WMQT is a commercial

hot adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet ...

radio station in

Marquette, Michigan Marquette ( ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,629 at the 2020 United States Census, which makes it the largest city in the Upper Peninsula. Marquette serves as the seat of government of Marquett ...

. The station broadcasts at 107.7 MHz FM from its main transmitter in Ishpeming, Michigan and at 93.3 MHz FM from its translator (W227CJ) in downtown Marquette, Michigan. The station is owned by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community Native American Tribe. The station studio is located in the Pythias Building at 121 N. Front Street in Marquette, Michigan.

Programming

WMQT airs programming in the adult contemporary format. The station includes multiple special schedule events in its programming; most notably "8 from the 80's" and "Friday Favorites" where listeners can cast votes for their favorite of the weekly category chosen by studio staff. The station programming director and afternoon program host is Jim Koski.

Technical Details

The main WQMT transmitter is located at the top of the Malton Road Tower at Morgan Meadows (just south of U.S. Highway 41). The transmitter broadcasts at 98,000 watts

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 hav ...

(ERP) in an omnidirectional pattern. The main transmitter covers approximately 100 radial miles which includes areas as far south as Iron Mountain, Michigan, as far east as Munising, Michigan, and as far north as

Houghton, Michigan Houghton (; ) is the largest city and seat of government of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the Uppe ...

. The main transmitter is positioned on the tower at 555 feet. The tower itself is located at the top of a natural bluff between Ishpeming and

Negaunee, Michigan Negaunee ( or ) is a city in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,568 at the 2010 census. The city is located at the southwest corner of Negaunee Township, which is administratively separate, in the Upper Peni ...

giving it a height above the average local terrain of 639 feet. The station has a translator holding callsign W227CJ which is located on the Front Street Tower in downtown Marquette, Michigan (directly behind the studio itself). The translator holds a class D license and broadcasts 250 watts effective radiated power in an omnidirectional pattern. The translator was primarily brought online to reinforce reception of the station within the lowest elevation areas of the greater Marquette city. (The main transmitter signal often degrades quickly in these areas due to the unique local geography.) The translator is positioned on its tower at 141 feet with the tower having been built on the side of a slope towards the north side of Marquette giving it a height above the average local terrain of 583 feet.

History

The station initially went on the air in 1974 at 107.1 MHz FM. The station's original programming format was

beautiful music Beautiful music (sometimes abbreviated as BM, B/EZ or BM/EZ for "beautiful music/easy listening") is a mostly instrumental music format that was prominent in North American radio from the late 1950s through the 1980s. Easy listening, elevator musi ...

. In 1985, the station's frequency was changed to 107.5 MHz FM and in 1995, the station's frequency changed again to its present 107.7 MHz FM. In the mid-1990's, the station saw a gradual shift of its programming format with a move towards Hot AC and

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

. The station has used the on-air identifier "Q107" since the late 1990's. Prior to the "Q107" identifier, the station was popularly known as "Stereo Rock Q107". (It having been one of the first FM radio stations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to adopt and begin transmitting a

stereo Stereophonic sound, or more commonly stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configuration ...

audio signal.) WMQT primarily competes with

WGLQ WGLQ is an FM radio station serving the central portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. WGLQ broadcasts at a frequency of 97.1 megahertz and its studios and offices are located on Ludington Ave in Escanaba, Michigan. The station airs a Top 40 (C ...

(97.1), WUPZ (94.9), WKQS (101.9), and

WUPK WUPK (94.1 FM) is a radio station based in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan licensed to Marquette, Michigan. The stations broadcast a soft adult contemporary format brand as 94.1 The Breeze. WUPK signed on as a simulcast of WIMK in the 1990s, an ...

(94.1) in the central Upper Peninsula market. WMQT was originally owned by Taconite Broadcasting, Inc. until it was acquired by the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) on February 18, 2022.

References

Michiguide.com - WMQT-FM History

External links

* {{coord, 46.502, N, 87.648, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title MQT Radio stations established in 1971