WHQG (102.9 FM, "102.9 The Hog") is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. It airs a

mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

and is owned by Saga Communications, operating as part of its Milwaukee Radio Group. WHQG is a Class B FM station, with an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would ha ...

(ERP) of 50,000

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, the maximum for most Milwaukee-area stations. The studios, which are shared with WHQG's four

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

s, along with 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, are on West McKinley Avenue, on the city's west side.

History

Top 40 and soft AC (1962–1972)

The station

signed on A sign-on (or start-up in Commonwealth countries except Canada) is the beginning of operations for a radio broadcasting, radio or television station, generally at the start of each day. It is the opposite of a sign-off (or closedown in Commonw ...

the air on April 22, 1962, as WRIT-FM, co-owned with WRIT (1340 AM, now

WJOI WJOI (1340 AM) is a commercial radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is known on-air as "Joy 1340/98.7". WJOI is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of its Milwaukee Radio Group, with radio studios and offices on Milwauke ...

). The stations

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) ...

ed a

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...

format. In 1971, 102.9 split from the simulcast, becoming WFWO-FM ("For Women Only"). WFWO played

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 ...

music.

Country (1972–1987)

The station flipped to

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

as WBCS on October 1, 1972. WBCS found success with the format, as they were the only country station in the market at the time, after rival WMIL-FM (95.7) had switched to

as WZUU the year before. In 1983,

WMIL-FM WMIL-FM (106.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Waukesha, Wisconsin, and serving the Greater Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin radio market. It carries a country music radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studio ...

(106.1 FM) launched a country format, putting WMIL and WBCS in competition for Milwaukee country music fans.

Mainstream rock (1987-2005)

WLZR succeeded WBCS with a hard rock format on February 16, 1987. "Lazer 103" dominated the

album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. US rad ...

market, such that competing station WQFM switched to

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is commercially oriented crossover jazz music. Although often described as a "genre", it is a debatable and highly controversial subject in jazz music circles. As a radio format, however, smooth jazz radio became the successor to e ...

in 1996. WLZR's longtime morning show of Bob and Brian debuted in July 1987. The station ran a simulcast on sister station 1340 AM beginning in the WBCS era, sporadically until 1997, when 1340 AM became the faith-based WJYI. Even with Bob and Brian's success, during Lazer 103's last few years, the aging audience of the station's morning show did not translate to listenership of the station's younger-skewing

active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...

format the rest of the day, as older listeners dispersed to the more work-appropriate offerings of sister station

WKLH WKLH (96.5 FM) is a classic rock-formatted radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The station is owned by Saga Communications, and operates as part of the Milwaukee Radio Group. Its studios are located on Milwaukee's West Side, and the transmi ...

, or

WKTI WKTI (94.5 FM broadcasting, FM) – branded 94.5 ESPN Milwaukee – is a commercial Sports radio, sports radio station licensed to Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, serving the Milwaukee metropolitan area. Owned by Good Karma Brands, WKTI is a ...

and other offerings after the show's end. Also in 2004, WLTQ suddenly dropped their light

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 ...

format and switched to an 1980s-oriented

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

format as " 97.3 The Brew", which also stripped listeners of WLZR post-''Bob and Brian'', along with WKLH. Management decided to rebuild the station around the demographic of their popular morning show, along with the general decline in the active rock format altogether at the time.

Classic rock (2005-present)

On August 15, 2005, WLZR started stunting with wide-ranging music and teasers. The stunt also included songs with the word "Jack" in their title (in reference to the rapidly growing

Jack FM Jack FM is a radio network brand that is licensed by Sparknet Communications, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an adult hits radio format, format, in most cases not using disc jockey, DJs. F ...

format). The next day, just after 10:00 a.m., Bob and Brian signed off their morning show by signing on a new radio station -- "102-9 The Hog". The station re-imaged itself, dropped much of the younger-skewing rock music from bands like

Slipknot The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail ( working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipp ...

Mudvayne Mudvayne is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Peoria, Illinois, Peoria, Illinois, in 1996. Known for their sonic experimentation, face and body paint, masks and uniforms, the band has sold over five million records wor ...

and

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

, added more rock from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and widely expanded their playlist. The new slogan was "Everything That Rocks", and serves as a harder rocking counterpart to its

sister, WKLH. Another slogan used to help change the station's image and to steal listeners from other stations included "Not Just the 80's, Everything That Rocks". The results of the image and playlist changes were immediate, as "The Hog" soon eclipsed "The Brew" in the local ratings, eventually hastening their May 2010 conversion to

as WRNW. The Hog's mascot hog was named "Dr. Squealgood" in a contest which is takeoff of the popular

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...

song " Dr. Feelgood". The Hog branding's success has led to

Janesville, Wisconsin Janesville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 65,615, making it the List of cities in Wisconsin, tenth-most populous city in Wis ...

station

WWHG WWHG (105.9 FM) is a commercial mainstream rock radio station licensed to Evansville, Wisconsin, and serving the areas of Madison and Janesville. The station is owned by Scott Thompson, through licensee Big Radio, and began a new rock music ...

changing its branding to mirror WHQG's. In recent years, WHQG's format shifted back towards active rock, similar to the former WLZR.

References

External links

102.9 The Hog official website

Bob and Brian's official website

"Lazer 103 to change music format" (JSonline.com)

"The Hog offers no sentiment for Lazer" (JSonline.com)
{{Saga Communications HQG Active rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1962 1962 establishments in Wisconsin