WBQX (106.9 FM, "

Frank FM Frank FM is the branding used by Binnie Media for its radio stations airing a classic hits radio format. The Frank FM format was similar to the Jack FM format in that these stations play around 1000 songs in regular rotation at any time as oppo ...

") is a radio station broadcasting a classic hits music format. Licensed to Thomaston, Maine, United States, it serves the Mid Coast region. It first began broadcasting in

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

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 ...

WAVX. The station is owned by Binnie Media. The station's competitor is WBAK in

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

History

The station signed on May 29, 1992, as WAVX, a

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

station owned by Northern Lights Broadcasting and branded as "The Classical Wave". In 1996, the station began simulcasting on WBYA (101.7 FM, now WKVV) in Searsport, which brought its programming to the Bangor area. Mariner Broadcasting bought WAVX in 1998 and made it a part of its WBACH network of classical stations under the call letters WBQX. Nassau Broadcasting Partners acquired Mariner in 2004. Nassau Broadcasting entered bankruptcy in 2011, which culminated in an auction of its stations. Prior to the conclusion of the auction, the Maine Public Broadcasting Network expressed interest in running the WBACH stations. As part of the bankruptcy proceeding, WBQX, along with 29 other Nassau-owned northern New England radio stations, went to a partnership of WBIN-TV owner

Bill Binnie William Harrison "Bill" Binnie is an American industrialist, investment banker, and philanthropist, who is currently president of the Carlisle Capital Corporation, president of the media company New Hampshire 1 Network and owner of Carlisle One M ...

and Jeff Shapiro; 17 of the stations, including WBQX, were acquired by Binnie's WBIN Media Company.Nassau’s Maine Stations Split Up
Al Diamon, Downeast.com, May 4, 2012 (updated May 23, 2012) The purchase was consummated on November 30, 2012, at a price of $12.5 million. On August 7, 2012, WBQX was granted a

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

to increase their ERP to 30,000 watts and to raise their height above sea level up to . The construction permit expired on August 7, 2015. WBQX ended the classical music format on February 18, 2017; Binnie Media then transferred its classic hits format, branded "

", from WBYA (105.5 FM), which changed 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 ...

on February 24. Much of the programming on WBQX is supplied by Portland sister station

WFNK WFNK (107.5 FM) – branded ''107.5 Frank FM'' – is a commercial classic hits radio station licensed to serve Lewiston, Maine. Owned by Binnie Media, the station services the Portland metropolitan area. WFNK has an effective radiated po ...

; the station also began airing coverage of local high school basketball games, which had previously aired on WBYA.

References

External links

* {{Classic Hits Radio Stations in Maine BQX Thomaston, Maine Radio stations established in 1992 1992 establishments in Maine Classic hits radio stations in the United States