WDAQ

WDAQ first signed on in 1948 as WLAD-FM, one of the first Class A FM stations to sign on in the United States and the first to sign on in the Danbury area (over a decade prior to the sign on of the higher-powered WINE-FM). Originally, the station was part of the Rural Radio Network as one of two Connecticut affiliates of the New York-based network. This programming would last until the 1950s when WLAD-FM evolved into an extension of its then daytime-only sister station, WLAD.

In the mid 1960s, spurred on by FCC regulations forcing FM stations to create formats separate from their AM sister stations, WLAD-FM upgraded to a stereo signal and flipped to an easy listening format, which was automated in 1975. In 1979, the call letters were changed to WDAQ, competing with WEZN from Bridgeport, Connecticut and WHUD from Peekskill, New York for Greater Danbury's easy listening audience. In the mid-eighties, the station shifted to soft adult contemporary, rebranded as "Lite 98" and shed the easy listening instrumentals.

By the late 1980s, WDAQ faced a more crowded market of adult contemporary signals. WEBE108 FM Westport/Bridgeport, Connecticut adopted the A/C format in 1984 and then WEZN contemporized its easy listening format in 1987. Seeing an opportunity between teen formatted WKCI-FM, mainstream A/C WEBE and soft A/C WEZN, WDAQ was reborn as Hot A/C 98Q in September, 1989. The station's initial music mix relied heavily on 1970s titles that had not been played on the radio for several years. Within a year, WDAQ shot to #1 beating sister full-service WLAD and crosstown rocker WRKI.

During its more than 30 years as "98Q," the station has finished first in virtually every Danbury Arbitron/Nielsen ratings survey. The station continues its hyper-focus on Greater Danbury as opposed to the more regional approaches of the other FM stations in the area.

On August 7, 2015, WDAQ upgraded to HD Radio, and launched a new Alternative station on 103.7 MHz, fed by its HD2 subchannel, as "103.7 Danbury's New Rock Alternative", which launched on the 10th at Noon after stunting with loops of songs that changed each hour, with songs like "Rapper's Delight" and "Drunk on a Plane". The first song on 103.7 was "Renegades" by X Ambassadors.[1]

On December 17, 2020, "94.5 The Hawk" was moved from WAXB to WDAQ-HD4, and continued to simulcast on 94.5 W233CF.[2]

• 98Q WDAQ official website

• WDAQ in the FCC's FM station database
• WDAQ on Radio-Locator
• WDAQ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

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• W250CH in the FCC's FM station database
• W250CH on Radio-Locator
• W233CF in the FCC's FM station database
• W233CF on Radio-Locator
• W279CI in the FCC's FM station database
• W279CI on Radio-Locator
• W297AN in the FCC's FM station database
• W297AN on Radio-Locator