WAQY
 | |
| Broadcast area | Springfield, Massachusetts |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 102.1 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Rock102 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic rock |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | 1953 (as WCRX) |
Former call signs | WCRX (1953–1972) |
Call sign meaning | WACKY for former branding "Wacky102" |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 58551 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 17,000 watts, Stereo |
| HAAT | 238 meters |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | rock102.com |
WAQY (102.1 FM) is a Springfield, Massachusetts area classic rock radio station. Since the late 1980s, the station has been known as "Rock102".
History
102.1 FM in Springfield signed on as WCRX in 1953. The call letters stood for "Charles River Broadcasting extension," the station being a sister and extension of 102.5 FM WCRB in Boston, Massachusetts. Both the Springfield and Boston stations programmed a classical music radio format overseen by Charles River Broadcasting owner Theodore Jones. In August 1981, WAQY switched to a Rock music format known as AOR. Now known simply by the stations call letters WAQY, they played a mix of new rock music from the 1980s mixed with older rock artists of the '60s (The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix etc.) and 1970s (Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, etc.) Artists played included then current and popular Arena rock favorites Blue Öyster Cult, Journey, Foreigner and Fleetwood Mac as well as singer and songwriter artist from Tom Petty to Billy Joel. Hard rock and heavy metal acts like AC/DC, Van Halen and Rush were also core artists. In the mid 1980s WAQY adopted its current moniker "Rock102" playing up to five current rock songs an hour. By 1992, WAQY stopped playing current music and completed its evolution from an AOR to a classic rock format.
The station also serves as the Pioneer Valley's affiliate for the New England Patriots radio network.
Technical
WAQY transmits 17,000 watts from the top of Provin Mountain in Feeding Hills on the WWLP tower.[1] WAQY transmits using a 4 bay Continental (ERI) center fed antenna and a Nautel NV20 HD [2] transmitter. WAQY's signal covers all of the Springfield market, and can be heard as far south as New Haven, Connecticut and as far east as Boston. WAQY is running a high level IBOC (HD Digital signal) at -14db versus the normal -20db.[3]
References
- ^ http://www.fccinfo.com/CMDProEngine.php?sCurrentService=FM&tabSearchType=Appl&sAppIDNumber=186321
- ^ http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=1464708
- ^ http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/prefill_and_display.pl?Application_id=1464708&Form_id=335&Facility_id=58551
External links
- Official WAQY "ROCK102" website
- Facility details for Facility ID WAQY ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's FM station database