WERQ-FM (92.3
FM) 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 in
Baltimore, Maryland
Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...
. It features an
urban contemporary
Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...
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
Urban One
Urban One, Inc. (formerly Radio One) is an American media conglomerate based in Silver Spring, Maryland. Founded in 1980 by Cathy Hughes, the company primarily operates media properties targeting African Americans.
It is the largest African-Ame ...
of
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially Unincorporated area, unincorporated, it is an edge city with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ...
, the largest broadcasting company serving
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
audiences in the United States. The
radio studios are located in
Woodlawn (they were previously located at Cathy Hughes Plaza in downtown Baltimore).
WERQ-FM has 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 ...
of 37,000 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 ...
is on Park Heights Avenue at Boarman Avenue in the
Park Heights section of Baltimore. WERQ-FM broadcasts using
HD Radio
HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. HD radio generally simulcast, simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD R ...
technology; the HD2
digital subchannel
In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compress ...
carries
urban gospel
Urban/contemporary gospel, also known as urban gospel music, urban gospel pop, or just simply urban gospel, is a modern subgenre of gospel music. Although the style developed gradually, early forms are generally dated to the 1970s, and the genr ...
programming from co-owned
WWIN, while the HD3 subchannel
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) ...
s the black
talk programming of
WOLB
WOLB (1010 AM broadcasting, AM) is an Talk radio, urban talk radio station in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. The station is owned by Urban One and broadcasts from studios in Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland, Woodlawn and a transmitter in ...
.
History
WYOU and WSID-FM
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 January 30, 1961.
WYOU was the
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 ...
to
WSID
WOLB (1010 AM broadcasting, AM) is an Talk radio, urban talk radio station in Baltimore, Baltimore, Maryland. The station is owned by Urban One and broadcasts from studios in Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland, Woodlawn and a transmitter in ...
(1010 AM), initially using a
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 ...
that owner United Broadcasting had previously used at
a station it had just sold in Virginia. On October 2, 1961, WYOU became WSID-FM, reflecting its affiliated AM outlet. Because the AM station was a
daytimer
A clear-channel station is a North American AM radio station that has the highest level of protection from interference from other stations, particularly from nighttime skywave signals. This classification exists to ensure the viability of cross ...
, during its first few years, WSID-FM would simulcast much of WSID's
urban contemporary
Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...
programming in
mono. After sunset, the programming continued on the FM station only and it would sign off at midnight.
By September 1968, WSID-FM broke away from the AM programs for several hours each day for a separate
underground rock format, which was gradually expanded to full-time by the end of the year.
WLPL
The call letters for the station under the new rock format became WLPL. The WLPL call sign stood for . In 1969, WLPL expanded its operating hours to full-time, while shifting toward a mixture of
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 ...
and
album rock
Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM broadcasting, FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of Rock music, rock albums and is currently associated ...
musical selections.
By 1972, the station made a transition to a full-time Top 40 format and began broadcasting in
FM stereo
FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high-fidelity sound ...
. WLPL was a popular Top 40 station under the management of its founder, United Broadcasting Company (UBC) of
Bethesda, Maryland
Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...
. In 1977, WLPL-FM Program Director Bill Parris was named "Major Market Top 40 Program Director of The Year" by the
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
magazine, largely due to his work at WLPL.
Notable personalities during this period were Kris Earl Phillips, The "Smoker", Casey Jones, Hal Martin, Michael St. John (John Moen), and Gary Michaels aka The Boogie Man (Gary Rau).
However, ratings deteriorated when WBSB (now
WZFT
WZFT (104.3 FM), branded "Z104.3", is a gold-leaning contemporary hit radio station located in Baltimore, Maryland. It is currently owned and operated by iHeartMedia. WZFT's studios are located at The Rotunda shopping center in Baltimore, and ...
) launched in 1980, as "B104" with a similar Top 40 format. WLPL was forced to operate under reduced transmitter power during this period, due to a fire in the station's broadcast tower equipment.
WYST-FM
WLPL ended its Top 40 format in the summer of 1981, becoming WYST on November 16. The FM suffix was added the next year. WYST was 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 ...
-based
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 under the name "92 Star". Initially, ratings were favorable for WYST, but began slipping shortly thereafter.
In February 1991, WYST shifted its format to a
hot 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 ...
approach. The strategy failed because the heritage hot AC station,
WWMX
WWMX (106.5 FM), known on-air as Mix 106.5, is a commercial radio station in Baltimore, Maryland. It broadcasts a hot adult contemporary radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The studios and offices are on Clarkview Road off Jones Falls ...
, was too well established. WYST's ratings declined and by mid-1991, WYST was among Baltimore's lowest-rated radio stations.
WERQ-FM
The history of ''92Q'' began on August 16. WYST's parent company, UBC, flipped the station to a
rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...
approach, under the nickname ''92Q''. One month later, 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 ...
(FCC) granted the WERQ call letters. The original concept for ''92Q'' was formulated by UBC's vice-president of Programming William Parris, who had an extensive background in the Top 40 radio format. The startup Program Director of ''92Q'' was Jeffrey Ballentine.
Steve Kingston (Program Director of
Z100 in New York) and David Tate (of Rantel Research, Inc., of Laurel, Maryland) were the principal consultants on this new venture. Both Kingston and Tate were former employees of United Broadcasting Company during the 1970s, and later, they were both competitors against UBC's WYST, while serving together at WBSB-FM, during the 1980s.
After the introduction of ''92Q'', WERQ's ratings increased rapidly, at the expense of WBSB's Top 40 format. (WBSB changed to a hot AC format as WVRT in 1992). Longtime
urban station
WXYV abandoned the format for Top 40 in 1997. Initially, ''92Q'' was more Dance music-oriented, with a handful of pop records in its musical mixture, but the format would gradually shift toward "CHUrban" (a hybrid of Top 40 and urban contemporary) by the end of 1991. Over time, ''92Q'' moved to a pure Urban Contemporary format.
Urban One ownership
In the Fall of 1993, United Broadcasting Company began divesting its holdings in radio stations after the death of its founder Richard Eaton, and sold WERQ-FM to Radio One (later renamed
Urban One
Urban One, Inc. (formerly Radio One) is an American media conglomerate based in Silver Spring, Maryland. Founded in 1980 by Cathy Hughes, the company primarily operates media properties targeting African Americans.
It is the largest African-Ame ...
). By 1995, WERQ was classified as a full-fledged
mainstream urban
Mainstream may refer to:
Film
* ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film
Literature
* ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine
* Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher
* ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso
* ' ...
format.
Since 1996, WERQ has been one of the highest-rated stations in Baltimore, according to the
Arbitron
Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) is a consumer research company in the United States that collects listener data on radio broadcasting audiences. It was founded as the American Research Bureau by Jim Seiler in 1949 and became national by mergin ...
ratings company, and later
Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
.
References
Google Books Result: Billboard Magazine, Sep 5, 1981. Bill Parris named Vice-President of Operations at United Broadcasting Company
External links
The People's Station — 92Q Jams The Most Hip-Hop and R&B*
{{coord, 39.339, N, 76.667, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
African-American history in Baltimore
Hip-hop in Maryland
Urban contemporary radio stations in the United States
Urban One stations
ERQ-FM
Radio stations established in 1961
1961 establishments in Maryland
Woodlawn, Baltimore County, Maryland