WQMZ
 | |
| Broadcast area | Charlottesville, Virginia Albemarle County, Virginia |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 95.1 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Z95.1 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WCNR, WINA, WVAX, WWWV | |
| History | |
First air date | October 1954 (as WINA-FM at 95.3) |
Former call signs | WINA-FM (1954–1971) WQMC (1971–1987)[1] |
Former frequencies | 95.3 MHz (1954–1988) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 10653 |
| Class | A |
| ERP | 6,000 watts |
| HAAT | 99 meters (325 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 38°2′54.0″N 78°28′12.0″W / 38.048333°N 78.470000°W |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | z951.com |
WQMZ is an adult contemporary formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Charlottesville, Virginia, serving Charlottesville and Albemarle County, Virginia. WQMZ is owned and operated by Saga Communications.[2]
History
Charlottesville Broadcasting Corporation signed on WINA-FM as the city's first FM radio station in October 1954.[3] The station began on 95.3 MHz and was a 24-hour relay of co-owned WINA's full service programming and middle-of-the-road music.
In the late 1960s, the Federal Communications Commission began scrutinizing the practice of a co-owned AM-FM pair broadcasting a common programming day. In 1964, such simulcasting was limited to half of the broadcast day. WINA-FM was initially exempt because the rule only applied to markets with a population of over 100,000.[4] However, when Charlottesville Broadcasting was sold to new owner Laurence G. Richardson in 1969, the FCC made adherence to the programming separation rule a condition of the sale.[5]
Accordingly, on March 15, 1971, the station flipped to a new format broadly described as light adult contemporary. At the time, this was closer to what is now considered easy listening: soft pop music, standards, show tunes, and an evening block of light music.[5] This was followed in May by a callsign change to WQMC. Simulcasting with WINA continued during morning drive until 1984.[6]
The station adopted the current WQMZ callsign in December 1987, and moved to 95.1 MHz in order to proceed with a power upgrade the following year.[7]
WQMZ is currently owned by Saga Communications. Saga purchased WQMZ, WINA and WWWV from Eure Communications, which merged with Charlottesville Broadcasting in 1998.
References
- ^ "FCC History Card for WQMZ".
- ^ "WQMZ Facility Record". Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/2010/D4-2010-BC-YB-7.pdf
- ^ Lasar, Matthew (3 November 2015). "1965: the year the FCC helped FM radio take off". Radio Survivor.
- ^ a b Staff (April 19, 1971). "Changing formats" (PDF). Broadcasting. p. 27.
- ^ Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1984 (PDF). p. B-265. -- First year listed as programmed separately from AM.
- ^ "Call letter applications" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 24, 1971. p. 74.
Previous logos
External links
- z951.com
- Facility details for Facility ID WQMZ ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
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