| Broadcast area | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 97.5MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | "K97.5" |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban Contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WFXC,WFXK,WNNL | |
| History | |
First air date | October 1, 1960; 65 years ago (1960-10-01) |
Former call signs |
|
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 69559 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 146 meters (479 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 35°58′39.5″N78°48′57″W / 35.977639°N 78.81583°W /35.977639; -78.81583 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | hiphopnc.com |
WQOK (97.5FM) is acommercialradio stationlicensed toCarrboro, North Carolina, and serving theRaleigh–Durhamradio market. WQOK is owned and operated byUrban One and airs ahip hop-leaningurban contemporaryradio format. Its studios and offices are located on Creedmoor Road inRaleigh.[2] Itstransmitter tower is inOak Grove, just east ofDurham.[3]
Each weekday, WQOK carries theThe Morning Hustle featuring Kyle Santillian and Lore’l,syndicated fromAtlanta.[4] LocalDJs are heard the rest of the day. WQOK broadcasts in theHD radio format.[5]
WQOK is considered a "move in" station, having begun its history inVirginia, about 40 miles (64 km) north of Raleigh, before it moved into theResearch Triangle ofNorth Carolina. On October 1, 1960, the stationsigned on as WHLF-FM inSouth Boston, Virginia.[6] It was the FM counterpart to WHLF (1400 AM; nowWAJL), with the two stationssimulcasting their programming. WHLF-FM effective radiated power was 2,400watts, limiting its coverage to just South Boston and adjacent communities.
In the 1970s, it changed itscall sign to WJLC-FM, airing anautomatedTop 40 format separate from the co-owned AM station. The power was increased to 29,000 watts but only using a 250-foot (76 m) tower, so it still did not cover the Raleigh-Durham market. In the 1980s, it switched to asoft adult contemporary/MOR format, but the power and antenna height remained the same.
In 1987, radio entrepreneur and syndicated morning radio hostTom Joyner purchased the station, under the corporate name "Power Broadcasting".[7] The format was switched to urban contemporary, using the call letters WQOK, and rebranded as "K-Power 97.5". Joyner moved the transmitter tower closer to Raleigh, boosting it to 1,020 feet (310 m) inheight above average terrain (HAAT). He also upgraded WQOK'seffective radiated power to 100,000 watts, the maximum power permitted by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC), although thecity of license remained as South Boston.
The new tower and coverage area gave WQOK a "city grade" signal over South Boston as required by the FCC, and also put a strong signal around the Triangle as well. Closing down the original South Boston studios, the station signed on from brand new facilities in Raleigh. By winter 1991, WQOK claimed the number one spot in theArbitron ratings.[8]
In 1989, Joyner sold the station to Four Chiefs, Inc., owned by noted African-American broadcast executive Ragan Henry.[9] Henry owned the station for seven years and sold it toClear Channel Communications in May 1996.[10]
In 2000, as a result of a merger between Clear Channel and another owner of radio stations, AMFM, the new larger company wanted to spin off some of its stations. WQOK was sold to Radio One (now calledUrban One), along with currentsister stations 107.1WFXC, 104.3WFXK, and 103.9WNNL.[11] The sale meant that once again, the station is under African-American ownership.
WQOK had carried thesyndicatedRuss Parr Morning Show. In January 2016, Parr was replaced byTheRickey Smiley Morning Show, which is syndicated by parent company Urban One. Smiley's show was moved toWFXC andWFXK, and was replaced on K97.5 byThe Morning Hustle with hosts Kyle Santillian and Lore’l, also syndicated by Urban One.[12]
In 2007, WQOK asked the FCC to move itscity of license to Carrboro. It would put the transmitter on atower in Durham, closer to the Research Triangle's population center. That would also mean a decrease fromClass C1 to C2.[13]
This dropped the power from 100,000 watts to 50,000 watts and all but eliminated coverage of Virginia. It reduced a short-spacing issue withWWWV inCharlottesville, Virginia, which also broadcasts on 97.5 MHz.[citation needed] The station's new tower is shared with WFXC.[14]