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KQKQ-FM

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Coordinates: 41°18′25″N 96°1′37″W / 41.30694°N 96.02694°W / 41.30694; -96.02694
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KQKQ-FM
Broadcast areaOmaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area
Frequency98.5 MHz
BrandingSweet 98.5
Programming
FormatHot adult contemporary
Ownership
Owner
KMMQ, KOIL, KOOO, KOPW, KOZN, KZOT
History
First air date
1969
Technical information
Facility ID43238
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT336 meters
Transmitter coordinates
41°18′25″N 96°1′37″W / 41.30694°N 96.02694°W / 41.30694; -96.02694
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitesweet985.com

KQKQ-FM (98.5 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States, the station serves the Omaha metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by NRG Media.[1] Its studios are located at Dodge Street and 50th Avenue in Midtown Omaha, and its transmitter site is located in North Central Omaha at the Omaha master antenna farm on North 72nd Avenue and Crown Point.

History

KQKQ signed on in 1969 with a progressive rock format as "Rockradio KQ98".

From September 1980 to March 2004, KQKQ was a Top 40/CHR station known as "Sweet 98", and was the Omaha market's first personality-driven FM music station, putting new pressure on market leader KGOR's automated CHR/MOR operation.

"Sweet 98" signed on the air in September 1980 with Mark Evans and Dick Warner; together, they called themselves "The Breakfast Flakes". The remainder of the lineup included Gregory "Greg Koogler" MacArthur in the middays, Bruce "Doc Winston" Soderholm in the afternoons, Craig "Jay Taylor" Wendel in the evenings, and "Brooklyn Dave" holding down overnights. Brooklyn Dave only lasted a few months before being replaced by Rick Jeffrey.

Operating on a shoestring budget in its early days, the station made its name through a variety of promotions and gimmicks under the guidance of General Manager and DJ William "Billy 'Will' Cunningham" Honeylamb and Mark Evans who doubled as Sweet 98 FM's 1st program director and morning DJ. In September 1980, listeners were offered the opportunity to win $50,000 for answering their phones with the now iconic but legendary phrase, "I Listen to the new sound of Sweet 98 FM!"

At approximately the same time, the station opened its "Supermouth" contest, whereby local teens competed for a year-long stint as a Sweet 98 evening jock, a $1,000-a-month salary, a $1,000 wardrobe, and use of a new Pontiac Firebird, emblazoned with station logos and a giant Supermouth emblem on the hood. According to the station, it received over 5,000 applications, from which it auditioned over 300 in 30-second over-the-phone song intros. After narrowing the field to 20 semi-finalists who were given 15 minutes of live airtime apiece, 10 finalists received 30-minute auditions (again live). On February 14, 1981, after five hours of on-air auditions, Bill Cunningham proclaimed Alan Bone, an 18-year-old UNL student, the station's first Supermouth. In all, the station crowned seven Supermouths, the most successful of whom was "Hot Scott" O'Hanlon, who eventually dominated evenings for most of the late 80s.[citation needed]

Another 1981 promotion involved the station asking listeners to affix Sweet 98 FM's "stickificates" to their bumpers for a chance to win $98,000. After stringing the promotion out over several months by sending jocks out in a "Roving (Buick) Riviera" to pull stickificate-bearing cars over and give out small cash prizes and gift certificates, the station told listeners to bring their stickificates (and cars) to the Crossroads Mall parking lot at 72nd and Dodge one early June evening. The result was a traffic jam, chaos, and much publicity for the station proving to Billy, Mark, and all of the Sweet 98 jocks that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

In 1982, the station initiated on-air bingo games as a means of increasing listenership, a promotional idea that dragged on for several ratings periods, in one form or another. "Big Guy" a squeaky voiced character created by Mark. Big Guy was the mascot of Sweet 98 FM's bingo promotions. In the fall of 1982 listeners were tormented for an entire afternoon when Big Guy ostensibly took over the control room and played the Toni Basil song "Mickey" over and over, while an exasperated Billy pounded on the studio door imploring Big Guy to give him back control of the station.[citation needed]

A later bingo promotion culminated in what was billed as the "world's largest bingo game", wherein roughly 10,000 listeners crowded into Omaha's Civic Auditorium for a long evening of shtick and bingo for thousands in cash and prizes. One memorable moment came when a seemingly meek elderly woman claimed to have a bingo and made her way, gingerly to the stage only to be told that she did not after all have the matching numbers. Upon receiving this news the formerly adorable grandmother unleashed a profanity laced tirade on Billy and the Sweet 98 jocks, much to the delight of the crowd.[citation needed]

The Sweet 98 FM studios were originally located in a dilapidated building at 3600 Broadway in Council Bluffs. Formerly an apartment building next to what was rumored to have once been a brothel, the Council Bluffs digs were condemned on several occasions in the early 1980s and razed shortly after the move to downtown Omaha in 1987. So bad was the Council Bluffs facility that when a thunderstorm knocked the power out in 1982 the station operated off the generator of a run-down RV parked in the mud-and-gravel lot behind the building. [citation needed]

The downtown Omaha studios were much more plush and prominently located in the famed Old Market at 10th and Farnam. The window front studios featured a hydraulic lift which the jocks could raise and lower with a foot pedal to greet revelers who frequently passed by the while celebrating birthdays, weddings, and graduations and making song dedications. A spaceman jumpsuit hung on the wall of the studio, and it was ostensibly for the Sweet jocks to wear, even though none of the Sweet jocks will admit to ever wearing it.[2] In 2002, about two years after Mitchell Broadcasting sold the station to Waitt Radio (which later became current owners NRG Media), KQKQ's studios were moved to their current location near 50th Avenue and Dodge Street.[3][4]

In January 1992, after 12 years in mornings, "The Breakfast Flakes" was replaced with "Rockett in the Morning", starring G. Rockett Phillips, with Tommy Zenner, and Elizabeth "Liz" Adams.[5][6] The show ran until August 1995, and after Johnny Danger's morning show didn't work, G. Rockett got asked to come back for another year in January 1997.[7][8][9] "Rockett in the Morning" was then replaced with "The Sweet 98 Morning Zoo" with Darren & Wayne and Rachael Adams, and then later by Pat & JT in 2002.[10][11] By the early 2000s, KQKQ rebranded as "Sweet 98.5."

Sweet 98 began hosting a big concert event in the late 90s known as "Sweetstock" which featured big named Top 40 bands at the time including NSync.[12] The last Sweetstock event was held in 2002.[13]

After dropping significantly in the ratings with KQCH (94.1 FM) taking over as the leading Top 40 station in Omaha during the early 2000s, "Sweet 98.5" signed off at 3 p.m. on March 11, 2004, and began stunting with a robotic countdown accompanied by "On the Run" by Pink Floyd. The countdown ended at 3 p.m. the following day, when it flipped to Modern AC as "Q98Five, Modern Hit Music." The first song on "Q" was "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback.[14][15] The new format puts less emphasis on personalities and focuses more on music news and upcoming concerts in the Omaha area. While playing some of the same music that was featured in the CHR format, most hip hop, rap, teen pop and dance songs have been removed from the playlist for songs tailored more to an older adult listening audience. The format has since evolved to a more broad-based Hot AC.

On May 26, 2017, at 8:25 a.m., KQKQ rebranded back to the "Sweet 98.5" moniker, while retaining the Hot AC format and current airstaff.[16]

In October 2018, Pat & JT were replaced by Matt Tompkins and Nikki Oswald.[17] In January 2020, Tompkins would be moved to sister station KOOO to host mornings there, and would be replaced with Laura Blenkush, who hosted afternoons on KQKQ, with Oswald remaining as co-host.[18]

References

  1. ^ "KQKQ-FM Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ^ Steve Millburg, "KQKQ Revamps Facilities With High-Tech Glitziness," The Omaha World-Herald, November 18, 1986.
  3. ^ Jim Minge, "Waitt Taking Over Mitchell Stations," The Omaha World-Herald, March 2, 2000.
  4. ^ https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2002-03/2002-03-BC-YB.pdf
  5. ^ Jeff Bahr, "Flakes Traded for New Menu," The Omaha World-Herald, January 4, 1992.
  6. ^ Jeff Bahr, "A New Crew at Sweet 98," The Omaha World-Herald, February 22, 1992.
  7. ^ Jim Minge, "Sweet 98's G. Rockett Phillips Signs Contract with KESY-FM," The Omaha World-Herald, August 31, 1995.
  8. ^ Jim Minge, "Rockett Back at Sweet 98," The Omaha World-Herald, January 3, 1997.
  9. ^ Jim Minge, "Radio Battle Under Way," The Omaha World-Herald, January 18, 1997.
  10. ^ Jim Minge, "Is Rockett Gone Forever?," The Omaha World-Herald, June 20, 1998.
  11. ^ Jim Minge, "Rockett Says No to KOIL," The Omaha World-Herald, July 25, 1998.
  12. ^ Kim Roberts, "Hot bands to hit Sweetstock," The Omaha World-Herald, May 24, 2001.
  13. ^ Erin Grace, "Sweetstock tests fans' endurance," The Omaha World-Herald, July 15, 2002.
  14. ^ Kim Roberts, "Radio's 98.5, 106.9 return with new formats today," The Omaha World-Herald, March 12, 2004.
  15. ^ KQKQ Relaunches as Q98Five
  16. ^ KQKQ is Sweet Once Again Radioinsight - May 26, 2017
  17. ^ People Moves 10/9: Morning Moves in Tampa, Omaha
  18. ^ Laura Blenkush to Join Nikki Oswald in Mornings at KQKQ
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