WRNQ
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| WRNQ | |
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| City of license | Poughkeepsie, New York |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Hudson Valley |
| Branding | 92.1 Lite FM |
| Slogan | The best variety of yesterday and today |
| Frequency | 92.1 MHz |
| First air date | June 30, 1989 |
| Format | Adult Contemporary |
| Power | 520 watts |
| ERP | 6 kw |
| HAAT | 314 meters |
| Class | A |
| Callsign meaning | W Richard Novick (former owner) Q (former station name) Alternate: RockiN Easy Q-92 (original slogan) |
| Former callsigns | WLMS (1985-89, not on-air) |
| Owner | Clear Channel Communications |
| Website | 921litefm.com |
WRNQ (92.1 Lite FM) is an adult contemporary radio station licensed to Poughkeepsie, New York and serving the Mid-Hudson Valley of New York state. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from the Illinois Mountain master tower in Highland, New York to which it moved in 2000. Unlike other Class A stations on that tower, WRNQ's signal is directional to protect first adjacents WXRK-FM New York City and WFLY Troy.
A variation of WRNQ's format, without the simulcast and with different jocks, is broadcast on 98.5 WCTW Catskill, New York. From March 2005 until November 2006, WRNQ's format and programming is "shadowcasted" on 99.3 WFKP Ellenville, New York which aired the same air talent as WRNQ (and simulcasted WRNQ's "Joe Daily in the Morning").
[edit] History
The original construction permit for what became WRNQ was awarded in December 1985, several years after the FCC amended the table of allotments to allow for the 92.1 frequency to become active in Poughkeepsie. Around 1987, the frequency was awarded to WKIP owner Richard Novick, gained the WLMS (Lite Music Station) calls and announced that the station would take on a format near-identical to that which hit the air. The combination of potential ratings confusion with WLTW ("Lite FM") from New York City and jokes from rivals about the call meaning ("Lite Music Sucks") were replaced by WRNQ in 1989, a decision made by then-General Manager Donald Verity. The difficulty obtaining a transmitter site in the market also was a problem and Novick eventually settled on a site inside a small housing complex in Lagrangeville, New York, east of Poughkeepsie unlike most stations which broadcast on mountain peaks in Ulster County.
WRNQ, better known as "Rockin Easy, Q-92" hit the air on June 30, 1989 and made a splash prior to signing on by stealing former WKIP morning man Van Ritshie to anchor an otherwise satellite-fed format (Unistar's "Format 41", today's Westwood One "Adult Contemporary"). With no real competition in the format (WHUD was still easy listening and WKIP was going to talk programming), WRNQ reached top ratings levels within a year.
In 1996, Novick sold WRNQ, WKIP, and new sister WNSX to Straus Media (owned by Eric Straus, heir to former ownership of WMCA in New York City) which in turn replaced the satellite-fed time periods with all-local programming, much of which from DJ's Straus transplanted from his stations in Ellenville and Hudson.. With this, the station picked up Delilah After Dark at night . The pickup of Delilah, also on now-rival WHUD, was allowed via a geogographic loophole (WHUD and WRNQ are technically in different markets) which also allowed the two rivals to have the same jingle package for several years.
Eric Straus decided to leave radio ownership in 2000 to concentrate on two online ventures (Regional Help Wanted and Cupid.com]), selling the whole group to Clear Channel Communications. The next year, Van Ritshie retired from radio into a lucrative career in voiceovers, being replaced by cluster manager Joe Daily in the morning slot. In 2002, WRNQ began airing Christmas music in the weeks airing into Christmas after such a programming move became popular.
At the end of Christmas music in 2003, the station relaunched under the "LiteFM" brand of popular sister WLTW in New York City in a move of "branding unity" which also was ironic considering the station's pre-signon change done to minimize confusion with WLTW. Outside of some music refocusing and the addition of a Saturday night dance programming, no major changes have been made since.
[edit] External links
- 92.1 Lite FM Homepage
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WRNQ
- Radio Locator information on WRNQ
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