WQUB (90.3 FM) is a 28,000 watt

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 ...

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 ...

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ), known as Illinois's "Gem City", is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Illinois, United States, located on the Mississippi River. The 2020 census counted a population of 39,463 in the city itself, down from 40,633 in 2010. ...

, in western

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

along the Mississippi River. This station provides primary coverage for nine counties in the western Illinois and northeastern

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

region. It is owned by the

University of Missouri St. Louis A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

and serves as a semi-satellite of

KWMU KWMU (90.7 FM) are the call letters for St. Louis Public Radio's stations, KWMU-1, Jazz KWMU-2, and Classical KWMU-3, in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. St. Louis Public Radio broadcasts in HD Radio utilizing extra subchannels. KWMU-1, 90.7 ...

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

History

WQUB began in 1948 as WWQC, a carrier current on the campus of

Quincy University Quincy University (formerly known as St. Francis Solanus College, and today abbreviated as QU) is a private Franciscan university in Quincy, Illinois. It was founded in 1860 and enrolls about 1,100 students. History A small group of Franciscan ...

, then known as Quincy College. In 1974, the college was granted a full license for a 10-watt station which went on the air in 1979. Its coverage area was effectively limited to the area around Francis Hall on campus. In 1983, power was boosted to 100 watts, enough to cover the campus. The response was strong enough that the school began an effort to upgrade the station, culminating in becoming a full NPR member in 1988, not long after the school won university status. Power was also increased to 10,000 watts. The station increased its power to the current 28,000 watts in 2000. However, the station had never attracted much community support. At one point, listener support only accounted for 10 percent of its operating costs—a very low number even for such a small market. In 2009, Quincy University transferred operational control of the station to area

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

affiliate

WGEM-TV WGEM-TV (channel 10) is a television station licensed to Quincy, Illinois, United States, serving the Quincy, Illinois–Hannibal, Missouri–Keokuk, Iowa market as an affiliate of NBC, The CW Plus, and Fox. Owned by Gray Television, it is a ...

and laid off two staff members. Even with these measures, Quincy University was finding it difficult to sustain the station in the economic climate, and in the spring of 2012 decided to get out of broadcasting and redirect more of its resources into academics. In hopes of preserving public radio in the Tri-State, it sold WQUB to UMSL in May 2012.St. Louis Public Radio to acquire Illinois station

Current Currents, Current or The Current may refer to: Science and technology * Current (fluid), the flow of a liquid or a gas ** Air current, a flow of air ** Ocean current, a current in the ocean *** Rip current, a kind of water current ** Current (stre ...

, 2012-05-29. The sale officially closed on July 26, 2012. Before the sale, WQUB aired a mix of NPR news and talk,

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

alternative music Alternative music may refer to the following types of music: *Alternative rock *Alternative pop *Alternative R&B *Neo soul, sometimes known as alternative soul *Alternative reggaeton *Alternative hip hop *Alternative dance *Alternative metal *Chris ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

. Since the sale, WQUB has aired the same programming as KWMU, with local inserts.

References

External links

Quincy Public RadioLast version of WQUB Website
* {{coord, 39.956, N, 91.390, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title NPR member stations Radio stations established in 1974 QUB