Summary
WKLQ (94.5 MHz, "The Q 94.5") is an FM radio station licensed to Holland, Michigan. Owned by Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts an adult album alternative format serving the Grand Rapids, Michigan market.
 | |
| Broadcast area | Grand Rapids, Michigan |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 94.5 MHz |
| Branding | The Q 94.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Adult album alternative |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WTNR, WHTS, WJRW, WLAV-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | 1961 (as WJBL-FM) |
Former call signs | WFMK (1960) WJBL-FM (1960-1984) WKLQ (1984-2004) WTNR (2004-2019) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 41678 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 152 meters (499 ft) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | thisisqmusic.com |
History edit
Prior to the country music format, 94.5 was occupied by WKLQ, with a Top 40/CHR format as "Hit Rock! The FM 94 KLQ" that started in 1984. But by the early 1990s, the station flipped formats to an active rock format. In 1996, the station added Howard Stern to the morning lineup. By 1999, the station had tweaked into Alternative and became known as The Rock@94.5 KLQ. After a few years of struggling with the rock format, the station flipped to WTNR and country on October 11, 2004 as 94.5 The New Thunder Country, later branded as Thunder 94-5.
On October 27, 2011, WTNR completely revamped the station's playlist by adding gold tracks not previously played on the station. These included songs by artists from the 1990s and early 2000s like Garth Brooks, Shania Twain, Brooks & Dunn, Alan Jackson among others.
On February 3, 2014, the station rebranded under Cumulus's Nash FM brand.[1]
On January 4, 2019, WTNR returned to the Thunder branding, and added a simulcast on 107.3 WBBL-FM to replace its sports talk format, with both stations branding as Thunder 94.5 & 107.3.[2][3]
The simulcast would be short-lived; on January 19, 2019, WTNR dropped Thunder and flipped to adult album alternative as The Q 94.5.[4] The WKLQ calls (warehoused by a co-owned AM talk radio operation in Whitehall, MI) were reinstated on February 6, 2019 to match the new branding.[5]
References edit
- ^ "Cumulus Adds 11 More NashFM's". RadioInsight. 2014-02-03. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ "WBBL/Grand Rapids Changes Afoot, Morning Host Says 'Everyone Got Fired Today'". All Access. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ^ "Format Change Imminent At WBBL Grand Rapids As Airstaff Exits". RadioInsight. 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2019-01-04.
- ^ "Cumulus Launches The Q 94.5 In Grand Rapids". RadioInsight. 2019-01-19. Retrieved 2019-01-19.
- ^ "Radio-Locator page for WKLQ (showing FCC record update on February 6, 2019". Retrieved 2019-02-14.
- Michiguide.com - WTNR History
External links edit
- Official website
- WKLQ in the FCC FM station database
- WKLQ in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
42°51′22″N 85°57′47″W / 42.856°N 85.963°W