WJXQ (106.1 FM, "Q106") 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 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 ...

Charlotte, Michigan Charlotte ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 9,074. It is the county seat of Eaton County. Charlotte is in the central portion of the county, on the boundary between Eaton Township and C ...

, and serving the

Lansing Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is mostly in Ingham County, although portions of the city extend west into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. The 2020 census placed the city's population at 112,644, makin ...

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 station, television and radio broadcasting, ra ...

. WJXQ is owned by

Midwest Communications Midwest Communications is a Wausau, Wisconsin-based radio broadcasting company. It owns 82 radio stations located primarily within the Midwest United States, in Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee, Illinois and ...

and airs an

active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...

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 broadcasting, ...

. Studios and offices are located on Cedar St. in

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. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

is on Prime Road in Springport. The station begins each weekday with ''

The Bob & Tom Show ''The Bob & Tom Show'' is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995. Originally syndicated by Premiere ...

'', syndicated from

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

. Local DJs are heard the rest of each weekday. Weekends feature ''

The House of Hair with Dee Snider ''The House of Hair with Dee Snider'' is a nationally syndicated radio program, airing weekly in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Germany (Nürnberg). Dee Snider, Twisted Sister Twisted Sister was an American heavy metal band original ...

'', ''Racing Rocks with

Riki Rachtman David Alan "Riki" Rachtman (born June 15, 1962) is an American television and radio personality. He is best known for his association with the late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s hard rock and heavy metal scene, hosting MTV's ''Headbangers Ball'' f ...

'' and ''

Hard Drive A hard disk drive (HDD), hard disk, hard drive, or fixed disk is an electro-mechanical data storage device that stores and retrieves digital data using magnetic storage with one or more rigid rapidly rotating platters coated with magnet ...

with

Lou Brutus Lou Brutus (born November 10, 1962) is an American radio personality, program director, voice-over talent, musician, and photographer. He is best known as the host of the nationally syndicated rock radio programs '' hardDrive with Lou Brutus'' a ...

History

WKHM-FM

In 1964, the station first

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 ...

as WKHM-FM, originally licensed to

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Q ...

. It was the

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

to WKHM (970 AM), owned by the Jackson Broadcasting & TV Corporation. It originally

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, simultane ...

ed WKHM's

full service Full service or Full Service may refer to: * Full-service radio, a wide range of programming * Full Service Network, a communications company Entertainment * "Full Service", a song by the New Kids on the Block from their album ''The Block'' * F ...

middle of the road music format, along with news coverage from the

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...

. (Other than call letters, WJXQ is not related to the current

WKHM-FM WKHM-FM ("Jackson's Hit Music, K105.3") is a Top 40/CHR FM radio station licensed to Brooklyn, Michigan, United States, serving the Jackson area. History The WKHM callsign has a long Jackson tradition and is based on the names of the origina ...

licensed to

Brooklyn, Michigan Brooklyn is a village in Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,206 at the 2010 census. It is located in the Irish Hills region of southern Michigan, just north of U.S. Route 12 along M-50. The village is located wi ...

, known as "K105.3.")

Stereo Rock/WJOX

The simulcast ended in 1976, when 106.1 FM changed its

call sign 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 ...

to WJOX, and switched to

TM Programming TM or Tm and variants may refer to: * Trademark, often indicated with the symbol ™ ** Trademark symbol Businesses and organizations * TM Forum, telecommunications and entertainment industry association * TM Supermarket, a chain of supermarkets ...

automated Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...

"Stereo Rock"

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 ...

format. The station's morning show, hosted by local talent Jerry Barnhart, was live, but the rest of the dayparts were full automation, complete with pre-recorded song backsells from TM's John Borders, a voice heard on many Stereo Rock stations across the country at the time. The station's moniker was "Rock 106 WJOX." WJOX only broadcast at 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 hav ...

of 20,000

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 Wa ...

s from a 180-foot tower, so its signal was limited, mainly serving the Jackson area. The TM format was maintained until 1981, when the station moved its tower and transmitter from Jackson to a location four miles east-north-east of the town of Springport, in the northwestern part of Jackson County and increased power to 50,000 watts in preparation to begin serving the larger Lansing market with a brand new format. (WJXQ can be heard as far away as

Angola, Indiana Angola is a city in Pleasant Township, Steuben County, Indiana, United States. The population was 8,612 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Steuben County. Angola was founded by Thomas Gale and Cornelius Gilmore on June 28, 1838 ...

Alma, Michigan Alma is the largest city in Gratiot County, Michigan, Gratiot County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 9,383 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It was incorporated as the Village of Alma in 1872 and became a city in 1905 ...

, as far west as Kentwood on the outskirts of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

and as far east as Novi in the western suburbs of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

Q106 debuts

On March 11, 1981, the call letters were switched to WJXQ. The station's power had more than doubled from a new tower site, giving it a strong signal into Lansing. Gone was the automated TM Stereo Rock format, and it was replaced by a Rock 40 format with high energy live air talent under the new moniker ''Q106''. WJXQ's very first song was "

Rock and Roll Never Forgets "Rock and Roll Never Forgets" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Bob Seger. The song first appeared on Seger's ninth studio album '' Night Moves'' (1976). The song was released in early 1977 as the third and final single from the albu ...

" from

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and The Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s, break ...

. The original Q106 "QJs" consisted of Patricia "Patty" Cheeks & Jimmy "Jim" Ryan for mornings, Roger "The Big Dog" Sinclair for middays, Jim Ryan in afternoon drive, Terrence "Terry Hester" Hesters in evenings, Michael "Mike" Vaughn in nights, Donald "Don" Poole in overnights, and Jackson "Jack" Daniels for weekends. Within three months, WJXQ claimed the #1 spot 12+ in the Lansing

Arbitron Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...

ratings from relative obscurity. WILS-FM was hit hard and changed to an AC format in April 1984. Other Q106 talent included Brian "Maloney" Montgomery, David "Dave" Mennard, with Craig Bordeaux, and Peter "Pete" Bucalo.

The 1980s/1990s - WJXQ vs. WVIC

The new Q106 would soon face tough competition from another Top 40 station, WVIC, consulted by E. Alvin Davis. The two stations engaged in a

/ CHR radio war in the early and mid 1980s, from which WVIC would eventually emerge as the ratings leader. In the fall of 1985, Q106 dropped their rock 40 approach for a more pop-oriented top 40 direction, playing artists such as

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

and

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, trying to take on WVIC directly. But the effort ultimately failed, and within two years, WJXQ was gearing back towards a rock 40 format, this time concentrating on an AOR basis. It was that here the station found its very own niche and Q106's ratings began to rebound. By the early 1990s, Q106 had solid ratings helped in part by the success of the Debbie Hart and Timmy Barron morning show, which had developed a steady following. Then, in January 1997, when Debbie and Timmy left the station for WVIC (which, by then, was airing an

format as ''Buzz 95''), they were replaced by the syndicated

Bob and Tom Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States *Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters *Bob (surname) ...

Show from

WFBQ WFBQ (94.7 FM, "Q95") is a radio station in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, owned by iHeartMedia. The studios are located at 6161 Fall Creek Road on the northeast side of Indianapolis. The transmitter and antenna are located on the northwe ...

, which remains popular on the station to this day. WJXQ briefly changed its moniker to ''The All Brand Spanking New Q106'' in the fall of 1997. This was accompanied by a format modification toward

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 ...

. The moniker returned to the legendary ''Q106'' within six months, although the format modifications remained in place. In 2000, WJXQ was acquired by the Rubber City Radio Group based in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County, Ohio, Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 C ...

.Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2005 page D-273
/ref> On March 17, 2010, it was announced that the Rubber City Radio Group was planning to sell WJXQ, along with sister stations

WWDK WWDK ("94.1 Duke FM"') is a radio station broadcasting a classic country format. Licensed to Jackson, Michigan, it first began broadcasting on July 14, 1958 as WMKZ-FM. The station broadcasts from a tower near Springport, Michigan. History After ...

WQTX WQTX (92.1 FM, "Stacks 92.1) is a radio station broadcasting a Rhythmic Adult Contemporary format to the Lansing, Michigan radio market. Licensed to St. Johns, Michigan, it first began broadcasting in 1972, and has been through a number of diff ...

, and

WLMI WLMI is a radio station licensed to Grand Ledge, Michigan, serving Lansing. Owned by Midwest Communications, it broadcasts a classic hits format branded as ''Cruisin 92.9''. History What is now WLMI began life as WCER-FM in Charlotte, Michi ...

. The deal officially closed on July 1, 2010. Midwest Communications later shifted WJXQ's

city of license In American, Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American broa ...

from Jackson to Charlotte, although the location of the transmitter and studios remained the same.

References

Michiguide.com - WJXQ History

External links

* {{Midwest Communications Active rock radio stations in the United States JXQ Radio stations established in 1981 Midwest Communications radio stations