WQLT-FM (107.3

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 ...

, "Q107") 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 ...

to Florence, Alabama, United States. The station airs an adult hits

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 ...

, with a heavy emphasis on oldies. It is owned by the Big River Broadcasting Corporation and is operated by the family of noted record producer

Sam Phillips Samuel Cornelius Phillips (January 5, 1923 – July 30, 2003) was an American record producer. He was the founder of Sun Records and Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, where he produced recordings by Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, ...

, a native of Florence. The studios and offices are located on Sam Phillips Street in Florence. WQLT's

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 located off New Cut Road in

Tuscumbia, Alabama Tuscumbia is a city in and the county seat of Colbert County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 8,423. The city is part of The Shoals metropolitan area. Tuscumbia was the hometown of Helen Keller, who lived at ...

. With 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 93,000

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 and a

height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site is above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it i ...

(HAAT) of 1,017 feet, WQLT's signal can be heard throughout Northwest Alabama, Northeast

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, and South-Central

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

Programming

WQLT-FM broadcasts a wide range of

classic hits Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980 ...

, mixing both current and classic

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 ...

and adult hits music. In addition to its usual music programming, WQLT-FM is an affiliate of the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their hom ...

football radio network. It also carries news updates from Fox News Radio. It's current on-air lineup includes Your Morning Show with David Havens, Middays with River Jones, Afternoons with Chip Valentine, and nights with Nina Jackson. The station also runs "Funkadelic Friday" on Friday Nights, "Saturday Night At The Oldies" on Saturday Nights, and "Radio Therapy with Henry Green" on Sunday Nights.

History

This station began regular broadcasting on August 8, 1962, with 4,600

s of

on 107.3

as WOWL-FM. Owned by Radio Muscle Shoals, Inc., it was the FM sister station of

AM 1240 AM or Am may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * A minor, a minor scale in music * ''A.M.'' (Chris Young album) * ''A.M.'' (Wilco album) * ''AM'' (Abraham Mateo album) * ''AM'' (Arctic Monkeys album) * AM (musician), American musici ...

WOWL (now WBCF). On August 15, 1965, the station began broadcasting with 25,000

s of effective radiated power as WJOI-FM. Owned by WJOI Radio, Inc., it was the FM sister station of WJOI (1340 AM, now known as

WSBM WSBM (1340 AM) is a Fox Sports Radio– affiliated radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Florence, Alabama, United States, the station serves the Florence–Muscle Shoals metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by B ...

). On May 29, 1967, the station's call letters were changed again, this time to WQLT. WQLT and its AM sister were acquired by Big River Broadcasting Corporation on February 21, 1973. Big River Broadcasting is owned by the family of Sam Phillips, the legendary

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member most notable for founding

Sun Records Sun Records is an American independent record label founded by producer Sam Phillips in Memphis, Tennessee in February 1952. Sun was the first label to record Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, and Johnny ...

and discovering

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

. The station's signal was boosted to 100,000 watts in 1978 and the station was assigned the current WQLT-FM call letters by the

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 jurisdicti ...

on December 1, 1978. This was the first regional top-40 station to serve the entirety of North Alabama and forced several AMs in the area to change format. Q-107's original line-up offered six-hour shifts featuring George Bryant 6 AM to Noon, Maury Buchanan Noon to 6PM, Steve Jefferies 6PM to Midnight, Kerry Mitchell Midnight to 6AM. Weekends Featured Booker T. Ken Maynor hosted Saturday Night at the Oldies for many years. Bill Reeves served as Operations Manager and Production Director. Al Hammond was news director.

Translators

WQLT-FM's programming is also carried on 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 ...

station to extend or improve the coverage area of the station.

References

External links

* {{Florence-Muscle Shoals Radio QLT-FM Adult hits radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1962 Lauderdale County, Alabama Florence–Muscle Shoals metropolitan area 1962 establishments in Alabama