WQLF (102.1 FM; "Q102") is a

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 ...

broadcasting a

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. Licensed to

Lena, Illinois Lena is a village in Stephenson County, Illinois. The population was 2,772 at the 2020 census. Lena was platted in 1853, and named after a place mentioned in a poem by Ossian. History In 1853, a railroad survey by Benjamin Dornblazer determin ...

, the station serves the

Freeport Freeport, a variant of free port, may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Freeport, name of several space stations in the video game ''Freelancer'' (2003) * Freeport, a fictional town in the video game ''SiN'' (1998) * ''Freeport: The Cit ...

area, and is owned by Big Radio.WQLF
fcc.gov. Accessed September 29, 2012

History

The allocation for 102.1 in Lena was added by 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 ...

in 1993; the

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 build a station there was awarded in 2000 to Lena Radio, Inc., which was controlled by Sally McMahon. Lena Radio would sell the WQLF permit to Thompson & Spielman, a partnership led by Scott Thompson, in 2002. It went on the air August 2, 2002, as "Hit Radio Q102.1", with a classic rock format. Lena Radio Broadcasting was a subsidiary of Green County Broadcasting, owner of WEKZ and WEKZ-FM in

Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...

; the station was operated from the WEKZ studios, with Thompson comparing its format to "the WLS of the '70s".

References

External links

* * QLF Classic rock radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 2002 2002 establishments in Illinois {{Illinois-radio-station-stub