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WAXQ

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Coordinates:40°44′54″N73°59′08″W/ 40.748417°N 73.985694°W/40.748417; -73.985694
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WAXQ
Broadcast areaNew York metropolitan area
Frequency104.3MHz(HD Radio)
BrandingQ104.3
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatClassic rock
SubchannelsHD2:Talk radio(WOR)
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
WHTZ,WKTU,WLTW,WOR,WWPR-FM,WWRL
History
First air date
December 1, 1956
(67 years ago)(1956-12-01)
Former call signs
  • WFMX (1956–1957)
  • WNCN (1957–1974)
  • WQIV (1974–1975)
  • WNCN (1975–1993)
Call signmeaning
Wax is slang for avinyl record,owing to a priorAORformat
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID23004
ClassB
ERP
  • 6,000 watts(analog)
  • 239 watts(digital)
HAAT415 metres (1,362 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
40°44′54″N73°59′08″W/ 40.748417°N 73.985694°W/40.748417; -73.985694
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live(viaiHeartRadio)
Website

WAXQ(104.3FM) is aclassic rock-formattedradio stationlicensedto New York City. WAXQ is owned byiHeartMediaand broadcasts from studios located at125 West 55th StreetinMidtown Manhattan,while the station'stransmitteris located at theEmpire State Building.[2]

History

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WFDR (1949–1952)

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The 104.3 frequency originally signed on in 1949 as WFDR, a nonprofit station owned by theInternational Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.[3]However, like most earlyFM stations,WFDR lost money, and the station ceased operations in 1952.[4]

WNCN and WQIV (1956–1993)

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The FM station first took to the air on December 1, 1956, as WFMX,[5]and within a year adopted the call letters WNCN (for New York Concert Network).[6]As such, it was a part of a group of classical music stations in the northeastern United States, the Concert Network, programmed fromWBCNinBostonand carried by affiliates includingWXCNinProvidence, Rhode IslandandWHCNinHartford, Connecticut.Later, WNCN was acquired by medical ad agency owner Ludwig Wolfgang Frohlich, the founder of the National Science Network,[7][8]and added daily medical news reports to the schedule, since it was believed that classical music was the choice of the medical and dental professions. It also moved the antenna from theHotel Pierreto the Empire State Building, increasing the station's coverage. National Science sold the station to Starr Broadcast Group in 1974. The station would retain a classical music format for many years, except for a short period during 1974–1975 when it took up a rock format with the call letters WQIV. During the brief run of WQIV, the station's progressive album-oriented rock appealed to long-timeWNEW-FMlisteners and included some veteran 70s FM rock DJs includingRoskoandCarol Miller.This brief period also saw deployment of a short-lived technology as unintentionally brief as the format change itself: WQIV broadcast inQuadraphonic sound(a precursor to "Surround Sound" ) as indicated by the new call letters "Q" (quadraphonic) "IV" (Roman numeral 4). This choice of call letters was a constant reminder to audiences of this technical innovation, although history shows that the free market quickly abandoned quad.

The WQIV era was during ownership by Starr Broadcast Group, of whichWilliam F. Buckley Jr.was chairman. The GM was Alan Eisenberg, and the program director was Larry Miller (WKTU). The announcement that the station was changing to rock music was read by Mr. Buckley himself and repeated frequently on the air. Two groups, the WNCN Listeners Guild and Classical Radio for Connecticut, were formed, and petitioned the FCC to forbid the change. A last minute stay by a Supreme Court Justice delayed the scheduled changeover, but that was lifted and WNCN became WQIV. The first selection played on the air by program and music director Larry Miller after the changeover wasElectric Light Orchestra's "Roll Over Beethoven".[9]William Buckley admitted he loved classical music, but had a responsibility to Starr shareholders to maximize returns. The Listeners Guild continued its fight, and eventually forced a change back to classical music when an application was filed for the frequency by a new group headed byWilliam Bentonof theEncyclopædia Britannica.Starr relented, and in a negotiated settlement, sold the station to GAF Broadcasting.[10][11]WQIV signed off with "Funeral for a Friend"byElton John.The station then played the last 2 notes of the last classical song on the original WNCN that were cut off, then said "sorry for the interruption". The first selection played on the air after the change back was from Bach's B-minor Mass, "Et resurrexit".[12]From 1971 to 1974 and again from 1975 to 1994,David Dubalserved as music director of WNCN.

The station was owned byGAFuntil 1996, whenViacompurchased it for $100 million.

WAXQ (1993–present)

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On December 18, 1993, at Midnight, WNCN signed off for good withJoseph Haydn'sSymphony No. 45(also known as the "Farewell Symphony" ) and a farewell message from station president and general manager Randy Bongarten; afterstuntingwith a nearly 12-minute loop of a ticking clock and construction sound effects, the station adopted a current-basedalbum-oriented rock(AOR) format, along with new call letters WAXQ and the branding "Q104.3".[13][14][15]The first on-air staff was Trent Tyler and Christine Nagy in morning drive; Heidi Hess in middays; Ida Hakkila and Mark Razz in afternoon drive; Candy Martin (Candice Agree) in nights; and Lark Logan in overnights. The station's first PD was Bob Elliot, who was replaced by Ron Valeri. The APD/MD for WAXQ's entire existence as a hard rock station was Vinny Marino. The playlist was split into 5-song blocks that focused on current hard rock favorites, but also mixed in classic rock tunes and cuts from bands not typically thought of as radio friendly (such asType O NegativeandAnthrax). However, ratings were low, as this format was not ideal during a time in which more people were listening toalternative rockthan toheavy metal.Also, during the mid-1990s, other New York City radio stations were playing alternative rock music, asWXRKwent from classic rock to alternative rock, andWNEW-FMwas trying to go after a younger audience.

In 1996, thanks to a deal involving a swapping of various broadcast stations, Viacom would acquire WAXQ. After initial consideration was given for the station to turn to a country format, management decided that there was a need for a full-time classic rock station in New York City. As a result, the station went to its current format at 5 a.m. on July 1, 1996.[16]Research indicated that if WNEW were to revert to an all-classic rock format, listeners would not return there due to the distrust for that station. As it turned out, WNEW would unsuccessfully go back to a classic rock format in January 1997.

That same year, Viacom sold off its entire radio division (before its merger with CBS and Infinity) to Chancellor Media. Chancellor, in turn, merged with Capstar Broadcasting to form AMFM; that company was then purchased byClear Channel Communications.

The Sopranosoften featured the station as the radio stationTony Sopranowould set on his alarm clock.[17]In sharp contrast to their respective tenures on other New York area radio stations, the DJs now have little creative input into what music gets played, as is common nowadays at most major-market radio stations. The playlist is narrower than that of classic rock radio stations of the past, due to results from audience research, and songs that were once staples of classic rock radio, such as "Eight Miles High"byThe Byrds,are now only played during infrequent segments devoted to "Deep Classics". WAXQ is also known to go outside the genre of strictly classic rock, sometimes playing more modern rock, such as theRed Hot Chili PeppersandStone Temple Pilots,as well as some classic pop music such as byElton JohnandPhil Collinsand even some newer heavy metal such asQueensrÿcheandMetallica,that are not normally found on classic rock stations.

On February 28, 2024, it was announced that iHeartMedia had signed a new deal for WAXQ to be the new radio and local streaming home of theNew York Jets,becoming the 19th of the 32 NFL teams to sign a deal with the company. The move was triggered by the impending end of alocal marketing agreementby the operators of previous broadcasterWEPN-FM,with the agreement set to end at the end of August of that year, just before the team's season would begin.[18]

HD operations

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Like other Clear Channel stations, WAXQ began multicasting in late winter 2006. On WAXQ-HD1, the classic rock format could be heard on the original analog station, while WAXQ-HD2 played a blend of deep classic rock hits including some more hard rock and current releases by classic rock artists. HD stations can only be received with an HD Radio, which receive both the primary analog station, the duplicate HD Feed and the multicasting feeds. Stations can put as many as three sets of HD programming on one dial position plus their original analog broadcast. With the demise of "K-Rock" onWXRKin early 2009, the HD2 channel began airing "Rock Nation" to satisfy the fans of K-Rock'sactive rockformat. On July 16, 2011, one day after alternative station101.9 RXPflipped formats, the HD2 channel became "The Alternative Project" to somewhat fill the gap of alternative rock. As of August 2011, the HD2 channel played a mix of mostly active rock, mixed with 90's alternative hard rock. Although the station ID at the top of the hour stated "The Alternative Project", it was neither airing "Rock Nation" nor "The Alternative Project". Two weeks later in mid-August 2011, "The Alternative Project" feed returned. On October 1, 2015, HD2 became "iHeart Country" with a country music format. However, sometime in 2017, the HD2 country format was replaced by a simulcast of sister stationWOR.

"The Alternative Project" would later return in 2018, but this time on the new HD3 subchannel, despite having competition from rival alternative stationWNYL.The HD3 sub-channel has since been discontinued.

References

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  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for WAXQ".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^Hevesi, Dennis (December 19, 1993)."The Day the Music Died: Mourning Classical WNCN".The New York Times.p. 48.RetrievedNovember 29,2010.
  3. ^Laboring Voice.Time,June 27, 1949. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  4. ^WFDR, FM STATION, WILL CLOSE FEB. 15; Last of 3 Owned by I.L.G.W.U. Loses $7,300 Monthly -- It Has No AM Facilities.The New York Times,February 6, 1952. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  5. ^VAL ADAMS.NEW FM STATION REVEALS ITSELF; WFMX, Heard Here Recently, Is Part of Planned Chain of Serious Music Outlets; WBAI Also at Pierre.The New York Times,January 2, 1957. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  6. ^New York Timesradio listings between September 1, 1957, and December 9, 1957, listed the station's calls asWYCN;the first listing as WNCN was in the December 10, 1957, issue.
  7. ^"L. W. FROHLICH; LED AD AGENCY"The New York Times,September 29, 1971, P. 36. Retrieved April 22, 2019
  8. ^Tanner, Adam (January 12, 2017)."The Secret Life of the Gay Jewish Immigrant Whose Company Sells Your Medical Information".The Forward.RetrievedApril 22,2019.
  9. ^WNCN, WQIV, F.C.C.The New York Times,November 9, 1974, p. 30. Retrieved April 22, 2019
  10. ^GAF Seeking to Acquire Station WQIVThe New York Times,August 20, 1975, p. 75. Retrieved April 22, 2019
  11. ^WNCN to Return as Classical‐Music StationThe New York Times,August 20, 1975, p. 75. Retrieved April 22, 2019
  12. ^WNCN Comes Bach As Classical StationThe New York Times,August 26, 1975, p. 61. Retrieved April 22, 2019
  13. ^"Current-Based AOR WAXQ Debuts In NY"(PDF).R&R.December 31, 1993. p. 1.RetrievedMay 29,2019.
  14. ^"Vinny Marino remembers the day classical WNCN became hard rockin' WAXQ".Daily News.New York. December 18, 2013.
  15. ^Hevesi, Dennis (December 19, 1993)."The Day the Music Died: Mourning Classical WNCN".The New York Times.
  16. ^"WAXQ Now Classic Rock; GAF Enters LMA With Viacom"(PDF).R&R.July 5, 1996. p. 3.RetrievedMay 29,2019.
  17. ^Pena, Eva M. (March 3, 2016)."The Sopranos—Morality, Romanticism and the Mob".The Newark Metro.Archived fromthe originalon December 25, 2004.
  18. ^"New York Jets Make Move To WAXQ Official".RadioInsight.February 28, 2024.
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