WNYQ
Encyclopedia
WQSH are the call letters of a radio station licensed to Malta, New York
and playing a 90s Hits
format. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts with 25 kilowatts ERP
from the Bald Mountain tower formerly used by the now-defunct analog signal of WNYT in the hamlet of Speigletown
, in the Town of Brunswick
, Rensselaer County
, New York. WQSH is the newest radio station in the Albany/Schenectady/Troy market, having signed on the air on November 28, 2006 as WBZZ when it began simulcasting (and became the new home of) the Buzz Hot Adult Contemporary format of sister station WABT (now WTMM-FM).
Prior to its move into the Capital District
(Albany
-Schenectady
-Troy
) market, the station was based in Queensbury
outside Glens Falls
until its signoff in May 2006.
WQSH's signal can be heard throughout the entirety of the Capital District
, and reaches as far north as Warrensburg
and Ticonderoga
, and can be heard as far south as Poughkeepsie and Kingston
. However, WQSH's signal is impeded significantly to the west due to WMRV-FM
on 105.7 in Binghamton as well as to the east by WWEI
in Easthampton, Massachusetts
, on 105.5.
Docket 80-90 in 1983 deregulated FM station classes, the idea of putting a high-watt FM station in the Glens Falls
-Lake George
area was approached by several people. Around 1990, WENU
owner Donald Heckman successfully petitioned the FCC to grant a 25,000 watt radio station to his hometown of Queensbury
. After several years of delays, the Heckman-owned Bradmark Communications won the allocation in 1993, originally holding the WWAZ calls until 1995, then the WSRQ calls until June 1996 when it took the WNYQ calls.
Bradmark put WNYQ on the air in November 1996 as the centerpiece of what would become a local radio empire that would soon acquire several other stations in the market. WNYQ assumed the adult contemporary format of WENU, branded under the Wink 105.7 name. From its launch, it aired local programming from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. weekdays with satellite programming fed via Westwood One
at all other hours as had its predecessor.
In 2000, Bradmark Communications was sold to Vox Media, then a growing owner of radio stations in small markets throughout New York
and New England
. Vox dumped all satellite programming and decided to take WNYQ to a Hot AC approach, initially keeping the Wink name. In early 2002, WNYQ rebranded as Q105.7 to fully signify the new format which had begun to lean towards CHR
. Though successful, the station eventually began to decline due to heavy competition from new rival WKBE
and several out-of-market CHR stations (including WFLY
and WZRT
) with usable signals in WNYQ's signal area.
2004 saw two major developments as Vox began to sell their properties to other companies and the initial application to move the signal into the Albany market was filed making it the second Bradmark/Vox station to do so (WYAI, the former WHTR Corinth
, was the first). In December, 2004, WNYQ flipped to a satellite-fed Classic Hits
format while keeping the Q105.7 name. The flip was also done to have a no-risk format in place for when a move could proceed. The Classic Hits format remained on the 105.7 frequency until it signed off to move in May 2006. That format would be revived in September 2006 at 101.7 MHz
(the former WENU, then WQYQ) in Hudson Falls
with the WNYQ calls following the next month.
tower used by WDCD-FM, WKKF
, and WTMM-FM) which is owned by Fitch Communications of New York (FCNY) as a class A station. When finally built, the present Bald Mountain site was selected with an upgrade to a class B1, even amid concerns that Bald Mountain may provide less-than-optimal coverage of some growing suburbs to the north of the market's core.
When Vox sold their remaining Glens Falls stations to Pamal Broadcasting
in mid-2004, initially there was a clause that would allow Pamal to get the first rights to buy the station as a move-in. This plan was slowed down by regulatory concerns with Pamal's revenue share in the adjacent Capital District and the potential that the signal that would have been sold if purchased (104.9 WZMR
) would not able to find new ownership in the required amount of time.
format to complement market leader WGNA-FM
, or adult contemporary to go against WYJB
and WQAR
. The first possibility became reality in the wake of Regent entering a deal with former WYJB morning show Chuck & Kelly. Their show began on September 12, 2006 as a prelude to the move.
In preparation of the move, Vox applied for the call letters WBZZ (which were formerly used by what is now KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh
) for the 105.7 frequency. They took effect on September 21, 2006. After some delays, the station finally returned to the air from the Bald Mountain tower site on November 28, 2006, initially simulcasting WABT. It was during this time that the station began to refer to itself as Buzz 105.7. For the following week, DJ's were constantly heard informing listeners to "make the switch," explaining that the old 104.5 frequency would no longer broadcast the format as of the coming week. The station relaunched exclusively on 105.7 on December 4, 2006, with WABT flipping to ESPN Radio
two weeks later as WTMM-FM.
also had a Hot AC format) to Adult Contemporary. The call letters and the name Buzz 105.7 remained. The Clear Channel-Regent non-compete agreement would continue in Albany once again, as Clear Channel
's WHRL shifted from modern rock
to active rock
in 2009
, competing up against Regent's new active rocker WQBK-FM
and the other active rock station, WZMR
, owned by Pamal. However, Pamal's WZMR switched to country as 104.9 The Cat and Clear Channel's WHRL switched to a simulcast of WGY 810, leaving WQBK as the only active rock in the market as of 2010.
While most of the jingles and imaging initially stayed from the previous format, WBZZ began airing new jingles in January 2008, better suited for an Adult Contemporary station.
Until January 2, 2011, the air staff included: Mark Vanness host of the Morning Buzz (5:30-10am), Meredith McNeil (10-3pm), Julie Fiener (3-7pm) and Darcy "Buzz Nights On Demand", a request show weeknights from 7pm to midnight.
In August 2008, two long time jocks left the station. Former Program Director Glen Stacey, along with 25 other employees throughout the company, was let go due to budget cutbacks. Jake Thomas, added PD duties to his list of tasks that already include OM of the Regent Albany cluster, as well as PD/MD of sister station, WGNA-FM
(Country 107.7). Trudy, who held the midday position (and morning show co-host prior to that), in essence switched positions with sister station WLZW
Lite 98.7 FM in Utica (also owned by Regent), where from she originally came from. In return, Meredith McNeil came to Buzz.
In addition, the station changed its slogan from "Bright, Fresh, and Upbeat" under the Hot AC format, to "The Best Variety from Yesterday and Today" under the new Adult Contemporary format. By the end of 2009, the station began to lean a little bit more Hot AC than competitor WYJB
(similar to CBS's Fresh branding, used on some of its AC stations), but still was mostly an Adult Contemporary station.
by starting Christmas music
at midnight, forcing WTRY-FM
to switch earlier than their planned date. WBZZ had been a Christmas music station in years past, and it is not unheard of for stations to change to Christmas music as early as November 1, so it was not initially obvious that WBZZ was stunting. Early speculation of format changes began when the station did not mention its normal moniker, format or call letters during this time, and included classic rock
to compliment sister WQBK-FM
, a CHR
format to compete against WFLY
or oldies
to compete against WTRY-FM
.
This was eventually confirmed, as the radio station announced a format change about a week before the launch of 105.7 Crush FM at midnight on January 3, 2011, with a 90s Hits format (similar to Clear Channel's Gen X Radio format) and the WQSH calls under new program director Mike Morgan, who left WFFG-FM
in Corinth, New York
for WQSH. Most of the staff on the new Crush FM are imports from other area stations, including Sugar Bear in the evenings (formerly of WAJZ
), Ellen Rockwell in the afternoons (formerly of WFLY
), Mike Morgan in middays (formerly of WFLY
and WFFG-FM
); out of all former Buzz staff, only Mark Vanness and Meredith McNeil (in Crush FM morning drive) made the transition to the new format.
On October 28, 2011, almost exactly a year after the end of the station's previous format, all of WQSH's staff was dismissed.
Since early October 2011, a translator on 99.1, W256BU, went on the air and is currently testing with WQSH's audio.
operations; however, WQSH currently does not operate any HD subchannels.
Malta, New York
Malta is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The town is in the central part of the county and is south of Saratoga Springs. The population was 13,005 at the 2000 census.- History :The town was first settled before 1865....
and playing a 90s Hits
1990s in music
For music from a year in the 1990s, go to 90 | 91 | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99This article includes trends in popular music in the 1990s....
format. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts with 25 kilowatts ERP
Effective radiated power
In radio telecommunications, effective radiated power or equivalent radiated power is a standardized theoretical measurement of radio frequency energy using the SI unit watts, and is determined by subtracting system losses and adding system gains...
from the Bald Mountain tower formerly used by the now-defunct analog signal of WNYT in the hamlet of Speigletown
Speigletown, New York
Speigletown, New York is a hamlet within the town of Schaghticoke, New York in Rensselaer County, New York, USA.It is located northeast of Troy, New York on New York State Route 40, which is named Speigletown Road in that section. It is near the Hudson River, which is the border of Saratoga County...
, in the Town of Brunswick
Brunswick, New York
Brunswick is a town in Rensselaer County, New York, United States that was originally settled in the early 18th century. During its history, it had been part of Albany County, Rensselaerswyck, and Troy, before its incorporation in 1807...
, Rensselaer County
Rensselaer County, New York
Rensselaer County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 159,429. Its name is in honor of the family of Kiliaen van Rensselaer, the original Dutch owner of the land in the area. Its county seat is Troy...
, New York. WQSH is the newest radio station in the Albany/Schenectady/Troy market, having signed on the air on November 28, 2006 as WBZZ when it began simulcasting (and became the new home of) the Buzz Hot Adult Contemporary format of sister station WABT (now WTMM-FM).
Prior to its move into the Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
(Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
-Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
-Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
) market, the station was based in Queensbury
Queensbury, New York
Queensbury is a town in and the county seat of Warren County, New York, United States. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county. The population was 25,441 at the 2000 census. The town is named in honor of Queen Charlotte, the consort of George III of Great Britain and Ireland. It...
outside Glens Falls
Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States. Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census...
until its signoff in May 2006.
WQSH's signal can be heard throughout the entirety of the Capital District
Capital District
New York's Capital District, also known as the Capital Region, is a region in upstate New York that generally refers to the four counties surrounding Albany, the capital of the state: Albany County, Schenectady County, Rensselaer County, and Saratoga County...
, and reaches as far north as Warrensburg
Warrensburg, New York
Warrensburg, New York is a town in Warren County. An hamlet by the same name is recognized by U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place . According to the 2000 United States Census, the CDP comprises less than one-fifth of the town's total area, yet has about 75% of the town's population...
and Ticonderoga
Ticonderoga, New York
Ticonderoga is a town in Essex County, New York, USA. The population was 5,167 at the 2000 census. The name comes from the Mohawk tekontaró:ken, meaning "it is at the junction of two waterways"....
, and can be heard as far south as Poughkeepsie and Kingston
Kingston, New York
Kingston is a city in and the county seat of Ulster County, New York, USA. It is north of New York City and south of Albany. It became New York's first capital in 1777, and was burned by the British Oct. 16, 1777, after the Battles of Saratoga...
. However, WQSH's signal is impeded significantly to the west due to WMRV-FM
WMRV-FM
WMRV-FM: Real Music Variety, is a class B radio station originally with a Top 40 format, now a Hot AC station in Binghamton, NY located on the dial at 105.7 FM. The website gives the time period of the music as "90s, 2000s, and today".History:...
on 105.7 in Binghamton as well as to the east by WWEI
WWEI
WWEI is a radio station in Easthampton, Massachusetts, serving Springfield with a sports radio format. The station is owned by Entercom Communications...
in Easthampton, Massachusetts
Easthampton, Massachusetts
Easthampton is the second largest city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The town is on the southeastern edge of an area called the Pioneer Valley near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst, MA...
, on 105.5.
Queensbury History
After the passage of FCCFederal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
Docket 80-90 in 1983 deregulated FM station classes, the idea of putting a high-watt FM station in the Glens Falls
Glens Falls, New York
Glens Falls is a city in Warren County, New York, United States. Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 14,700 at the 2010 census...
-Lake George
Lake George (town), New York
Lake George is a town in Warren County, New York, USA. The population was 3,578 at the 2000 census. The town is named after the lake, Lake George. Within the town is a village also named Lake George. The town is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :The lake was...
area was approached by several people. Around 1990, WENU
WNYQ
WQSH are the call letters of a radio station licensed to Malta, New York and playing a 90s Hits format. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts with 25 kilowatts ERP from the Bald Mountain tower formerly used by the now-defunct analog signal of WNYT in the hamlet of Speigletown, in...
owner Donald Heckman successfully petitioned the FCC to grant a 25,000 watt radio station to his hometown of Queensbury
Queensbury, New York
Queensbury is a town in and the county seat of Warren County, New York, United States. The town is located in the southeastern part of the county. The population was 25,441 at the 2000 census. The town is named in honor of Queen Charlotte, the consort of George III of Great Britain and Ireland. It...
. After several years of delays, the Heckman-owned Bradmark Communications won the allocation in 1993, originally holding the WWAZ calls until 1995, then the WSRQ calls until June 1996 when it took the WNYQ calls.
Bradmark put WNYQ on the air in November 1996 as the centerpiece of what would become a local radio empire that would soon acquire several other stations in the market. WNYQ assumed the adult contemporary format of WENU, branded under the Wink 105.7 name. From its launch, it aired local programming from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. weekdays with satellite programming fed via Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
at all other hours as had its predecessor.
In 2000, Bradmark Communications was sold to Vox Media, then a growing owner of radio stations in small markets throughout New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. Vox dumped all satellite programming and decided to take WNYQ to a Hot AC approach, initially keeping the Wink name. In early 2002, WNYQ rebranded as Q105.7 to fully signify the new format which had begun to lean towards CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
. Though successful, the station eventually began to decline due to heavy competition from new rival WKBE
WKBE
WKBE , known as 100.3 The Point, is a modern adult contemporary radio station in the United States, licensed to Warrensburg, New York, and owned by Pamal Broadcasting...
and several out-of-market CHR stations (including WFLY
WFLY
WFLY is a Contemporary Hit Radio station licensed to Troy, New York and serving New York's Capital District as well as the surrounding areas, including the Adirondacks...
and WZRT
WZRT
WZRT is a radio station broadcasting a contemporary hit radio format. Licensed to Rutland, Vermont, USA, the station serves the Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction area. The station is currently owned by Pamal Broadcasting....
) with usable signals in WNYQ's signal area.
2004 saw two major developments as Vox began to sell their properties to other companies and the initial application to move the signal into the Albany market was filed making it the second Bradmark/Vox station to do so (WYAI, the former WHTR Corinth
Corinth, New York
Corinth is the name of three places in the state of New York:*Corinth , New York, a town*Corinth , New York, located in the Town of Corinth...
, was the first). In December, 2004, WNYQ flipped to a satellite-fed Classic Hits
Classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format...
format while keeping the Q105.7 name. The flip was also done to have a no-risk format in place for when a move could proceed. The Classic Hits format remained on the 105.7 frequency until it signed off to move in May 2006. That format would be revived in September 2006 at 101.7 MHz
WNYQ
WQSH are the call letters of a radio station licensed to Malta, New York and playing a 90s Hits format. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and broadcasts with 25 kilowatts ERP from the Bald Mountain tower formerly used by the now-defunct analog signal of WNYT in the hamlet of Speigletown, in...
(the former WENU, then WQYQ) in Hudson Falls
Hudson Falls, New York
Hudson Falls is a village located in Washington County, New York, USA. The village is in the southwest part of the town of Kingsbury, on US Route 4. Hudson Falls is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2000 census, the village had a population of 6,927...
with the WNYQ calls following the next month.
Move to Malta
The move of 105.7 into the Capital District, originally applied for in 2004, has gone through several complications. Originally, the station had a construction permit with lease to broadcast from the Clifton ParkClifton Park, New York
Clifton Park is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, the 2009 population estimate for Clifton Park was 36,469. The name is derived from an early land patent...
tower used by WDCD-FM, WKKF
WKKF
WKKF is a Contemporary Hit Radio radio station licensed to Ballston Spa, New York and serving the Capital District and Adirondacks...
, and WTMM-FM) which is owned by Fitch Communications of New York (FCNY) as a class A station. When finally built, the present Bald Mountain site was selected with an upgrade to a class B1, even amid concerns that Bald Mountain may provide less-than-optimal coverage of some growing suburbs to the north of the market's core.
When Vox sold their remaining Glens Falls stations to Pamal Broadcasting
Pamal Broadcasting
Pamal Broadcasting, Ltd. is a family-owned radio ownership with stations in medium-to-small markets in the Northeast and Florida. Based in the Albany suburb of Latham, New York, Pamal Broadcasting was founded in 1986 as Albany Broadcasting when business man James J. Morrell entered broadcast...
in mid-2004, initially there was a clause that would allow Pamal to get the first rights to buy the station as a move-in. This plan was slowed down by regulatory concerns with Pamal's revenue share in the adjacent Capital District and the potential that the signal that would have been sold if purchased (104.9 WZMR
WZMR
WZMR is a country music formatted radio station licensed to Altamont and serving New York's Capital District and surrounding areas. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting, and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from the Helderberg Mountains antenna farm in New Scotland...
) would not able to find new ownership in the required amount of time.
Acquisition by Regent Communications
In June 2006, Regent Communications (now Townsquare Media) purchased the licence of WNYQ to put it on the air. Early speculation of future formats had included moving WABT's Hot AC format to the stronger 105.7 signal, a classic countryClassic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
format to complement market leader WGNA-FM
WGNA-FM
WGNA-FM is a country music-formatted radio station licensed to Albany, New York and serving New York's Capital District. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, and broadcasts at 12.5 kilowatts from the Helderberg Mountains tower farm in New Scotland...
, or adult contemporary to go against WYJB
WYJB
WYJB is an adult contemporary formatted radio station licensed to Albany, New York and serving New York's Capital District as well as the surrounding areas, including the Adirondacks...
and WQAR
WQAR
WQAR is an adult contemporary radio station licensed to Stillwater, New York and serving Saratoga County, New York and vicinity. The station is the flagship station of the Anastos Media Group and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from a tower in Stillwater...
. The first possibility became reality in the wake of Regent entering a deal with former WYJB morning show Chuck & Kelly. Their show began on September 12, 2006 as a prelude to the move.
In preparation of the move, Vox applied for the call letters WBZZ (which were formerly used by what is now KDKA-FM in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
) for the 105.7 frequency. They took effect on September 21, 2006. After some delays, the station finally returned to the air from the Bald Mountain tower site on November 28, 2006, initially simulcasting WABT. It was during this time that the station began to refer to itself as Buzz 105.7. For the following week, DJ's were constantly heard informing listeners to "make the switch," explaining that the old 104.5 frequency would no longer broadcast the format as of the coming week. The station relaunched exclusively on 105.7 on December 4, 2006, with WABT flipping to ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
two weeks later as WTMM-FM.
Tweak to Adult Contemporary
On December 6, 2007, WBZZ changed its Hot Adult Contemporary format (which violated Regent-Clear Channel's non-compete agreement; WRVEWRVE
WRVE is a Hot Adult Contemporary radio station licensed to Schenectady, New York and serving the Capital District and Upper Hudson Valley of New York. It broadcasts at 99.5 FM at 14.5 kilowatts ERP from a transmitter in Guilderland, New York...
also had a Hot AC format) to Adult Contemporary. The call letters and the name Buzz 105.7 remained. The Clear Channel-Regent non-compete agreement would continue in Albany once again, as Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
's WHRL shifted from modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
to active rock
Active rock
Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock plays contemporary rock artists with a mix of songs common in the classic rock radio format.-Format background:...
in 2009
2009 in radio
The following events occurred in radio in 2009.- Events :* January 1: Kurdish TV starts broadcasting in Turkey.* January: Michael Smerconish, morning host at talk radio WPHT Philadelphia, begins syndication of his morning show to WHFS in Washington and WOR in New York City.* January 17: Two well...
, competing up against Regent's new active rocker WQBK-FM
WQBK-FM
WQBK-FM and WQBJ are Active Rock music formatted radio stations licensed to Rensselaer, New York and Cobleskill, New York respectively, and serving New York's Capital District and Mohawk Valley. The stations are owned by Townsquare Media...
and the other active rock station, WZMR
WZMR
WZMR is a country music formatted radio station licensed to Altamont and serving New York's Capital District and surrounding areas. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting, and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from the Helderberg Mountains antenna farm in New Scotland...
, owned by Pamal. However, Pamal's WZMR switched to country as 104.9 The Cat and Clear Channel's WHRL switched to a simulcast of WGY 810, leaving WQBK as the only active rock in the market as of 2010.
While most of the jingles and imaging initially stayed from the previous format, WBZZ began airing new jingles in January 2008, better suited for an Adult Contemporary station.
Until January 2, 2011, the air staff included: Mark Vanness host of the Morning Buzz (5:30-10am), Meredith McNeil (10-3pm), Julie Fiener (3-7pm) and Darcy "Buzz Nights On Demand", a request show weeknights from 7pm to midnight.
In August 2008, two long time jocks left the station. Former Program Director Glen Stacey, along with 25 other employees throughout the company, was let go due to budget cutbacks. Jake Thomas, added PD duties to his list of tasks that already include OM of the Regent Albany cluster, as well as PD/MD of sister station, WGNA-FM
WGNA-FM
WGNA-FM is a country music-formatted radio station licensed to Albany, New York and serving New York's Capital District. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, and broadcasts at 12.5 kilowatts from the Helderberg Mountains tower farm in New Scotland...
(Country 107.7). Trudy, who held the midday position (and morning show co-host prior to that), in essence switched positions with sister station WLZW
WLZW
WLZW is an Adult Contemporary radio station in Utica, New York formerly owned byRegent Broadcasting, currently owned by Townsquare Media.-History:The station ran a Beautiful Music format under the call letters WIBQ until abruptly...
Lite 98.7 FM in Utica (also owned by Regent), where from she originally came from. In return, Meredith McNeil came to Buzz.
In addition, the station changed its slogan from "Bright, Fresh, and Upbeat" under the Hot AC format, to "The Best Variety from Yesterday and Today" under the new Adult Contemporary format. By the end of 2009, the station began to lean a little bit more Hot AC than competitor WYJB
WYJB
WYJB is an adult contemporary formatted radio station licensed to Albany, New York and serving New York's Capital District as well as the surrounding areas, including the Adirondacks...
(similar to CBS's Fresh branding, used on some of its AC stations), but still was mostly an Adult Contemporary station.
Stunting as Santa 105.7 and relaunch as 105.7 Crush FM
On November 1, 2010, the station began a stuntStunting (broadcasting)
In radio broadcasting, stunting occurs when a station abruptly airs programming that is seemingly uncharacteristic compared to what they normally play...
by starting Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
at midnight, forcing WTRY-FM
WTRY-FM
WTRY-FM, or 98.3 WTRY, is an oldies station licensed to Rotterdam, New York and serving New York's Capital District and Mohawk Valley. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications, and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from a tower in between Altamont and Duanesburg, New York off U.S...
to switch earlier than their planned date. WBZZ had been a Christmas music station in years past, and it is not unheard of for stations to change to Christmas music as early as November 1, so it was not initially obvious that WBZZ was stunting. Early speculation of format changes began when the station did not mention its normal moniker, format or call letters during this time, and included classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
to compliment sister WQBK-FM
WQBK-FM
WQBK-FM and WQBJ are Active Rock music formatted radio stations licensed to Rensselaer, New York and Cobleskill, New York respectively, and serving New York's Capital District and Mohawk Valley. The stations are owned by Townsquare Media...
, a CHR
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
format to compete against WFLY
WFLY
WFLY is a Contemporary Hit Radio station licensed to Troy, New York and serving New York's Capital District as well as the surrounding areas, including the Adirondacks...
or oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
to compete against WTRY-FM
WTRY-FM
WTRY-FM, or 98.3 WTRY, is an oldies station licensed to Rotterdam, New York and serving New York's Capital District and Mohawk Valley. The station is owned by Clear Channel Communications, and broadcasts at 6 kilowatts ERP from a tower in between Altamont and Duanesburg, New York off U.S...
.
This was eventually confirmed, as the radio station announced a format change about a week before the launch of 105.7 Crush FM at midnight on January 3, 2011, with a 90s Hits format (similar to Clear Channel's Gen X Radio format) and the WQSH calls under new program director Mike Morgan, who left WFFG-FM
WFFG-FM
WFFG-FM is the callsign of a country music radio station licenced to Corinth, New York and serving the Glens Falls-Lake George, New York area plus Saratoga County, the Capital Region, and western Vermont...
in Corinth, New York
Corinth, New York
Corinth is the name of three places in the state of New York:*Corinth , New York, a town*Corinth , New York, located in the Town of Corinth...
for WQSH. Most of the staff on the new Crush FM are imports from other area stations, including Sugar Bear in the evenings (formerly of WAJZ
WAJZ
WAJZ is an urban-leaning Rhythmic Contemporary station serving the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area. The station is owned by Pamal Broadcasting and operates at 96.3 MHz with an ERP of 6 kW and is licensed to Voorheesville, New York...
), Ellen Rockwell in the afternoons (formerly of WFLY
WFLY
WFLY is a Contemporary Hit Radio station licensed to Troy, New York and serving New York's Capital District as well as the surrounding areas, including the Adirondacks...
), Mike Morgan in middays (formerly of WFLY
WFLY
WFLY is a Contemporary Hit Radio station licensed to Troy, New York and serving New York's Capital District as well as the surrounding areas, including the Adirondacks...
and WFFG-FM
WFFG-FM
WFFG-FM is the callsign of a country music radio station licenced to Corinth, New York and serving the Glens Falls-Lake George, New York area plus Saratoga County, the Capital Region, and western Vermont...
); out of all former Buzz staff, only Mark Vanness and Meredith McNeil (in Crush FM morning drive) made the transition to the new format.
On October 28, 2011, almost exactly a year after the end of the station's previous format, all of WQSH's staff was dismissed.
Since early October 2011, a translator on 99.1, W256BU, went on the air and is currently testing with WQSH's audio.
HD Radio operations
Upon WQSH's move into the Albany market in 2006, the station was licensed for HD RadioHD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
operations; however, WQSH currently does not operate any HD subchannels.