WQFM (FM)
WQFM (92.1 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, and serving the Wilkes-Barre-Scranton radio market in Northeast Pennsylvania. It airs a hot adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Times-Shamrock Communications, which also publishes The Scranton Times-Tribune daily newspaper. It uses the slogan "The 90s and Now."
City | Nanticoke, Pennsylvania |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Scranton/Wilkes-Barre |
Frequency | 92.1 MHz |
Branding | Q92.1 |
Slogan | The 90s and Now |
Programming | |
Format | Hot Adult Contemporary |
Ownership | |
Owner | Times-Shamrock Communications |
History | |
First air date | October 31, 1973 |
Former call signs | WMJW (1973-1988) WEAY (1988-1994) WTZR (1994-1996) WQFM (1996-2010) WFUZ (2010-2020)[1] |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 66366 |
Class | A |
ERP | 660 watts |
HAAT | 303 meters (994 ft) |
Translator(s) | See § Translators |
Repeater(s) | 106.9 WEZX-HD2 (Scranton) |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen Live |
Website | q92nepa.com |
History
WMJW, WEAY, WTZR
On October 31, 1973, the station signed on the air as WMJW.[2] It was owned by Thunder Broadcasting and carried an automated adult contemporary format. In 1988, it changed its call sign to WEAY and switched again in 1994 to WTZR.
WQFM Oldies
The call letters became WQFM in 1996. It played oldies of the 1960s and 70s, known as "Oldies 92 and 100", then switched to Hot Adult Contemporary, branded as "QFM" and later "The Q." On June 30, 2008, the station dropped the Hot AC format and began playing music exclusively from The Beatles. On July 3, 2008, the station switched back to an oldies format, branded as "Cool 92.1 and 100.1".
In addition, it was the flagship station of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins minor league hockey team until 2009. Tom Grace was the play-by-play announcer for the "Baby Pens" for the majority of the franchise's existence prior to the 2007–2008 season, when former local TV weatherman Scott Stuccio replaced him. The 2007–2008 season also marked the first time that the Q split its music feed from the hockey game, giving listeners who wanted to continue to listen to music during games the option of doing so on 100.1 WQFN (now WEJL-FM).
WFUZ Alternative Rock
On September 16, 2010, WQFM changed its format to alternative rock, branded as "FM 92.1" and changed its call letters to WFUZ. It later began simulcasting the sports radio format, including ESPN Radio, from co-owned AM 630 WEJL. WFUZ returned to alternative rock as "Fuzz 92.1" on September 19, 2012.[3] It switched its branding to "Alt 92.1" on February 25, 2017.[4]
The station each summer held a small concert at the Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain in Scranton, beginning in 2013. It was known as Fuzz Fest, showcasing local and nation bands, especially groups that were looking to break through.[5]
Return to WQFM
On November 4, 2020, at 10 am, WFUZ dropped its alternative rock format and began playing Christmas music, branded as "Christmas 92.1". The holiday tunes lasted until December 28th, when WFUZ flipped back to Hot AC as "Q92.1", with the WQFM call letters returning at the same time.
The first song on "Q" was Buddy Holly by Weezer.[6][7] The WFUZ call sign was moved to co-owned AM 1240, formerly WBAX.
Translators
Call sign | Frequency (MHz) | City of license | Facility ID | ERP (W) | Height (m (ft)) | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W241AZ | 96.1 | Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania | 145790 | 85 | 228.5 m (750 ft) | D | 41°28′1″N 75°41′12″W (NAD27) | FCC |
W274AO | 102.7 | Scranton, Pennsylvania | 143052 | 250 | −78.3 m (−257 ft) | D | 41°24′34″N 75°40′1″W (NAD27) | FCC |
References
- https://radio-locator.com/info/WQFM
- Broadcasting Yearbook 1976 page C-170
- Wilkes-Barre Gets Fuzzy
- WFUZ Rebrands as "Alt 92.1"
- "92.1 Fuzz Fest". The 570. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
- WFUZ Begins Stunting As Christmas 92.1 Radioinsight - November 4, 2020
- Q92.1 Brings 90s to Now to Scranton-Wilkes Barre
External links
- WQFM in the FCC's FM station database
- WQFM on Radio-Locator
- WQFM in Nielsen Audio's FM station database