WWQM-FM (106.3

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 ...

) 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 ...

licensed to

Middleton, Wisconsin Middleton is a city in Dane County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 21,827 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb northwest of Madison, Wisconsin, Madison, it is part of the Madison metropolitan area. Middleton's mo ...

and serving the

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States * Madison (footballer), Brazilian footballer Places in the United States Populated places * Madi ...

area. Owned and operated by

Mid-West Family Broadcasting Mid-West Family Broadcasting is an independently owned broadcasting company based in Madison, Wisconsin. The company owns and manages radio stations in Madison, Wisconsin, Eau Claire, Wisconsin, La Crosse, Wisconsin, Benton Harbor/St. Joseph, Mich ...

, the station has aired a

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 ...

format Format may refer to: Printing and visual media * Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements * Paper formats, or paper size standards * Newspaper format, the size of the paper page Computing * File format, particular way that informatio ...

since 1981.

History

WWQM signed on in 1970 as WMAD-FM, owned by Hudson Broadcasting. As WMAD-FM, it simulcast with country-formatted WMAD (at 1550 AM, the current

WHIT Whit may refer to: * Whit or Whitsun, another name for the holy day of Pentecost * Whit (given name) * Whit (novel), by Iain Banks * WHIT, a radio station licensed to Madison, Wisconsin, United States, having the call sign WHIT since 2009 * WCS ...

). "The Country Giant" was an early station slogan, followed by "Music of America." WMAD-AM became WWQM ("15Q") in 1976, running an automated oldies format featured PAMS jingles, while WMAD-FM adopted its own country format, though competitor

WTSO WTSO (1070 AM broadcasting, AM, "1070 The Game") is a commercial radio station in Madison, Wisconsin, known as "1070 The Game." The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc., and airs a sports radio radio format, format. The offices a ...

continually beat it in the ratings, forcing WMAD-FM to drop Country for Top 40 rock in 1978. WMAD adopted the WWQM

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 ...

in 1978, running a live-assist format using TM Programming Stereo Rock. In mid-1978, the station hadn't reached the high ratings expected and Q106 became a fully automated station. In January 1980, Q106 dropped automation and went live Top 40. This version of Q106 only lasted a short time and a switch to country would follow in 1981. On November 3, 2008, Q106's reach would expand outside of the immediate Madison area with a simulcast on WWQN at 106.7 FM, a signal that covers Iowa County and far Western portions of

Dane County Dane County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 561,504, making it the second-most populous county in Wisconsin after Milwaukee County, Wiscon ...

. The 106.7 frequency was previously home to

Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

station

WJQM WJQM (93.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a radio station serving Madison, Wisconsin and surrounding areas. The station is owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting and launched a rhythmic contemporary format as "106.7 Jamz" in January 2007 before moving ...

, which moved to 93.1 FM (and displaced the classic rock-formatted

WHLK WHLK (106.5 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, known as "106.5 The Lake" and carrying an adult hits format. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. WHLK's s ...

) to accommodate the Q106 simulcast. WWQN simulcast the programming of WWQM until December 13, 2011, when it moved to a simulcast of talk station WTDY (as

WTDY-FM WTDY-FM (96.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. and broadcasts a hot adult contemporary format. WTDY-FM features programming from Premiere Networks. WTDY-FM's studios are co ...

). The Q106 format was adjusted in July 2009 when new program director John Sebastian instituted a new "Q106.3" (or simply "The Q"). The adjusted format featured less talk by DJ's and more music. The playlist was also broadened to include vintage country songs and pop and rock songs with crossover appeal. After Sebastian departed the station in Summer 2011, new program director Fletcher Keyes gradually reversed the format back to contemporary mainstream country. The station deactivated all of their social media presences on February 18, 2021, shortly after Matthew Bradshaw Jones, who was the station's morning co-host as "Jackson Jones", was arrested for allegations of possessing child pornography.

Madison Country Music Awards

For more than 20 years (through Fall 2008), WWQM hosted the "Madison Country Music Awards," an annual awards ceremony honoring local and national country artists. The ceremonies, which were popular among the station's Madison audience, featured performances by local and national country acts (including a then-up-and-coming

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

in 2007) as well as presentations of awards as voted by Q106 listeners (e.g. awards for Entertainer of the Year and Best Local Band). The Madison Country Music Awards were discontinued in 2009 at the time of Q106's format adjustment.

References

External links

The "Q106" official websiteOfficial WWQM Facebook pageQ106 Twitter feed
* {{coord, 43.051, N, 89.487, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Country radio stations in the United States WQM-FM

History

Madison Country Music Awards

See also

References

External links