WACQ (580
AM) is an American
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 radio ...
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 ...
to serve the
community
A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, tow ...
of
Tuskegee, Alabama
Tuskegee () is a city in Macon County, Alabama, United States. It was founded and laid out in 1833 by General Thomas Simpson Woodward, a Creek War veteran under Andrew Jackson, and made the county seat that year. It was incorporated in 1843. ...
. The station's
broadcast license
A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which vary ...
is held by Tiger Communications, Inc. and operated by Fred Randall Hughey.
Programming
Since June 28, 2012, the station has broadcast an
oldies music
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 wel ...
format to the
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...
, area. The music mix, described as the "greatest hits of all time", is hosted by live, local personalities including
Fred Randall Hughey, Brother Rick Dorley, Lamar Godwin, Fr. Mateusz Rudzik, Michael Bird, and Scott Adcock. This programming traces its origins to the June 1979 sign-on of then-WACQ (1130 AM, now
WALQ
WALQ (1130 AM) is an American radio station licensed to serve the community of Carrville, Alabama. The station's broadcast license is held by Augustus Foundation, Inc. The station was established in 1979. , the station is temporarily dark for fin ...
) in
Tallassee, Alabama
Tallassee (pronounced ) is a city on the Tallapoosa River, located in both Elmore and Tallapoosa counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. At the 2020 census, the population was 4,763. It is home to a major hydroelectric power plant at Thurlow D ...
.
WACQ provides coverage to the
Reeltown High School athletic teams, a commitment that began when WACQ signed on in 1979. The first song ever played on WACQ in 1979 was "Let Your Love Flow," by
The Bellamy Brothers
The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo consisting of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946), from Dade City, Florida. The duo had considerable musical succ ...
. The first
record was played by owner and general manager Fred Randall Hughey.
Today, the Listen Live application on the website,
wacqradio.com, as well as the
TuneIn
TuneIn is a global audio streaming service delivering live news, radio, sports, music, and podcasts to over 75 million monthly active users.
TuneIn is operated by the company TuneIn Inc. which is based in San Francisco, California. The company ...
app available on
smartphones
A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, which ...
and other devices, give WACQ an audience far beyond the Tallassee area it calls home.
Weekday programming includes "Way of the Cross" with Brother Rick Dorley; "What's Going On?" with Rick Dorley and station owner Fred Randall Hughey; and local news, weather, and sports at 6:00, 7:00, 8:00, 9:00, and 12:00 each day. Weekend programming consists of "The Saturday Morning Show" with Michael Bird and Scott Adcock;
Reeltown High School football replays;
Troy University
Troy University is a public university in Troy, Alabama. It was founded in 1887 as Troy State Normal School within the Alabama State University System, and is now the flagship university of the Troy University System. Troy University is accredi ...
Trojans football; and, on Sundays,
gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
and church services from
St. Vincent de Paul
Vincent de Paul, CM (24 April 1581 – 27 September 1660), commonly known as Saint Vincent de Paul, was a Occitan French Catholic priest who dedicated himself to serving the poor.
In 1622 Vincent was appointed a chaplain to the galleys. Afte ...
Catholic Church,
First Baptist Church (Reeltown), and
First Baptist Church of Tallassee.
Before this change, WACQ broadcast a
Gospel music
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
format featuring programming from
Citadel Media
Cumulus Media Networks was an American radio network owned and operated by Cumulus Media. From 2011 until its merger with Westwood One, it controlled many of the radio assets formerly belonging to the American Broadcasting Company (ABC), which w ...
and branded as "Rejoice 580".
History
This station, then known as WABT, received its
license to cover from the
U.S. Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
on September 3, 1952.
In November 2005, Tiger Communications Inc. (Thomas Hayley, president) reached an agreement to acquire the station, by then known as WBIL, and
WQSI
WQSI (93.9 FM, "FM Talk 93.9") is an American radio station broadcasting a News/Talk format. Licensed to Union Springs, Alabama, the station serves the Auburn, Alabama, area. The station is currently owned by Tiger Communications, Inc.
On May 4 ...
from H&H Communications LLC (Fred Randall Hughey, member) for a reported combined sale price of $350,000. The FCC approved the deal on February 13, 2006, and the transaction was completed on April 6, 2006.
In retaining partial ownership in WBIL and rights to the WACQ call sign, Fred Randall Hughey and his wife Debra began programming AM 580 effective June 28, 2012.
On July 27, 2012, the station changed its call sign from WBIL to WACQ.
Early history
In 1977, Hughey Broadcasting Company, Inc., applied to the FCC for a construction permit for a new broadcast radio station. The FCC granted this permit on February 8, 1979. This new station would broadcast with 1,000 watts of power on a frequency of 1130 kilohertz, but only during daylight hours to protect KWKH in Shreveport, Louisiana, CKWX in Vancouver, British Columbia, and WBBR in New York City from skywave interference. The station was assigned call sign "WACQ". After construction and testing were completed, the station was granted its broadcast license on August 6, 1979.
In August 2006, Hughey Communications applied to the FCC to increase this class D station's daytime-only power from 1,000 to 25,000 watts. The FCC granted a construction permit for this change on August 21, 2007.
WACQ began broadcasting as 580 WACQ, replacing WBIL's signal, in June 2012. From 2006 until 2019, the translator
W266BJ broadcast WACQ's programming on
FM 101.1. On February 14, 2019, WACQ moved to W253CZ and broadcasts on 98.5
FM.
Translators
WACQ uses a
broadcast 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 tran ...
to expand and enhance its coverage area, adding an
FM signal to its existing AM broadcast.
References
External links
WACQ 580/101.1 official websiteRejoice 580 official website
{{Classic Hits Radio Stations in Alabama
ACQ
Classic hits radio stations in the United States
Radio stations established in 1952
1952 establishments in Alabama