WSKQ-FM
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WSKQ-FM | |
 |
|
| Broadcast area | New York, New York |
|---|---|
| Branding | Mega 97.9 |
| Frequency | 97.9 (MHz) |
| First air date | 1941 |
| Format | Tropical |
| ERP | 6,000 watts |
| HAAT | 415 meters |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 61641 |
| Owner | Spanish Broadcasting System |
| Website | www.lamega.com |
WSKQ-FM, known on-air as Mega 97.9, is a radio station in New York City owned by Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS). Currently located at 97.9 FM, the station has a tropical format, which consists of such musical styles as salsa and merengue and some Reggaeton.
The station's heritage goes back to 1941, when the Muzak Corporation went on the air as W47NY at 44.7 MHz. The call letters changed to WGYN in 1943 and the frequency ended up at 97.9 on the FM band in 1947.
In 1952 the call letters became WEVD-FM. The station was owned by the Jewish Daily Forward with brokered ethnic programming, Jewish programming, and some big band music.
The WSKQ days begins in 1983 as Super KQ and founded by Rafael-Diaz Gutierrez, Raul Alarcon(former DJ in Cuba), and Adriano Garcia Sr.(CEO of SAR Records and father of lead vocalist A.G.(Adriano Garcia Jr. of New York Hardcore band Against The Grain). SBS brought the 620 AM frequency in Newark, New Jersey and made that station a Spanish adult contemporary music station with the callsign of WSKQ. In 1988, SBS negotiated a deal that would enable them to acquire the 97.9 FM frequency that was occupied by ethnic WEVD. SBS had acquired the 1050 AM frequency in October of 1988, as the frequency's previous occupants, WFAN had just replaced WNBC on the 660 AM frequency. Since it was illegal in 1988 for the same company to own two AM stations in a market, there was a problem in regards to what to do with the 1050 frequency. To solve this problem, the FCC allowed SBS to operate the 1050 frequency as a non-commercial station. The call letters would be WUKQ, and would play Spanish adult contemporary music without commercial interruptions, while 620 AM would become a Spanish oldies station. Finally, on February 1, 1989, the deal between SBS and WEVD closed, and SBS instituted a Spanish music format with the call letters WSKQ-FM on 97.9 FM, while WEVD moved to 1050 AM.
The Spanish oldies music format on 620 AM would remain for several years after the deal, and in 1995, that station would take on a tejano format as WXLX. A couple of years later, SBS would sell the station to One-on-One Sports (now Sporting News Radio), and it would become a sports-talk station.
As for WSKQ-FM, the Spanish adult contemporary format would initially obtain mediocre ratings. Then in 1993, with the hiring of radio executive Alfredo Alonso the station moved to an upbeat tropical format playing a lot of salsa, merengue, and dance music. At that point the station would flourish; as of 2005, it is one of the highest rated radio stations in New York City. In fact, its morning show, the syndicated El Vacilón de la Mañana, has sometimes reached number one out of all morning shows in New York.
The shows, such as El Vacilon and its Sunday night programs "On Fuego: The Daddy Yankee Show" and TRL Latino are syndicated by CBS Radio and ABC Radio Networks.
The Spanish adult contemporary format would be resurrected in January of 1996, when SBS would acquire WPAT-FM's license and transmitter.
[edit] External links
- Mega 97.9 website
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WSKQ
- Radio Locator information on WSKQ
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for WSKQ
| Preceded by WEVD |
FM 97.9 in New York, New York 1952 - February 1, 1989 |
Succeeded by WSKQ |
| Preceded by WSKQ |
AM 620 in New York, New York 1983 - 1995 |
Succeeded by WXLX (now WSNR) |
| Preceded by WUKQ |
AM 1050 in New York, New York February 1, 1989-Present |
Succeeded by WEVD (now WEPN) |
