WLKQ-FM (102.3

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

"La Raza 102.3/107.1") is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

Buford, Georgia Buford is a city in Gwinnett and Hall counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 17,144. Most of the city is in Gwinnett County, which is part of the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta Metropolitan ...

, and serving

Metro Atlanta Metro Atlanta, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as the Atlanta–Sandy Springs–Alpharetta, GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, is the most populous metropolitan statistical area in the U.S. state of Georgia and the ...

. It is owned by Davis Broadcasting and airs a Regional Mexican

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelle ...

. The programming is

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...

on 107.1

WTSH-FM WTSH-FM 107.1, branded as La Raza 102.3/107.1, is an FM radio station in northwest Georgia, and reaching into northwest metro Atlanta, Georgia. Originally assigned to Rockmart, its city of license is now Aragon, west-northwest of Atlanta, and ea ...

in Aragon. WLKQ-FM has an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would h ...

(ERP) of 4,200

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

s. Its

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...

is off Radio Park Drive in Buford, near

Interstate 985 Interstate 985 (I-985) is a auxiliary Interstate Highway in Northeast Georgia. It links the Atlanta metropolitan area to the city of Gainesville via Suwanee. I-985 is also known as the Sidney Lanier Parkway, after the musician and po ...

. WLKQ-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format. Its HD2 subchannel carries a Christian Contemporary music format known as The Joy-FM. Its programming is also heard on

FM translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tra ...

station W223CQ at 92.5 MHz in Lawrenceville.

History

On January 1, 1970, the station first

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...

as WGCO. It was owned by the Buford Broadcasting Company, along with AM 1460 WDYX (now WXEM). The station aired a mix of

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

and Christian radio programming. In 1985, Buford Broadcasting was acquired by the Joseph Family. WCGO-FM's

call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assign ...

was changed to WLKQ-FM, using the moniker "Lake 102 FM." It began playing an

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as ...

format, and with members of the Joseph Family serving in various roles, "Skipper Bob" was president and general sales manager, his wife Jackie as office manager, son Mark as general manager, and daughter Kathleen, known by her air name as "Kay Mackie." During the 1990s, on-air personalities included Ron Lucas (Ron Lapann), a former tug boat captain, Rick Dennis, Mike Lindsey, Steve Nichols, Ron Ricks and Sue Ryder, who later became a traffic reporter for 750 WSB using the air name Robin Reese. In its final years as an oldies station, personalities included Huey Lewis (McKeller), Vic Andrews (Cuvo), "Captain" Craig Kelley, Randy Robins, Karl Phillips and Rick Bagley (Ryan Bagnal). Lake 102 covered the high school game of the week announced by Mark Blumen. Sideline reports were by Jeff Taves. The radio station sales department was led by Al Garner, once the manager of

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became ...

icon James Brown. The radio station operated profitably for many years. Eventually the Joseph Family was offered a large price to sell the station, to be targeted to the expanding Spanish-speaking population within the coverage area of the station's former 6,000-watt signal. In 2003, Davis Broadcasting paid $5.25 million to acquire WLKQ-FM. The Oldies format ended in April 2004, as the station began broadcasting Regional Mexican music. On September 24, 2018, WLKQ-FM began

ing on

(107.1) in Aragon, and rebranded as "La Raza 102.3/107.1".Your Georgia Country Gives Way to La Raza in Atlanta
Radioinsight - September 24, 2018 Previously,

WNSY WNSY (100.1 FM) is a commercial radio station in northwest Georgia, licensed to Talking Rock. It is owned by Davis Broadcasting of Atlanta and it simulcasts WJZA on 1310 kHz in Decatur. The two stations, along with an Atlanta FM transla ...

(100.1 FM) in Talking Rock, had been WLKQ-FM's simulcast partner. (That station now simulcasts the

Smooth Jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

format of co-owned

WJZA WJZA (1310 AM) is a commercial radio station broadcasting an eclectic mix of smooth jazz, soft rock, light pop and R&B classics in the Atlanta radio market. The station is currently owned by Davis Broadcasting Inc. Its city of license is Deca ...

(1310 AM).)

References

External links

* * {{coord, 34.121, N, 83.976, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title LKQ-FM Radio stations established in 2004 Regional Mexican radio stations in the United States LKQ-FM