WHBQ-FM (107.5

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 ...

, "Q107.5") is a commercial radio station broadcasting a

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

format. It is

licensed A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another part ...

Germantown, Tennessee Germantown is a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 41,333 at the 2020 census. It was given a Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award for Performance Excellence in 2019. Germantown is a suburb of Memphis, border ...

, and serves

Greater Memphis The Memphis–Clarksdale–Forrest City Combined Statistical Area, TN–MS–AR (CSA) is the commercial and cultural hub of the Mid-South or Ark-Miss-Tenn. The census-defined combined statistical area covers eleven counties in three states, Tenne ...

. It is owned by Flinn Broadcasting with studios on Mount Moriah Road in Southeast Memphis. Despite sharing

call letters 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 Identifier, unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be fo ...

, WHBQ-FM is not co-owned with

WHBQ-TV WHBQ-TV (channel 13) is a television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, affiliated with the Fox network and owned by Imagicomm Communications. The station's studios are located on South Highland Street (near the campus of the Univers ...

. WHBQ-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 ...

(ERP) of 3,900 watts. Its

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 Lenow Road in

Cordova, Tennessee Cordova is a community in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States. Cordova lies east of Memphis, north of Germantown, south of Bartlett, and northwest of Collierville at an elevation of . The majority of Cordova has been annexed by the Cit ...

. WHBQ-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. Its HD-2

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 a

classic hip hop Classic hip hop is a music radio format focusing primarily on hip hop music from the 1980s, 1990s, and the early to mid-2000s. Although stations with such a format date back as far as 2004, the format was first popularized in October 2014, after ...

format known as "Bumpin' 96.3". It feeds 250-watt

FM translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...

W242CF at 96.3 MHz in Memphis.

History

Early years (1993–2004)

The station first

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 in June 1993. Its original

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 ...

was WAQK. A year later, the call sign changed to WJOI. In

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, Flinn Broadcasting acquired the station for $4.5 million. It took its first jab at the

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 with another call sign change to WKSL, and the moniker ''"107.5 KISS FM"''. This station, like the "Q", had a format based on

KIIS-FM KIIS-FM (102.7 FM broadcasting, FM, "102.7 KIIS FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States, and broadcasts to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format. Owned by i ...

in Los Angeles, one of the nation's leaders in contemporary hit radio. This format was ended in 2001, and in August of that year, the call sign was changed to WYYL, a.k.a. "Wild 107-5". This station had a rhythmic contemporary hits format, similar to that of another former Memphis station, Power 99. This format only lasted for four months before being turned into WMPS, a.k.a. "107 Oink Five, The Pig". The station aired an

adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, ...

format. The format would move to 96.1 FM in 2004.

Top 40 (2004–2020)

In June 2004, after three years of Memphis not having a true contemporary hits outlet, the station returned to Top 40 using the name "Q 107-5" and the WHBQ-FM call sign. In 2010, the station expanded its signal by adding a simulcast on 96.1 FM, while 96.1 FM's format of AAA "The Pig" moved to

WPGF-LP WPGF-LD (channel 6) is a low-power television station in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The station's audio channel, transmitting at 87.75 MHz (or VHF channel 6), lies within the FM band; as a result, WPGF-LD's audio channel operates as ...

87.7 FM. On April 11, 2013, WIVG split from its simulcast with WHBQ-FM and began stunting with a loop of "

Blister in the Sun "Blister in the Sun" is a song by American rock band Violent Femmes, originally released on their 1983 self-titled debut album. It was later released as a promo single in 1997 after its inclusion in the film '' Grosse Pointe Blank''. A live promo ...

" by

Violet Femmes Violent Femmes are an American folk punk band from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The band consists of founding members Gordon Gano (guitar, lead vocals) and Brian Ritchie (bass, backing vocals), joined by multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza (joined 2004 ...

, and changed format to alternative rock at 4 pm, branded as "96X".

Classic hits (2020–2023)

On September 28, 2020, at 9:54 a.m., after playing "

If the World Was Ending "If the World Was Ending" is a song written and performed by Canadian singer JP Saxe featuring American singer Julia Michaels. The song was released by Arista Records on October 17, 2019, through digital download and streaming formats as the lea ...

" by

JP Saxe Jonathan Percy Starker "JP" Saxe (born March 23, 1993) is a Canadian singer and musician. He is best known for his collaboration with American singer Julia Michaels titled " If the World Was Ending" which was released in 2019. The song was nomin ...

featuring

Julia Michaels Julia Carin Michaels (''Birth name, née'' Cavazos; born November 13, 1993) is an American singer and songwriter. She has received six Grammy Award nominations, including twice for Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Song of the Year and Grammy A ...

, WHBQ-FM began stunting with Christmas music. At 12:04 pm, the station changed its format from top 40/CHR to classic hits branded as "107.5 WHBQ". The first song that played on WHBQ-FM was "

Always Something There To Remind Me "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" is a song written by American songwriting duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963, "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" first charted f ...

" by

Naked Eyes Naked Eyes are an English new wave duo"All Eyes on Pete Byrne", ''Newsday'', 15 October 2013 that rose to prominence in the early 1980s. The band had four US Top 40 singles. The group's first hit, " Always Something There to Remind Me", was ...

. The station aired the syndicated

Rick Dees Rigdon Osmond Dees III (born March 14, 1950), best known as Rick Dees, is an American entertainer, radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show '' The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Coun ...

show "Daily Dees" in mornings.

"Q" Redux (2023–present)

On April 27, 2023, at Noon, the station shifted back to a Top 40 - CHR format, reverting to the "Q107.5" branding. The move came to capitalize on the impending drop of the

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 ...

format on WMC-FM. That station would assume the format of

WLFP WLFP may refer to: * WLFP (FM), a radio station (99.7 FM) licensed to serve Memphis, Tennessee, United States * WMLE, a radio station (94.1 FM) licensed to serve Germantown, Tennessee, which held the call sign WLFP from 2014 to 2023 * WZUM (AM)< ...

following that station's sale to

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 ...

for its

K-Love K-Love (stylized as K-LOVE) is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), a non-profit Christian ministry, it primarily broadcasts contemporary Christian music. As of June 2019, the network's progr ...

Contemporary Christian Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

sound. WHBQ-FM's local airstaff was retained, but

' syndicated morning show was dropped. Six days later, WHBQ-FM got competition, as

KWNW KWNW (101.9 FM) - branded as "Rock 102" - is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format serving the Memphis, Tennessee, area. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia and is licensed to Crawfordsville, Arkansas. The station's stu ...

moved to 102.7 and shifted to Hot AC. It now calls itself "Kiss-FM", a moniker once used by 107.5 FM.

HD Radio

On August 30, 2019, after stunting with a loop of "

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson recorded for his sixth studio album ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It is the opening track of the album and was released as its fourth single on May 9, 1983, by Ep ...

" by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

, WHBQ-FM launched a 1980s hits format on its HD2 subchannel. It was branded as "Z96.3" and was

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 translator W242CF (96.3 FM), which was flipped from its alternative format as "I96". On January 20, 2020, WHBQ-FM-HD2 and W242CF flipped back to alternative rock, reverting the "I96" branding. 367 days later, on January 22, 2021, at 3p.m., WHBQ-FM HD2 and W242CF switched to Top 40/CHR, branded as "B96.3", with the first song being "

Holy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

" by

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...

featuring

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' (2012) during one of his high school suspension ...

. On May 13, 2022, at noon, WHBQ-FM HD2 switched translators from W242CF to W249BN (97.7 FM), which replaced a classic hits format branded as "Guess-FM". WHBQ-FM's HD2 subchannel and translator at 96.3 now carry a

format, known as "Bumpin' 96.3".

References

External links

* * {{coord, 35.175, N, 89.741, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title 1993 establishments in Tennessee Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Germantown, Tennessee Radio stations established in 1993 HBQ-FM