WQHK-FM

WQHK-FM is an FM radio station located in Huntertown, Indiana, United States, and broadcasting to the Fort Wayne area. The station operates on the FM radio frequency of 105.1 MHz.

WQHK-FM
Broadcast areaFort Wayne, Indiana
Frequency105.1 MHz
BrandingK105
Programming
FormatCountry music
Ownership
Owner
WBYR, WFWI, WKJG, WMEE, WOWO (AM)
History
First air date
November 8, 1966 (1966-11-08)
Former call signs
WADM-FM (1966–1984)
WMCZ (July–August 1984)
WQTZ (1984–1993)
Former frequencies
92.7 MHz (1966–1993)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID29859
ClassB1
ERP5.7 kW
HAAT210 meters (690 ft)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitehttp://www.k105fm.com/

History

Today's WQHK-FM went on the air from Decatur, Indiana, as WADM-FM 92.7[2] on November 8, 1966. It was owned by Airon, Incorporated, alongside WADM (1540 AM).[3] The WADM stations were purchased outright by WFYC, Inc., owner of the WFYC stations in Alma, Michigan, in 1978.[2]

Midwest Communications Company, owned by Richard Sommerville and his son, acquired the pair in 1984; Richard's brother David owned 35 percent of the seller, and other family members were involved in radio holdings in Michigan.[4] The call letters were first changed to WMCZ, but a federal judge ordered a change after WMEE (97.3 FM) sued on the similarity of the two call signs' sounds; until it could change to WQTZ, the Decatur station was ordered to include "not to be confused with WMEE FM 97" in all of its station identifications.[5] One of the key developments in the trial was that the WMCZ station manager, when asked to cite WMEE's slogan, gave WMCZ's instead, bolstering the judge's finding of a likelihood of confusion.[5] It was the first call sign similarity dispute to be mediated by a federal judge; the responsibility for these disputes had rested with the Federal Communications Commission until the start of 1984.[5]

To coincide with a height increase on the tower and expanded coverage area, a new format was chosen to replace the two stations' adult contemporary programming on FM, and WQTZ flipped to oldies on December 1, 1985.[6] In 1991, the station was approved for an upgrade to 25,000 watts on 105.1 MHz, which required WQTX, then on 105.1 from Roanoke, to move to 94.1; the move also opened up the 92.7 allocation in Berne now used by WZBD.[7]

WQTZ and WADM were acquired by Julia A. Moore of Lebanon, Ohio, in 1992.[8] Moore signed an agreement with Federated Media, owner of WMEE and WQHK (1380 AM), to co-own and manage the FM outlet. Though a simulcast of the classic country AM was originally slated, management felt that the market could support another country station. The format flip and frequency change took effect together on June 29, 1993, when WQHK-FM 105.1 debuted.[9]

References
  1. "Facility Technical Data for WQHK-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. FCC History Cards for WQHK-FM
  3. "WADM-FM" (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook. 1968. p. B-56. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  4. "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. February 6, 1984. pp. 163–164. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  5. Smith, Brian (August 31, 1984). "Radio station responds to order by requesting new call letters". The News-Sentinel.
  6. Zaenger, Tom (April 22, 1986). "Old is new format at Decatur's WQTZ". The News-Sentinel.
  7. Kilbane, Kevin (April 19, 1991). "Stations dial up frequency changes". The News-Sentinel. p. 6F.
  8. Kilbane, Kevin (December 16, 1992). "Despite pledges, networks under gun". The News-Sentinel. p. 1F.
  9. Kilbane, Kevin (June 28, 1993). "New radio station to hit airwaves with country flair". The News-Sentinel. p. 7F.

41.1109°N 85.1955°W / 41.1109; -85.1955

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