, going instead to mainly satellitesyndicated music programming.
WGHQ airedadult standards for most of the 1990s. In 1999, the family sold WGHQ and WBPM toWRWD/WBWZ local radio owner Roberts Radio Group. This began a period of multiple format changes. Roberts Radio sold toClear Channel Communications in mid-2000. WGHQ became atalk radio station under Clear Channel ownership, airing syndicated talk shows includingRush Limbaugh andGlenn Beck. WGHQ along withWBPM (92.9 FM) was sold toPamal Broadcasting in April 2007.
Pamal Broadcasting changed the format from talk radio back to adult standards in July 2007, simulcasting with co-ownedWBNR andWLNA. Pamal kept locally originated "Kingston Community Radio", produced by Walter Maxwell, in its 7-9 am time slot. In March 2008, the trimulcast of WBNR, WLNA and WGHQ changed to a service-oriented talk radio format under the name "Hudson Valley Talk Radio". HVTR featured non-political syndicated advice hosts Gary Goldberg (financial), Dr.Laura Schlesinger and Dr.Joy Browne (life advice),Dave Ramsey (money management) as well as local experts undertime brokered arrangements.
On December 20, 2013, Pamal announced that Tri-State Public Communications would acquire WGHQ through a donation. Tri-State operatesWHDD AM–FM inSharon, Connecticut, and WLHV inAnnandale-on-Hudson aspublic radio station Robin Hood Radio. As of January 1, 2014, WGHQ was re-transmitting Robin Hood Radio programming except during "Kingston Community Radio"'s morning timeslot. Alocal marketing agreement (LMA) was in effect until paperwork was filed and approved by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) for the donation of WGHQ to Robin Hood Radio.[8]
On March 1, 2016, Tri-State Public Communications ended its lease of the station.[9] Pamal Broadcasting took back programming control of WGHQ. It resumed simulcasting with WBNR and WLNA, airing the syndicated "Real Country"classic country music format.
On June 28, 2016, Pamal Broadcasting removed two of three towers at the WGHQ transmitter site due to the poor physical condition of the towers. The station power was reduced to 1,000 watts daytime, 38 watts nighttime non-directional from the remaining tower. In January 2017, Pamal Broadcasting acquired an FM translator at 92.5 FM to simulcast WGHQ's programming. WGHQ continued its syndicated "Real Country" format.
On March 15, 2021, in a move to better use the AM frequencies and their FM translators, Pamal relaunched WGHQ on its own with asoft oldies and standards format. It was rebranded as "Magic 92.5" playing "Great Songs and Magic Memories" from pop vocalists of the 1950s through the 1980s. Meanwhile, sister stations WBNR and WLNA began simulcasting WBPM'sclassic hits format in areas south of Kingston.
On October 14, 2024, WGHQ changed formats from soft oldies toconservative talk, branded as "The Beacon"; it resumed simulcasting with WBNR and WLNA.[10]
Syndicated hosts on "The Beacon" includeBrian Kilmeade,Dan Bongino andBill O'Reilly. A local three-hour morning show airs on weekdays,Hudson Valley Focus with Tom Sipos.