WKQC
 | |
| Broadcast area | Charlotte/Metrolina |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 104.7 MHz |
| Branding | K104.7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult Contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WBAV, WFNZ, WBCN, WNKS, WPEG, WSOC-FM webcast = Listen Live | |
| History | |
First air date | May 22, 1960 (as WYFM) |
Former call signs | WYFM (1960-1973) WEZC (1973-1989) WMXC (1989-1994)) WSSS (1994-2003) |
Call sign meaning | W K104.7 (branding) Queen City (nickname for Charlotte) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 20338 |
| Class | C0 |
| ERP | 96,000 watts (directional with beam tilt) |
| HAAT | 369 meters |
| Links | |
| Website | k1047.com |
WKQC is a CBS Radio adult contemporary radio station in Charlotte, North Carolina. The station goes by the name "K 104.7" with the slogan "More Music, Better Variety", this station plays country and pop.
The station receives exceptional interference from another radio station on the same 104.7 MHz frequency, WNOK in Columbia, South Carolina, just 75 miles south. The Chester & Lancaster, South Carolina areas are affected the most with interference from both stations.
WKQC calls it Today's K-104.7 because it plays more music and a better variety, Also K-104.7 has commercial-free music every hour on the hour.
The station shares offices, studios, production space and resources with fellow CBS owned WNKS-FM "Kiss 95.1" and five other CBS-owned stations on South Boulevard in Charlotte. The transmitter site is in East Charlotte.
History
In the 1970s, Charlotte had two beautiful music stations—WYFM and WBT-FM. By the mid-70s, WYFM was WEZC "EZ-104" and had a 100,000-watt signal. In September 1978, WBT-FM changed to rock and became WBCY, leaving WEZC as the city's only beautiful music station. In December 1982, even though the area had two other soft adult contemporary FM stations—WLVV "Love 97" and WZXI—WEZC changed to soft adult contemporary as well. The switch generated so many protests that WZXI moved to fill the gap.
During the 1980s, WEZC gradually evolved from soft adult contemporary to mainstream adult contemporary. The station's most famous personality was controversial morning host Chuck Boozer.
In 1989, WEZC completed its transition with a name change to WMXC "Mix 104.7", and the WEZC call letters were picked up by the former WRLX at 102.9.[1] The station originally wanted the calls WMIX, but at the last minute found out those calls were already being used by a pair of stations in Mount Vernon, Illinois, WMIX AM and WMIX-FM. Furthermore, in a somewhat controversial move, for a time it referred to itself on-air as WMIX, with an announcer whispering its true calls hurriedly during hourly legal IDs; however, the use of WMIX as a brand was short-lived, as the owners of the WMIX stations in Mount Vernon, Withers Broadcasting, registered the "WMIX" branding as a registered trademark.[2]
In 1994, with WBT-FM and WLYT (formerly the "new" WEZC) competing, WMXC became WSSS "Star 104.7", playing "Super Sounds of the Seventies". 80s music was added later [3] and the station later went all-80s. Classic hits was also tried. But even though format changes generated brief ratings improvement, nothing worked until the station returned to adult contemporary music, with an emphasis on older songs. The switch to the current name and call letters came after the station played just Christmas music beginning on Halloween and continuing all through the 2004 holiday season.
Operations Manager John Reynolds, Market Manager Bill Schoening and AC Programming Consultant Gary Berkowitz designed the rebirth of the station. Plans were to rename the station "Cool 104.7". However, on December 23, just three days before the new format was scheduled to debut, CBS Radio's legal department notified the station that the word "Cool", when used as a noun, had been copyrighted by Clear Channel Communications. A $10,000 jingle package had to be scrapped and Program Director Tom Jeffries and PM Drive host T. Edward Bensen spent Christmas Day re-imaging the station with the quickly revised name of "K 104.7" so the debut could occur as scheduled the next morning.
In January 2007, Tom Jeffries, a former Boston-area programming legend who had been Program Director and Morning Host since the station's flip in 2004, resigned to go into semi-retirement. In April 2007, the station picked up local TV meteorologist Derek James as the new morning host, while promoting Scarlet C. to Asst. Program Director and T. Edward Bensen to Music Director. The station abruptly eliminated its entire on-air staff in October 2008, with the only exception being Holly Haze from 7pm-12am weekdays. Production Director Rick Scaffe, Promotions Director Leah Galloway, plus WNKS Promotions Director Natalie Kirby and long time WSOC-FM newsman Frank Lassiter were also cut at the same time in what was called a cost-cutting move.
The station hired Charlotte radio veteran Jon Robinson to do mornings from 6am-12pm a few months later. On November 18, 2009 his name was abruptly removed from the station website, with no report as to why he was terminated. Later, Robinson revealed that he'd been arrested at the end of his shift one day in October for violating a protective order, and that he and station officials agreed to part ways at the end of his contract so he could focus on recovering from a long term substance abuse problem.[4] By 2010, the station had hired an all-new air staff, Started January 2012, K104.7 changed its slogan from Charlotte's Cool Music Station to More Music, Better Variety.
In November 2011 CBS Radio acquired Todd Baker for the AM Drive time slot (6A-10A) on K104.7, who previously had been hosting PM drive (3P-7P) at cross-town rival ClearChannel Radio's WKKT-FM, where he was ranked number #1 in the coveted Adults 25-54 demographic. With the addition of Baker in mornings WKQC quickly accelerated in the ratings and within 7 months of his arrival forced long-time competitor WLYT "Lite 102.9" into a format flip. Todd Baker's last show on K104.7 was on June 19, 2013 - he has accepted a new position in Sacramento, California with FM 100.5 and Phil Harris, who used to be a long-time broadcaster at WLYT 102.9, has now taken the 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. morning slot.
WKQC calls itself "Christmas K-104.7" when it shifts to its all-Christmas format. The station also uses holiday-themed jingles. Initially, it airs the all-Christmas format only on weekends leading up to Thanksgiving, with a mix of regular and Christmas songs on the weekdays. On the week of Thanksgiving, the all-Christmas format runs on a full-time basis, as of Christmas 2008. The station bills itself as the Carolinas' radio home for the holidays, a title that Lite 102.9 once held exclusively until 2004, when both stations started going head-to-head; as of Christmas 2012, WKQC is the exclusive Christmas music station for Charlotte, thanks to WLYT's aforementioned format flip to adult hits and rebranding to WLKO "102.9 The Lake".
WKQC also claims to be Charlotte's first eco-friendly station that boasts a promotions fleet of gas saving and flex fuel vehicles. K 104.7 switched their logo to "Be Cool, Go Green" and promotes a 'green' lifestyle by providing tips and partnering with local community campaigns in the Charlotte area.
On October 2, 2014, CBS Radio announced that it would trade 14 radio stations located in Tampa, FL, Charlotte, NC and Philadelphia, PA to the Beasley Broadcast Group in exchange for 5 stations located in Miami, FL and Philadelphia, PA.[5]
On-air lineup
- 6:00AM–10:00AM Phil Harris
- 10:00AM–2:00PM Brenda Matthews
- 2:00PM–6:00PM Brandon Chase
- 6:00PM–10:00PM Kate Hall
References
- ^ Jeff Borden, "WEZC Has New Format, Call Letters; New Playlist Aims at Both Sexes", The Charlotte Observer, March 21, 1989.
- ^ Justia Trademarks: "WMIX - Trademark Details"
- ^ Bill Keveney, "Star 104.7 Tweaks Its '70s Format", The Charlotte Observer, January 25, 2000.
- ^ Former Media Star Reveals Dark Life, Charlotte Observer, December 20, 2009
- ^ CBS And Beasley Swap Philadelphia/Miami For Charlotte/Tampa from Radio Insight (October 2, 2014)
External links
- k1047.com
- WKQC in the FCC FM station database
- WKQC in Nielsen Audio's FM station database