KQCS

KQCS is a radio station licensed to Bettendorf, Iowa, whose format is hot adult contemporary. The station's frequency is 93.5 MHz, and broadcasts at a power of 6 kW. The transmitter for KQCS is located on 205th Street in rural LeClaire in Scott County.

As KBQC

KQCS signed on the air as KBQC-FM (call letters stood for: "Bettendorf-Quad Cities" on July 4, 1984 broadcasting live from a bandshell in Middle Park, during the "Old Fashioned 4th of July" event staged by the city of Bettendorf. For several weeks prior to going "live", the station had broadcast The Beatles "Here Comes the Sun", continuously, as a teaser to the slogan of the station, "B-93, Where it's Always 93 and Sunny."

KBQC was Bettendorf's first licensed commercial radio station, and was built off an FCC construction permit issued in May 1983, after a contentious application process by several proposed owner/operators.

The prevailing party was Stromquist Broadcast Services, owned by Peter Stromquist, of Edina, Minnesota.

Mr. Stromquist and his first hired employee, Barry Martin, originally from Joplin, MO, and later known as "Martin in the Morning," oversaw construction from the ground up, of the transmitting facilities in LeClaire, IA, and of the new studios and offices on State Street in downtown Bettendorf, located adjacent to Omeara's Pub.

Stromquist sold his interest in the station in 1985 and went on to become VP/GM Europe Middle East, Africa for United Press International, CEO of ABC's radio division in Asia, and Director of Mainland China operations for the broadcasting division of Paris-based Hachette media.

Martin subsequently became the morning host of KVON-AM in the San Francisco bay area for nearly 20 years, and is now working in a PR capacity for local government.

As KORB - "93ROCK"

From 1995-2004, the station was KORB-FM broadcasting an active rock format that is now heard on KBOB-FM. From 1997-2000, Howard Stern was broadcast in the morning on the station.

KORB was one of the highest rated stations in the Quad Cities for a few years. However, the ratings of sister station WXLP were not as good, and it didn't help that the two shared somewhat-similar formats. It decided in 2004 to pull the plug on the 97X format, which had been on-the-air since 1978. 93ROCK became 97ROCK, retaining the WXLP call letters. As a result, a Hot AC format took over the 93.5 frequncy as Star 93.5-KQCS.

93.5 Today

KQCS (commonly known as "Star 93.5") is owned by Townsquare Media, with studios located in Davenport, Iowa, (along with the co-located WXLP-FM, KBEA-FM, KBOB-FM and KJOC).

Programming includes "Intelligence for Your Life" hosted by John Tesh in the evenings. Local personality Wes Jordan (also of sister station B100) hosts the midday drive.

On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus Media stations, including KQCS, for $238 million. The deal is part of Cumulus' acquisition of Dial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled by Oaktree Capital Management.^[1][2] The transaction was consummated effective November 14, 2013.

References

External links

• Star 93.5 FM — official website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for KQCS
• Radio-Locator information on KQCS
• Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for KQCS