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KQNM (1550
kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...
) is a AM radio station in
Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), also known as ABQ, Burque, the Duke City, and in the past 'the Q', is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Bernalillo County, New Mexico, Bernal ...
. KQNM is owned by Relevant Radio, Inc. and airs a
Catholic radio Christian radio refers to Christian media radio formats that focus on Christian religious broadcasting or various forms of Christian music. Many such formats and programs include contemporary Christian music, gospel music, sermons, radio dramas, ...
ministry featuring network talk programs and broadcasts of the mass. KQNM broadcasts at 10,000
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
s by day. But because AM 1550 is a
clear-channel A clear-channel station is a North American AM broadcasting, AM radio station that has the highest level of protection from Interference (communication), interference from other stations, particularly from nighttime skywave signals. This classifi ...
frequency reserved for
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
and
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, the station must drastically reduce power at night to 27 watts. The
transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
tower is in the city's
Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...
district northwest of
downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
. KQNM programming is
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
on FM
translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
K255AU 98.9
MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...
, licensed to nearby Corrales.


History

This station originally broadcast on 1520 AM as KAMX in 1972. It had aired
Spanish language Spanish () or Castilian () is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European languages, Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin spoken on the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. Today, it is a world language, gl ...
programming throughout the 1970s. Later, it mostly carried programming that was broadcast on the 107.9 FM frequency. However, the AM station could only be heard during daytime hours due to night time interference from KOMA (now KOKC) from
Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...
. In 1995, it ended the simulcast with 107.9 and began to run children's programming from
Radio AAHS Radio AAHS was an American radio network owned and operated by the Children's Broadcasting Corporation. The flagship station of the format was WWTC (1280 AM) in Minneapolis, from where network programming originated at the former First Federal ...
as KDZZ, but it would return to simulcasting 107.9 in late 1996 under the
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
KHTZ. In 2000, the station was sold to Vanguard Media and moved to the 1550 frequency under the call letters KKJY. The new dial position allowed the station to increase its daytime power and initiate nighttime operation. It began broadcasting an
adult standards Adult standards (also sometimes known as the nostalgia or Big Band format) is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations. Adult standards started in the 1950s and is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly tho ...
format to fill a void left after
KIVA A kiva (also ''estufa'') is a space used by Puebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with the kachina belief system. Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo peoples, "kiva" means a large room that is circula ...
dropped standards for
talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, Interview (jo ...
. It picked up the KKJY call sign that had once belonged locally to 100.3 FM, which aired a long running
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...
format from 1979 to 1994. The new station was branded as "Joy AM". In 2006, the station's format shifted to
soft adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
. On July 25, 2008, it once again changed its call sign to KQNM and called itself "Soft Favorites 1550". On May 18, 2009, it changed to KIVA while moving the KQNM
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
to 1100 kHz in
Milan, New Mexico Milan is a village in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 2,456 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Grants, Milan's population grew by over 1,300 between 2000 and 2010, a rate of 71.6%. Many new houses and service-oriente ...
. The format was changed to talk radio on June 15, 2009. On August 28, 2012, the station swapped dial positions with KIVA, moving the talk format and KIVA call sign to 1600, with KRKE moving from 1600 to 1550. On September 22, 2015, the call sign were changed back to KQNM, with KRKE moving to 1090 in Milan. Soon after, Vanguard took the station off the air and put the station up for sale. In 2014, Vanguard divested KIVA to Rock of Talk LLC. IHR Educational Broadcasting later purchased the station, and began to air its Catholic radio format beginning in late September 2016. KQNM flipped to the
Relevant Radio Relevant Radio (corporate name Relevant Radio, Inc.) is a radio network in the United States, mainly broadcasting talk radio and religious programming involving the Catholic Church. Relevant Radio broadcasts "talk radio for Catholic life" over a ...
branding when IHR Educational Broadcasting and Starboard Media Foundation consummated their merger on June 30, 2017.


FM broadcast

107.5 (2011–2013) In early May 2011, KRKE (then on 1600 AM) began airing on 99-watt FM translator K298BK (107.5 FM) in Sandia, and rebranded as "Cool 107.5". The station had previously been called "Real Oldies 1600". The station also changed its website to cool1075.com. The translator was owned by the
Educational Media Foundation Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, a suburb of Nashville. EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest contempor ...
. This change put the station in competition with
KABG KABG (98.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Alamos, New Mexico, and serving the Santa Fe and Albuquerque radio markets. It is owned by American General Media and airs a classic hits radio format, playing Top 40 hits mostly ...
, which airs an
Oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as well as for a radio format playing this music. Since 2 ...
/ Classic Hits format, mainly playing music from the 60s, 70s and 80s. For the first year or so, the station continued to focus on the traditional 1960s based oldies format it had aired since 2005, when the station was only heard on AM. Since mid-2012, it began to shift more to classic hits like KABG and most other FM oldies stations. 94.5 (2013–2015) A construction permit was granted to the station on April 18, 2012 to move to the 94.5 frequency and increase power to the class maximum of 250 watts. On February 14, 2013, the station moved to the new frequency as K233CG while re-branding as "The Greatest Hits KOOL 94.5", as well as completing a shift in the format to playing music from the 1970s and '80s, competing directly with KABG. "KOOL" was promoted as "Clutter-Free", featuring a music-intensive presentation without programming elements such as announcers, news, weather and traffic reports. KRKE, however, generated low ratings, and since July 2013, faced additional competition from
KABQ-FM KABQ-FM (95.1 FM) is a commercial radio station located in Corrales, New Mexico, United States, broadcasting to the Albuquerque area. It broadcasts at full power from a tower atop Nine Mile Hill west of Albuquerque, with studios located in N ...
, which featured a 1970s-centric version of the format. In early 2014, the format had been shifting to focus more on music from the 1980s. On May 12 of that year, at 12:00 p.m., 1550 and 94.5 re-branded as "94-5 The 80's Channel" with an all-80s hits format, making it the first time this format has aired in the Albuquerque market since
KKOB-FM KKOB-FM (96.3 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is owned by Cumulus Media and it simulcasts a news/talk radio format with co-owned KKOB 770 AM. The studios and offices are on 4th Street NW in downtown Albuquer ...
dropped the format in late 2002. The last song on "Kool" was '' Hold On'' by
Wilson Phillips Wilson Phillips is an American pop vocal group formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The group consists of sisters Carnie and Wendy Wilson, the daughters of Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys, and Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phi ...
, while the first song on "The 80's Channel" was ''
Video Killed the Radio Star "Video Killed the Radio Star" is a song written by Trevor Horn, Geoff Downes and Bruce Woolley in 1979. It was recorded concurrently by Bruce Woolley and the Camera Club (with Thomas Dolby on keyboards) for their album '' English Garden'' and ...
'' by
The Buggles The Buggles are an English New wave music, new wave band formed in London in 1977 by singer and bassist Trevor Horn and keyboardist Geoff Downes. They are best known for their 1979 debut single "Video Killed the Radio Star", which topped the UK ...
. Originally, the new format had a large emphasis on music from the New Wave genre from artists like
Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English pop rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. After several early changes, the band's line-up settled ...
,
The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...
, and Blondie as well as early
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
acts such as
The Cure The Cure are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Crawley in 1976 by Robert Smith (musician), Robert Smith (vocals, guitar) and Lol Tolhurst (drums). The band's current line-up comprises Smith, Perry Bamonte (guitar and keyboards), Reev ...
,
R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American alternative rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the fir ...
, and
The Psychedelic Furs The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in London in February 1977. Led by lead vocalist Richard Butler (singer), Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from ...
. However, with ratings very low, the station adjusted its playlist to include more pop and hard rock acts from the 1980s in late July 2015. The station's website had also been taken down, along with its live stream and Facebook page. At 10:38 p.m. on September 27, 2015, an announcement began playing on a repeating loop saying that the format was leaving the air and would return after the first of the year on a different frequency. It also identified the station as "KQNM Albuquerque", and suggested that listeners tune into KDSK, which airs an oldies format. The last song played was " Take Me Home Tonight" by
Eddie Money Edward Joseph Money ( Mahoney; March 21, 1949September 13, 2019) was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Paradise", " Think I'm in Love", " Shakin' ...
. However the format did not reappear at the stated time. Meanwhile, on May 2, 2016,
iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...
shifted
KABQ-FM KABQ-FM (95.1 FM) is a commercial radio station located in Corrales, New Mexico, United States, broadcasting to the Albuquerque area. It broadcasts at full power from a tower atop Nine Mile Hill west of Albuquerque, with studios located in N ...
to an 80s hits format which lasted until April 2021. The "Eighties Channel" would be relaunched seven years later in October 2022 on KRKE 1100 AM and K229CL 93.7. At around 2 p.m. on September 30, KQNM began airing long sets of mostly
trance music Trance is a genre of electronic dance music that emerged from Electronic body music, EBM in Frankfurt, Germany, in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and quickly spread throughout Europe. Trance music is typically characterized by a tempo between ...
, both instrumental and vocal, with no sweepers or commercials but only identifying itself once an hour as "EDM 94-5", followed by the legal identification around 10 minutes from the top of the hour. This went on for about six days. As of October 6, 2015, the station was in a dead air status, with neither static nor audio broadcast. Since October 9, both KQNM and K233CG were off the air. On October 19, KQNM filed a silent notification with the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
, stating programming had been discontinued in preparation for a sale of the station. Additionally, Educational Media Foundation filed a silent notification for K233CG on November 5, 2015, stating that the translator would be off the air until a new feed station could be found. The request was granted on December 4; however, 94.5 returned to the air on December 1, rebroadcasting the
Air 1 Air1 is an American Christian radio network owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry. It primarily broadcasts contemporary worship music, and is a sister to the EMF's K-Love network. History On July 15, ...
format from
KQRI KQRI (105.5 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Bosque Farms, New Mexico. It covers the Albuquerque metropolitan area and Valencia County. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation broadcasting its "Air1" Christian worship ...
, while KQNM remained off the air. K233CG was sold to Martha Whitman, owner of
KOAZ KOAZ (1510 AM) is a radio station licensed to Vanguard Media LLC. at Isleta Pueblo, New Mexico. It is operating at "Isleta" with 5,000 watts daytime and 25 watts nighttime, from . The station serves the Albuquerque Metropolitan area. Its stud ...
and K279BP, in late June 2016 for $61,431.66. Whitman had then reached a deal to sale the translator to
Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is a broadcasting company of the United States and is the second largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States ahead of Audacy and behind iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdi ...
for $425,000. On September 1, 2016, K233CG began to rebroadcast KKOB. 98.9 (2016–present) On February 5, 2016, a construction permit was granted by the FCC to upgrade translator K255AU (98.9 FM) from 10 watts to 70 watts, with KQNM as the feed station. K255AU is owned by Immaculate Heart Radio, a Catholic radio ministry, which currently relays
KXXQ KXXQ (100.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a Catholic radio format, with most programming coming from the Relevant Radio network. Licensed to Milan, New Mexico Milan is a village in Cibola County, New Mexico, United States. The populati ...
in Milan. In early July 2016, Immaculate Heart Radio purchased KQNM for $250,000. The sale was approved by the FCC on September 15, 2016, and the Catholic format began airing on KQNM in late September.


References


External links

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FCC History Cards for KQNM
{{Relevant Radio QNM Radio stations established in 1972 Relevant Radio stations QNM