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WTJZ (AM)

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WKQA
Broadcast areaHampton Roads
Frequency1110 AM kHz
BrandingPraise 104.9
Programming
FormatReligious[1]
Ownership
OwnerDelmarva Educational Association
History
First air date
April 6, 1976[2]
Former call signs
WZAM (1976–1995)
WCKO (1995–2004)
WYRM (2004–2014)[3]
Technical information
Facility ID29597
ClassD
Power50,000 Watts daytime only
Transmitter coordinates
36°56′34.0″N 76°31′56.0″W / 36.942778°N 76.532222°W / 36.942778; -76.532222
Translator(s)92.5 W223CT (Norfolk)
104.9 W285FM (Hampton)
Links
Webcastradio webstream
WebsitePraise radio

WKQA is a radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, serving Hampton Roads.[1] WKQA is owned and operated by Delmarva Educational Association.[4]

The station, branded as "Praise 104.9", airs a mixed format of Christian talk and teaching and conservative talk programs. Programming is also carried on two FM translators: W285FM in Hampton on 104.9 MHz, and W223CT in Norfolk on 92.5 MHz.

History

On May 25, 1966, James River Broadcasting Corporation applied to the Federal Communications Commission to start a new radio station licensed to Norfolk on 1110 kHz, with a daytime power of 50,000 watts.[5] It was not granted until 1972 because it competed with applications for two daytime-only stations at Williamsburg and Suffolk.[6] It would be nearly four more years before the station began broadcasting as WZAM on April 6, 1976.[2] The original owner was the Benns family, which also started WMYK (94.1 FM) in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The two stations shared some programming—the AM simulcast the FM in drive time, essentially as a promotional tool[7]—as well as promotions. When the pair offered to pay listeners for recording listenership in their Arbitron diaries in 1981, the ratings agency responded by delisting WZAM, WMYK, and a Benns-owned station in Chattanooga, Tennessee, that conducted the same practice from the ratings books; it was the first time Arbitron had delisted stations from ratings surveys in two years.[8]

After being rock stations since their launch, Benns flipped both stations to urban contemporary in 1984, citing "disastrous" ratings.[9]

In 1988, the station was acquired by Nova Broadcasting, which retained the gospel format but sought to give it "FM standards" and be more competitive.[10] The shareholders in Nova, Steven Brisker and Randy Gurekis, split ways in 1989, with Brisker retaining WZAM and WCTG in Columbia, South Carolina.[11] The FCC fined WZAM $7,900 in 1991 for a litany of technical violations, most notably broadcasting after sunset and causing interference to other stations on the frequency.[12]

J4 Broadcasting Company acquired WZAM in 1994; at that time, it was not broadcasting.[13] However, the station had briefly returned to air in mid-1994 with gospel after a two-year absence.[14] WZAM became WCKO in 1995 and adopted a classic oldies format syndicated from another station also owned by John Thomas, WCIN in Cincinnati.[15] By the time it was sold to Metropolitan Radio Group in 1998, however, WZAM was off the air again.[16]

In 2004, the call letters were changed to WYRM when the station was sold to Word Broadcasting Network of Louisville, Kentucky.[17] Word retained the station until 2014, when it changed the call letters to WKQA and sold it to Booth-Cobb Media.[18] Under Booth-Cobb, the station was known as "Freedom 1110" and mixed conservative talk and religious programming.[19]

The station went silent on March 27, 2022, after its four-tower array southeast of Smithfield was dismantled to make way for redevelopment of the site.[20] Booth-Cobb applied for Special Temporary Authority for WKQA to use a 100-watt longwire antenna located at the site of WHKT (1010 AM), and to sell itself to the Delmarva Educational Association, an affiliated nonprofit entity with WHKT's owner, for $10,000.[21]

In August 2022, WTJZ on 1650 AM dropped its religious format,[22] which resulted in the transfer of the primary source for the "Praise 104.9" format to WKQA. The sale to Delmarva Educational Association was consummated on August 10, 2022.

References

  1. ^ a b "Arbitron Station Information Profiles". Nielsen Audio/Nielsen Holdings. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Broadcasting Yearbook 2010 (PDF). ProQuest, LLC/Reed Publishing (Nederland), B.V. 2010. p. D-568. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  3. ^ "Call Sign History". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  4. ^ "WKQA Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  5. ^ FCC History Cards for WKQA
  6. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. July 10, 1972. pp. 50, 51. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-11-08. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  7. ^ Gelb, Jeff (April 4, 1980). "AM AOR: "All We Want Is A Piece Of The Action"" (PDF). Radio & Records. p. 38. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2022-04-10 – via World Radio History.
  8. ^ "Arbitron Delists Norfolk, Chattanooga Stations" (PDF). Radio & Records. January 8, 1982. pp. 1, 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-04-10 – via World Radio History.
  9. ^ "WMYK & WZAM Go Urban" (PDF). Radio & Records. January 27, 1984. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-04-10 – via World Radio History.
  10. ^ Warden, Billy (July 22, 1988). "Gospel on the go". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. p. Splash! 14. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. December 1, 1989. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-04-10 – via World Radio History.
  12. ^ "FCC fines Norfolk radio station". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. January 12, 1991. p. 21. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. August 12, 1994. p. 10. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2022-03-05. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  14. ^ Nicholson, David (April 2, 1994). "Viewers react to WHRO show on menopause". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. p. D1. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Nicholson, David (July 22, 1995). "WOWI named award finalist for 4th year". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. p. D1. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. January 16, 1998. p. 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2022-04-10 – via World Radio History.
  17. ^ Bonko, Larry (July 11, 2004). "Max Media ropes another piece of Montana". The Virginian-Pilot. p. E1.
  18. ^ "FCC Database Quiet With Four Silent STA Filings". All Access. July 8, 2014. Archived from the original on 2022-04-11. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  19. ^ "Program Schedule". wkqaradio.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  20. ^ "WKQA(AM), Norfolk, Virginia (Facility lD No. 29597) Request for Special Temoorarv Authoritv" (correspondence frm Larry Cobb, Manager, Booth-Cobb Media, LLC), May 31, 2022 (FCC.gov)
  21. ^ Venta, Lance (June 10, 2022). "Station Sales Week Of 6/10". RadioInsight.
  22. ^ "The John Fredericks Media Network Announces Launch of New AM Radio Talker in Hampton Roads, VA" by WJFN 100.5 FM, August 4, 2022 (wjfnradio.com)
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