| City of license | Manlius, New York |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Utica-Rome, Syracuse |
| Branding | Rock Radio 95x |
| Frequency | 95.7 MHz |
| Format | Active Rock |
| Audience share | 4.1 (Fa'06, R&R[1]) |
| ERP | 25,000 watts |
| HAAT | 91.0 meters |
| Class | B1 |
| Facility ID | 52606 |
| Affiliations | Cumulus Media Networks, Westwood One |
| Owner | Cumulus Media |
| Sister stations | WNTQ, WSKO, WXTL |
| Webcast | listen live |
| Website | 95x.com |
WAQX-FM (95.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting an active rock format. Licensed to Manlius, New York, USA, the station serves the Utica-Rome, Syracuse area. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media and features programming from Cumulus Media Networks and Westwood One.[2] [3]
WAQX Radio was founded in 1978 by Syracuse University students Craig Fox and Ted Utz. It was owned and operated by AGK Communications as an independent property until the acquisition of WOLF Radio in 1983. At that time, the station was moved from its original location on Rt 92 in Manlius, New York to Syracuse's West Side. It was also moved from its original frequency 95.3 to 95.7 in order to boost its coverage area to include not just Syracuse, but other surrounding cities, including Rome, New York and Utica, New York. The original on-air line-up featured Champaign Lenny, Craig Fox, Ted Utz, Ed Levine and Dave Friscina.
In later years the station was the Syracuse affiliate of The Howard Stern Show from June 17, 1996 until December 31, 2005 when the station carried an active rock format. The station changed formats to mainstream rock when the show left the station; however, it would revert to active rock after Mediabase & Nielsen BDS gave that station back to the active rock panel. On December 1, 2004 a dispute occurred directly between Stern and 95X, Stern was upset that the station was censoring and cutting his show short before it actually ended, 95X and its parent company Citadel Broadcasting contended that Stern was giving free advertising every time he talked about Sirius Satellite Radio. In a public statement, 95X DJ Ryno wrote on the station's website: "We don't appreciate him talking about satellite radio and we don't appreciate him taking our money to do a show then end up talking about moving to a direct competitor." Within a few hours of the statement's posting it was removed without explanation.[4]
Prior to the Stern show, the station aired "Fatman and Stacy", Ray Lytle and Dave Coombs (Coombs left for WTKW-FM, a rival classic rock station in 1995) and "Dave and The Fatman". After Stern's departure, WAQX broadcasted "The Beaner and Ken Show" , formerly Birmingham, Alabama-based , for a year but then dropped the program in favor of Opie and Anthony which was later dropped and then replaced with the "Shut up & Rock" program mornings with Alexis. The station's current morning show is called The Show with Hunter and Josh.
Beginning in February 2011 the "Irish Power Hour," a Celtic rock program previously heard on WXTL, will move to WAQX, due to the threat of sports pre-emptions on the show's former station; WAQX canceled the Irish Power Hour in December 2011. Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[5]
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