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WQXK (105.1
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 ...
, "K-105") 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 ...
FM
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
Salem, Ohio Salem is the largest city in Columbiana County, Ohio, with a small district in southern Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, the city's population was 11,915. It is the principal city of the Salem micropolitan area in Northeast Ohio. It is 18 ...
, and serving the
Youngstown metropolitan area The Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH–PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, typically known as the Mahoning Valley (and historically the Steel Valley), is a metropolitan area in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania the United States, with th ...
and the
Mahoning Valley The Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH–PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, typically known as the Mahoning Valley (and historically the Steel Valley), is a metropolitan area in Northeast Ohio and Western Pennsylvania the United States, with th ...
. It is one of eight radio stations in the Youngstown
radio market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
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 8 ...
and broadcasts a
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, ...
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 studios and offices are in "The Radio Center" in Youngstown. WQXK 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 ...
of 88,000
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. While most FM stations in the region are limited to 50,000 watts, WQXK is
grandfathered A grandfather clause, also known as grandfather policy, grandfathering, or grandfathered in, is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from t ...
at its unusually high power. The
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 Franklin Avenue in Salem.


History


WFMJ-FM

The 105.1 spot on the dial was originally WFMJ-FM and was
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 Youngstown. The
call letters 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 assigne ...
spelled out the initials of its founder, William F. Maag, Jr. He was also publisher of ''
The Youngstown Vindicator ''The Vindicator'' is a daily newspaper serving Youngstown, Ohio, Youngstown, Ohio, United States and the Mahoning County, Ohio, Mahoning County region as well as southern Trumbull County, Ohio, Trumbull County and northern Columbiana County, Ohi ...
'', and owned
WFMJ WFMJ-TV (channel 21) is a television station in Youngstown, Ohio, United States, affiliated with NBC and The CW. The station is locally owned by the Maag family. WFMJ-TV's studios are located on West Boardman Street in downtown Youngstown, and i ...
1390 AM The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1390 kHz: 1390 AM is a Regional broadcast frequency. Argentina * LR11 in La Plata, Buenos Aires * LRA6 in Valle de Uspallata, Mendoza (960 kHz. Defunct?) Guatemala (Channel 86) * ...
. Maag also put WFMJ-TV channel 21 on the air in 1953. WFMJ-FM was issued a construction permit in 1947, but the station did not go on the air until January 1950. Few people owned FM radios in those days and there was little prospect of the station becoming profitable. Only a few years later, WFMJ Broadcasting Company requested that 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 ...
(FCC) cancel the WFMJ-FM license, which occurred on January 5, 1954.


WSOM-FM

WSOM-FM, a new station in Salem,
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 ...
the air on November 25, 1958. WSOM-FM was owned by Salem Broadcasting Company, which added an AM station in 1965, 600 WSOM (today
WRQX WLVW (107.3 FM) – branded as ''K-Love'' – is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary radio station licensed to serve Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by the Educational Media Foundation, WLVW does not broadcast any local programmi ...
). At first, the two stations
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 ...
. But by the late 1970s, the FM station had switched to a
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, ...
format. Rust Communications Group purchased WSOM-AM-FM on December 13, 1979. This was the first of many ownership changes that occurred over the next several years.


WQXK

To give it a separate identity, WSOM-FM's call sign was changed to WQXK in January 1980.
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 8 ...
acquired WQXK and WSOM in 2000.Broadcasting Yearbook 2002-2003
page D-354,
Broadcasting & Cable ''Broadcasting & Cable'' (or ''Broadcasting+Cable'') is a weekly telecommunications industry trade magazine published by Future US. Previous names included ''Broadcasting-Telecasting'', ''Broadcasting and Broadcast Advertising'', and ''Broadcas ...
WQXK has been nominated numerous times for CMA Small Market Radio Station of the Year. WQXK took home the prestigious award in November 2004. K105 is also a participant in the "Country Cares for Kids St. Jude Radiothon." The station has raised over $3,000,000 since the partnership began in the early 1990s.


Grandfathered power

The station broadcasts 88,000 watts, which exceeds the FCC's current maximum power output of 50,000 watts. It is
grandfathered A grandfather clause, also known as grandfather policy, grandfathering, or grandfathered in, is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from t ...
at the higher power by virtue of its being in operation before the limit was introduced. The transmitter is located between Salem and Leetonia on State Route 344, just outside the Salem city limits. The most powerful station in the region, it covers not only Youngstown but also can be picked up in
Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...
, Canton,
Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
,
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 ...
,
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Western Pennsylvania, the second-most populous city in Pennsylva ...
, and Wheeling/
Steubenville Steubenville is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Ohio River 33 miles west of Pittsburgh, it had a population of 18,161 at the 2020 census. The city's name is derived from Fort Steuben, a ...
markets. In part, due to the station's strong signal, WQXK is the highest-rated station in the Youngstown
radio market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also incl ...
, often attracting out-of-market listeners. K105's signal can be picked up clearly in over 20 counties in 3 states (Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia). It has occasionally reached the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, under the right weather conditions.


Former Personalities

Burton Lee, Dave Steele, K-Man (Andy Sitko), Annie Collins, A.J. McCloud, Justin Kelly, Gary Goddard, Kim Stewart, Mary Monroe, Betsy West, Stan Vitek, Trisha Anderson, Magic Bob, Iron Mike, Zach Daniels, Melinda Michaels, Mark Rich, Joy Kelner, Heather Stevens.


References


External links

*
List of "grandfathered" FM radio stations in the U.S.
{{coord, 40.886, N, 80.832, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title QXK Country radio stations in the United States Cumulus Media radio stations