| City of license | Atlanta, Georgia |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Atlanta metro area |
| Branding | Q100 |
| Slogan | "All the Hits" |
| Frequency | 99.7 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| Translator(s) | 97.9 W250BC (Atlanta, relays WWWQ-HD3) 98.9 W255CJ (Tallapoosa, relays WWWQ-HD2) |
| First air date | 1955 |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) HD2: Alternative rock HD3: Gold-based Hot AC |
| ERP | 96,600 watts |
| HAAT | 340 meters |
| Class | C0 |
| Facility ID | 73345 |
| Callsign meaning | Q100 |
| Former callsigns | WLTA (<1979), WARM-FM (1985), WAPW (1988), WNNX (1992–2008) |
| Owner | Cumulus Media Partners |
| Sister stations | WNNX, WKHX, WYAY |
| Webcast | Q100 Webstream 99X Webstream Journey 97-9 Webstream |
| Website | q100atlanta.com 99x.com (HD2) journey979.com (HD3) |
WWWQ FM 99.7, known as "Q100", is an Atlanta radio station airing a top-40 contemporary hit radio format. It is owned and operated by Cumulus Media from the same building as its other co-owned sister stations WNNX-FM "Rock 100.5", W255CJ-FM 98.9 "99X", W250BC-FM 97.9 "Journey 97-9", WKHX FM 101.5 "Kicks 101-5", and WYAY FM 106.7 "Atlanta's Greatest Hits 106.7." WWWQ's main competition is WSTR-FM 94.1, "Star 94," and the simulcast of WWVA-FM/WWLG "Wild 105-7 and 96-7."
On January 25, 2008, the Q100 programming and moniker and its WWWQ callsign moved from 100.5 to 99.7, replacing long-time alternative rock station 99X.[1][2] 99X's brand and format are now being carried on 99.7 HD2 and 98.9 FM.[3] Its WNNX callsign was swapped back to 100.5, now known as "Rock 100.5".
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For most of its early years, 99.7 played host to an easy listening format. Oddly, one of its most popular music blocks in the late 70s was "Golden Sundays", a rock & roll oldies show (8-10pm) originating live from Timothy John's restaurant in Sandy Springs. It began including contemporary vocals around 1980 and gradually became Soft Rock. In 1983, following the WSB-FM (98.5) change to soft AC, the station shifted further in that direction, opened up its announcers' personalities and became "Warm 100".
By 1985, with digital-tuning radios becoming mainstream, the station began ID-ing as "Warm 99". That did not sit well with WSB-FM's parent company Cox Radio. They sued, claiming "copyright infringement". In a landmark case, Cox v. Susquehanna Broadcasting, the judge was handed a digital radio and asked to tune to 100.0 MHz. There was no signal, as this is between channels. To find the nearest station, he pressed the "scan" button, and it stopped on 101.5 MHz. Next, he entered 99.0 MHz, which again is between channels and so contained no signal. Scanning from there, the radio hit 99.7. In his precedent-setting decision, the Federal district judge stated that on a radio dial "a radio station's frequency is its address" and one cannot copyright an address. He ruled in favor of Warm 99. Soon thereafter, WSB-FM became known as "B98.5", as it still is today.
At 3pm on March 5, 1986, Warm 99 went head-to-head with dominant local top-40 station Z-93 (WZGC-FM 92.9), becoming "Power 99". Z-93 eventually lost their lead, and attempted to shift to a more urban-oriented format (as "Hot New Z-93") to compete, but conceded the battle in January 1989 by flipping to classic rock. The station would change call letters to WAPW on February 10, 1988.
By the turn of the 90s, Power 99 was the dominant top-40 station in the southeast. However, the success of Nirvana at the end of 1991 and the subsequent rise of "alternative" music gave station management pause. In early September 1992, Power 99 brought in Will Pendarvis to host an all-alternative program on weeknights called "Power 99 On the Edge". After receiving a solid amount of positive feedback, the station decided to make the full switch. On Monday, October 26, 1992, at 12:00 pm, 99X made its debut with its first song, "Video Killed The Radio Star" by The Buggles. The WNNX call letters would take effect on November 27, 1992.
99X played a key role in breaking numerous acts during its early years. Music director Sean Demery's push behind The Cranberries' "Linger" in 1993 helped earn the band national attention in the U.S. On a trip to Australia in early 1995, program director Brian Phillips brought back a copy of fledging band Silverchair's debut EP, which the station began to spin. The day after the release of their debut album Frogstomp, the band played its first US show at the Roxy in Atlanta as a 99X Freeloader show.
On May 5, 2006, Cumulus Media acquired Susquehanna Radio and all of its stations, including 99X and sister station Q100. Over the next 20 months, Cumulus continued to support 99X's modern rock format, despite a noticeable decline in Arbitron ratings. On January 25, 2008, at 5:30 am, 99X ceased to broadcast on the standard FM frequency, with "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" by Green Day being the final song, and Top 40 (CHR) formatted "Q100" was moved from 100.5 to 99.7. At that point, 99X was moved to the 99.7 HD2 signal (replacing classic alternative rock "99XS") and online at 99x.com. The call letter swap between the two stations would take place on January 29, 2008. Q100's main competitor is WSTR, which plays a hot adult contemporary format, but has flirted with the CHR format in the past. Under Cumulus Media's ownership, WWWQ briefly flirted with a Hot AC format in 2009, but as of 2010, the music more resembles that of a CHR. In addition, it also has competition from Rhythmic contemporary simulcast WWVA/WWLG.
On April 17, 2009, 99X returned to the regular analog airwaves, by simulcasting with broadcast translator station W250BC at 97.9 FM. To get around FCC rules which require these stations to relay another station, it technically carries the HD Radio channel 2 signal from WNNX FM 100.5 according to FCC records,[4] although "99X on 97.9" is its branding and is clearly its primary outlet. 99X moved to 99.1 FM on June 15, 2011, and again to 98.9 on September 15.
As of February 2011[update], two "translator" stations are assigned to WWWQ.[5]
W221CG FM 92.1 was established in 2007 as W275AQ FM 102.9 by Radio Assist Ministry, a company which speculatively has filed for hundreds of translator permits (both commercial and noncommercial, then rents them to other stations or "flips" them for profit by selling them outright. This station was transferred to Cumulus around January 2010, and was previously listed as retransmitting WGPB FM, Georgia Public Broadcasting's station in Rome. It has Kennesaw as its city of license, but has never actually reached that city, instead being in Acworth. Also in January 2010, the station moved far southwest to near Hiram southeast of Dallas, still keeping the now-nowhere-nearby Kennesaw as its city of license, and serving only an exurban area instead of a suburban one. In May 2010, it was granted another permit to move southeast to near Clarkdale between Powder Springs and Austell, with Lithia Springs as its community of license. It is unknown what Cumulus intends to do with this station, which will move to 92.5, and therefore change its serially-assigned callsign to a new one starting with W223. Currently 38 watts, the permit is for 120 watts, with a modification application made in late January 2011 for 250 watts and a HAAT increased by 16 meters (52 ft) at the same location, but on 92.3. This station is now owned by Cumulus Licensing LLC.
The other station is W258BU FM 99.5, which is still owned by Edgewater Broadcasting, an apparent shell company of Calvary Chapel. Granted an original permit in 2003, it finally went on the air in 2007. It had a series of eight permits and licenses to cover those permits from late 2008 through late 2009. In mid 2010, it was located on the north side of Whitlock Avenue / Dallas Highway (Georgia 120) west of Marietta, and just a few yards or meters west of the edge of Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park. Despite this, it is still licensed to serve Tallapoosa, which is two counties away in west Georgia outside of metro Atlanta. Edgewater applied to move it to Blackjack Mountain just northeast of Marietta in December 2009, and amended its application in July 2010 to change its channel from 205 (88.9) to 258 (99.5), where it currently is licensed for 10 watts. This moved it out of the reserved band to the regular band where commercial stations are allowed. Apparently because this had not been approved yet in 2010, the station had special temporary authority to remain silent, though the FCC still allowed commercial WWWQ to be listed as its input signal. The owner has not yet applied to transfer the station to Cumulus, however the agreement reportedly sells the station for $150,000 dollars, and requires it to be moved to the WWWQ/W250BC tower where it will be diplexed into the W250BC radio antenna at 99 watts on 99.1, supposedly carrying the main WWWQ signal that is already transmitted from the same tower.[6] Previous callsigns were W261AS (100.1) in 2004, W208BE (89.5) in 2006, W209BX (89.7) in 2008, W207CA (89.3) in June 2009, and W205CI (88.9) in July 2009. In early February 2011, it was granted a permit to move to the North Druid Hills site, increasing power to 99 watts, and changing frequency to 99.1, and currently airs 99X. 99X would change frequencies to 98.9 in September of the same year.
W229AG FM 93.7, which was assigned to WWWQ in 2010, is now assigned directly to WCNN AM 680 "The Fan". It is located on Sweat Mountain, and for several years previously carried KAWZ FM, a Christian broadcasting station which feeds hundreds of translator stations from Calvary Chapel in Twin Falls, Idaho. It has Sandy Plains, Georgia as its community of license. 99X was reportedly set to move to this station, which had a construction permit granted in July 2010 to relocate to the same tower near North Druid Hills as WWWQ and W250BC, and has the same power but somewhat lower height (and therefore broadcast range) as 99X has on W250BC. The station was still owned by Calvary Chapel of Twin Falls, which filed for the permit in April 2010. After it was approved in early July, Calvary applied just a few days later to transfer ownership of the station to Cumulus for $400,000. It is now licensed to Cumulus Licensing LLC and resides on the WWWQ tower.[7]
The Bert Show started at Q100 in March 2001. It presently consists of Bert Weiss, Jeff Dauler, Jenn Hobby, Kristin Klingshirn , formerly "Kentucky Kristin" of Bob and the Showgram in Raleigh, NC, and Wendy Adams. Many of the Bert Show's events benefit the Bert's Big Adventure charity. Their producer, Tracey and several Bert Show interns also make random appearances on the show. On July 21, 2011, "Kentucky Kristin" of Bob and the Showgram on WDCG in Raleigh, North Carolina announced that she would be leaving the show with the pursuit of a future radio career with The Bert Show to replace Melissa Carter, who left that April.
On April 5, 2007, Q100 and The Bert Show hosted a promotion at Six Flags Over Georgia. Anyone who arrived at the theme park between 6am and 9am was to be admitted free for the day. The promotion occurred during metro Atlanta schools' spring break, and cars began arriving by 3:00am. By 6:00am, the park had already reached capacity, and Six Flags officials shut the gates. People were seen walking along and across the interstate and among area side streets. Police closed exits leading to the theme park. Children whose parents dropped them off along the interstate on their way to work were stranded. The ensuing traffic jam wreaked havoc on Interstate 20 and snarled Atlanta's west side during the morning rush hour.[8]
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