WQHZ (102.3 FM) is

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

formatted broadcast radio station in

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

owned by

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...

. WQHZ's studios are located at 471 Robison Road in Summit Township while its transmitter is located at Peach St and Sesame Street in Summit Township, Pennsylvania Notable weekday programming includes "

The Bob and Tom Show ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

" in mornings, Mike Sheffield in middays, and "

Steve Gorman Steve Gorman (born August 17, 1965) is an American musician and sports talk radio host. Gorman is best known as the former drummer of the American rock and roll band The Black Crowes He spent time as the drummer for British rock band Stereophoni ...

Rocks" at night.

History of the 102.3 frequency

Several stations and formats have called 102.3 FM home in

Erie Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

over the years. In the 1970s, progressive rock ruled the airwaves and 102.3 was known as WMDI-FM until 1980. Former WJET DJ Ron Seggi (Ronnie Gee) bought the station and ''HitRadio Red Hot FM 102'' WSEG was born. They played a mix of adult contemporary and current and classic rock. WSEG remained on the air until 1986, when longtime Erie AM radio station WJET took over the station. The first song played under the "Jet-FM 102" moniker was

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

's "

Born in the USA ''Born in the U.S.A.'' is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Bruce Springsteen, released by Columbia Records on June 4, 1984. It topped the charts in nine countries, including the US and UK, becoming his most commercially succ ...

", which was played back on a cart machine plugged directly in the transmitter while the crossover of lines from the two stations took place. At the time, the station's transmitter was on one of WQLN's towers. ''JET-FM 102'', as they were known for several years, changed formats a few times throughout the years. Formats ranged from

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

/ CHR to

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, quie ...

album rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. Album-orient ...

and back to Top 40/CHR. During the Top 40 years, WJET-FM, which was slightly rebranded as "JET-102" for a time, competed against

WRTS WRTS (103.7 FM, "''Star 104''") is a Top 40 (CHR) radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania. WRTS's studios are located in the Boston Store building in downtown Erie while its transmitter is located near Knoyle Rd and Dewey Rd. The station is owned ...

. On April 1, 1999, the station became 102.3 The Point, playing

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

.http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1999/RR-1999-04-09.pdf In 2001, Regent Communications bought the station. On October 23, at 1:02 p.m., WQHZ ("Z102") was born playing "Erie'z Clazzic Hitz." The first song played under the new format was "

Start Me Up "Start Me Up" is a song by the English rock band the Rolling Stones from their 1981 album ''Tattoo You''. Released as the album's lead single, it reached number one on Australian Kent Music Report, number two in Canada, number two on the ''Bi ...

" by

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

. In 2002, WQHZ shifted to

and rebranded as "Z102.3." WQHZ's main competitor is

WRKT WRKT (104.9 FM, "Rocket 105") is an active rock radio station in Erie, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by iHeartMedia. WRKT's studios are located in the Boston Store building in downtown Erie while its transmitter is located near NE Sher ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{coord, 42.040, N, 80.069, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title QHZ Cumulus Media radio stations Classic rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1971 1971 establishments in Pennsylvania