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| Broadcast area | Columbia metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 93.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Live 93.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Subchannels | HD2: ALT 99.7 (Alternative rock) HD3: Worship & Word Network (Christian radio) HD4: 94.9 The Palm (Adult album alternative) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WHXT,WMFX,WWDM,WSCZ | |
| History | |
First air date | February 6, 1971; 54 years ago (1971-02-06) |
Call sign meaning | WeAReQ 93.5 (previous branding) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 58400 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 2,800watts |
| HAAT | 135 meters (443 ft) |
| Translators | HD2: 99.7 W259CL (Columbia) HD3: 105.1 W286CT (Columbia) HD4: 94.9 W235CH (St. Matthews) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live Listen Live (HD2) Listen Live (HD3) Listen Live (HD4) |
| Website | live935.com alt997.com (HD2) worshipandwordnetwork.com (HD3) 949thepalm.com (HD4) |
WARQ (93.5FM) is acommercialradio station inColumbia, South Carolina. It is owned byConnoisseur Media and it airs atop 40 (CHR)format branded as "Live 93.5". Its studios are on Pineview Road in Columbia, offU.S. Route 378.
WARQ is licensed by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 2,800watts. Thetransmittertower is atop the Capitol Center building at 1201 Main Street.[2] WARQ broadcasts usingHD Radio (hybrid) technology.[3] Its HDdigital subchannels carry three formats:alternative rock as ALT 99.7,Christian radio from the Worship & Word Network, andadult album alternative as 94.9 The Palm.
The stationsigned on the air on February 6, 1971. Its originalcall sign was WXRY. It broadcast in mono with anautomatedBeautiful Music format. Later, the station converted toFM stereo, still with anEasy Listening music format supplied on reel to reel tape by Schulke. The station played quarter hour sweeps of mostly soft instrumentalcover versions of adult hits, along withBroadway andHollywoodshow tunes.
In 1983, the station adopted the call letters WCEZ, standing for Columbia and EZ listening music. It used the slogans "The Beautiful Place to Be" and "Easy 93 WCEZ."
Shortly after the sale of WCEZ andsister stationWVOC560 AM to Ridgley Communications, WCEZ abandoned the Easy Listening format, shifting tosoft adult contemporary music. It incorporated more vocals and eliminated all but a few instrumentals. WCEZ adopted the moniker "Lite 93.5" and began carrying a satellite-delivered music service supplied byWestwood One known as "Format 41."
Ridgley Communications later filed forbankruptcy protection. A private ownership group, in the fall of 1989, purchased WCEZ and WVOC out of bankruptcy. The group of owners, which included Olympia Networks' Steve Bunyard and broadcast veteran Rick Dames, organized and operated the stations under the Clayton Radio name.
In January 1990, Clayton Radio replaced Format 41 with a Gold-based "WARM" AC format developed by McVay Media. The station adopted the moniker "Star 93.5" and the call letters WAAS. The call letters were designed to put the station at the top of the Arbitron rating service list of stations and stood for "We Are Always Shining." Thejingles used by WAAS were customized versions ofJAM's "Q-Cuts" package.
By 1992, WAAS was at a crossroads. The station was experiencing financial difficulties as well as a ratings battle with two other ACs in the market,WTCB and WSCQ (now known asWXBT).
That August, the station, in a rather bold move, dropped AC forActive Rock under the "Rock 93.5" handle. Most songs were from the 2000s but the playlist included a few harder-edged classic rock titles as well. The new call letters became WARQ and the station set out to battle establishedalbum rock andclassic rock hybridWMFX for the Columbia rock audience.
In early 1995, WARQ was sold to new owners and the studios were moved with new sister stationWWDM. When the move was completed, a brief stunt was done on April Fools' Day when WARQ dropped Album Rock forHip hop as "93 Jamz" for about an hour. After the stunting was done, "Rock 93.5" was relaunched with a new on-air slogan "Real Rock". At that point, the station segued toward a mix of Active Rock andAlternative Rock as a hybrid.
WARQ become a full time alternative rock station by early 1996. It dropped the "Real Rock" slogan in the process, switching to "Columbia's Rock Alternative".
In 1999, a new handle known as "Channel 93.5" was adopted byClear Channel Communications, the stations latest owner. This lasted until 2004, when the "Rock 93.5" moniker was reclaimed afterInner City Broadcasting bought WARQ and its sister stations.
From 2000 to 2003, WARQ hosted the Fallout concerts at Finlay Park, featuring popular bands of the time includingIncubus andOur Lady Peace. WARQ hosted Fallout again from 2009 to 2012 outside ofJillian's bar in the Vista, and hosted Springout from 2010-'13 there also. Their lineup for Fallout '09 was Atlanta'sCollective Soul (for theirCollective Soul album, Atlanta'sCartel, and Charleston'sDeepfield. In 2010, Fallout had Tennessee'sFuel, Jacksonville'sRed Jumpsuit Apparatus, and Athens'Dead Confederate. In 2011, Fallout had Canada'sTheory of a Deadman and Michigan'sPop Evil. In 2012, Fallout had Mississippi'sSaving Abel, Charlotte'sPaper Tongues, and Columbia's Weaving the Fate (Villanova). In 2010, WARQ's Springout had California'sPapa Roach and Florida'sNonpoint. In 2011, Springout had Kentucky'sCage the Elephant and Atlanta'sManchester Orchestra (for theirSimple Math album). In 2012, Springout hadAwolnation andNeon Trees. In 2013, Springout had Jacksonville'sShinedown.
The station was owned for a short time by YMF Media LLC through licensee YMF Media South Carolina Licensee LLC. In late 2020, it was acquired byAlpha Media (formerly known as L&L Broadcasting).[4] which also boughtUrban ContemporaryWHXT,Urban ACWWDM,Modern rockWMFX, andSportsWOIC in the Columbia radio market at the time of purchase.
On March 21, 2014, after playing "Say Goodbye" byTheory of a Deadman, WARQ beganstunting with a loop directing listeners to co-owned rock stationWMFX. On March 24, at Midnight, WARQ ended stunting and changed its format toHot AC, branded as "Q93.5".[5] However, the station gradually morphed into aMainstream Top 40 by 2017.[6] On July 2, 2021, WARQ rebranded as "Live 93.5".[7]
WARQ added anHD2digital subchannel known as "Rock 99.7", launched around Christmas 2016. It feeds anFM translator at 99.7 MHz, playingactive rock andmodern rock, with only a few minutes of commercials each hour. It airs songs from the 1990s, '00s, '10s, and new alternative rock, like Rock 93.5 did. It later rebranded to ALT 99.7.
WARQ added an HD3 subchannel, airingChristian Radio programming, from the Worship & Word Network. It feeds an FM translator at 105.1 MHz.
An HD4 subchannel was added when co-ownedWPCO1230 AM wentsilent. That station had playedadult album alternative rock on the AM frequency, while it fed an FM translator at 94.9 MHz. Together they were known as "94.9 The Palm." (South Carolina is known as "ThePalmetto State.") The AM station was taken off the air in January 2022 and its license was later returned to the FCC.[8] But the programming on the FM translator continues, now fed by WARQ-HD4. The 94.9 translator was bought by Norsan Media, which flipped the translators format to Regional Mexican. The HD-4 still keeps the same format, still under the moniker of "94-9 The Palm".
34°00′04″N81°02′06″W / 34.001°N 81.035°W /34.001; -81.035