 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Quad Cities |
| Frequency | 96.9MHz |
| Branding | 97X |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KBEA-FM,KIIK-FM,KJOC | |
| History | |
First air date | November 22, 1970; 54 years ago (1970-11-22) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "X" A reference to its branding "97X", with "LP" standing for along play form of a recordalbum |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 13663 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 499 feet (152 m) |
Transmitter coordinates | 41°20′16.1″N90°22′46.4″W / 41.337806°N 90.379556°W /41.337806; -90.379556 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | 97x |
WXLP (96.9FM) is acommercialradio station,licensed toMoline, Illinois, and serving theQuad Cities area ofIllinois andIowa. The station is owned byTownsquare Media and broadcasts aclassic rockradio format. Itsradio studios and offices are on North Brady Street inDavenport, Iowa (along with the co-ownedKJOC,KBEA-FM, andKIIK-FM).
WXLP has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000watts. Thetransmitter is onU.S. Route 150 near North 1300th Avenue inOrion, Illinois.[3]
| Name (call signs) | Format |
|---|---|
| 97 WMDR | Beautiful music (1970–1975) |
| Stereo 97 (WHTT) | Adult contemporary latercountry (1975–1978) |
| The New 97X (WXLP) | AOR (1978–2004) |
| 97 Rock (WXLP) | Active rock (2004–2007) |
| The All New 97X (WXLP) | Classic hits (2007–2014) |
| 97X (WXLP) | Classic rock (2014 –present) |
The station signed on in November 22, 1970 as WMDR, an American FM Radio Network affiliated station. WMDR was owned byLee Enterprises.[4] Studios were co-located with the station's transmitter in Orion, Illinois. WMDR broadcast this easy listening and Christian format for nearly five years before being purchased by KSTT Broadcasting, owners of the powerhouseTop 40 stationKSTT 1170.
The studios moved to Davenport in 1975, and thecall sign changed to WHTT. It aired anautomatedadult contemporary format known as "Stereo 97". After three years, it switched to an automatedcountry music format. WHTT was not able to bill advertising dollars or compete in the ratings with country music rivalWHBF, which had adopted the country format a year earlier. For many years, WHBF (also known as "Country Sunshine Radio") was among the top-rated stations in theQuad Cities market, alongside Top 40 hit music stations KSTT andKIIK.
With WHTT underperforming, KSTT Broadcasting decided to make the switch to a live and localalbum-oriented rock (AOR) format that would complement but not directly compete with the company's AM station.
In July 1978, KSTT program director Jim O'Hara, along with on-air personality John Keith and music director Rick Fields, put together a brand new rock station for the Quad Cities — based at least in part onWLPX inMilwaukee. Then-owner Fred Epstein liked the name "X97", but Epstein realized that the name "97X" sounded much better than the former. When the station took on its current WXLP call sign on August 31, 1978,[1] it became known to a generation of fans and listeners as "The New 97X WXLP" or simply "The New X". Later, program director Gabe Baptiste took the station to its highest ratings in the late 1980s. From 1985 through 1986, the 97X lineup included Phil and Jack in mornings, J.J. Scott in middays, Terry Dugan in afternoons, and Greg Garron in evenings. Terry was replaced by Gene Olson in the afternoon when she became 97X's first female program director. Evenings were handled during this period by Steve DeBouvre. J.J. Scott brought his show, "The Electric Lunch" to 97X during his two-year midday run. Gene Olson brought 97X national attention when he promoted "Shoes for Imelda", gathering thousands of shoes he sent to exiled Imelda Marcos. The station's first newsman was Dave Douglas (Tom Hosmanek), also of KSTT.
Over the years, they had many top morning shows including Phil Maicke, Ian Case, and The Coach andDwyer and Michaels.[5] Dwyer and Michaels (real names Greg Dwyer and Bill Obenauf), who began working for the station in 1990, left for market competitorKCQQ in 1995 after a dispute over anon-compete clause that kept them off the air for six months. They were followed by a short-lived morning show before "Matt and Homey" took over the morning slot from 1996 through 1997.
Through the years, the station took on more of aclassic rock format, although it still played plenty of album cuts. It was 97X's eclectic blend of rock music and offbeat personalities that made it one of the Quad-Cities' highest rated stations for more than 25 years.
In April 2004, WXLP's format was altered as part of a series of programming changes at two Quad Cities-areaCumulus Broadcasting stations. While it kept elements of the former 97X's classic rock format, the newly christened "97 Rock" took on the hard rock format of the former "93 Rock" (KORB-FM). KORB, meanwhile, flipped tohot adult contemporary as "Star 93.5" and changed its call letters toKQCS.[6][7]
On March 12, 2007, the station switched its focus toclassic hits, playing music from artists likeElton John,Boston,Chicago andJourney. The active rock format moved toKBOB-FM, which abandoned the country format it had had since 1994.[8]
On July 13, 2007, on-air personalities Greg Dwyer and Bill Michaels returned to 97X after a 12-year absence at the station.[9] Dwyer and Michaels left rival stationKCQQ — where they had worked since 1995 — after their contract expired on December 31, 2006. As part of their contract withClear Channel Communications (owners of KCQQ), they had to honor a non-compete restriction, meaning they could not work for a competing station in the Quad Cities for six months. In the interim, the duo worked forKRNA, an active rock station based inCedar Rapids.[10][11]
Clear Channel sued Dwyer and Michaels in February 2007, claiming that KRNA was audible in the Quad Cities area and the duo was actively promoting the upcoming show in the Quad Cities.[11] AScott County District Court judge, however, ruled that Dwyer and Michaels did not violate the clause sinceArbitron does not consider the Quad Cities part of KRNA's market area.[12]
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in whichTownsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus stations, including WXLP, for $238 million. The deal is part of Cumulus' acquisition ofDial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled byOaktree Capital Management.[13][14] The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013.[15]
On March 3, 2014, 97X shifted its format from classic hits to classic rock.
In late 2014, 97X began experimenting with artists from the 2000s on their classic rock playlist, although it was mostly hard rock acts such asJet,3 Doors Down andGreen Day. This experiment stopped in early 2015, when virtually all early to mid 2000s material disappeared from their playlist.
In September 2021,KCQQ flipped from classic rock to classic hits, leaving WXLP as the sole classic rock station in the Quad Cities market.
Syndicated programming on WXLP includesThe House of Hair with Dee Snider[16] andUltimate Classic Rock Radio.[17]