WQTW
Encyclopedia
WQTW is an American radio station
, licensed to the city of Latrobe, Pennsylvania
. WQTW operates at 1570 kHz with a maximum power of 1,000 watts day, 220 watts night. The station is owned by L. Stanley Wall, who also owns and operates WLSW
-FM in Connellsville (licensed to Scottdale), Pennsylvania.
, as WHJB (now WKHB
) had been the first in 1934. A second station, WTRA (now WCNS
) came on the air five years later after WAKU's debut.
WAKU was originally owned by Clearfield Broadcasters, Inc., which owned and published the Clearfield Progress newspaper, headquartered in Clearfield, Pennsylvania
; as well as radio station WCPA
. The newspaper was looking to expand its advertising reach by building or buying radio stations in nearby markets, and would do so with further acquisitions in Indiana and Centre counties. The station initially signed on the air as a daytime-only station, with a maximum power output of 250 watts, with studios at 200 Depot Street in downtown Latrobe. It was granted permission in 1955 to increase its power to a full 1,000 watts; its current power output today.
In 1957, Clearfield Broadcasting decided to sell WAKU, as they were preparing to acquire Indiana County-based WDAD
and WQMU
, a transaction that would be completed in 1958. WAKU was sold to WAKU, Inc., a company headed by Harry Reed on July 1, 1956. This would mark the first of several transactions over the next decade.
In 1959, WAKU was acquired by Rosenblum Stations, which also owned WISR
in Butler, and WACB
in Kittanning, as well as two other stations in Ohio. The call letters were then changed to WSHH, which were later acquired by a Pittsburgh FM station
that still uses these same call letters today. Rosenblum Stations, however, sold WSHH to Tayloradio, in 1962; a company headed by Keith Horton, the vice president and general manager of WELM in Elmira, New York. This period of ownership would also not last long, as WSHH was sold to Westmoreland Broadcasting Corporation, a company headed by John J. Stewart, in February of 1963 and assigned its current callsign, WQTW.
Westmoreland Broadcasting remained WQTW's owner until October 31, 1973, when it was acquired by Regency Broadcasting Corporation, a company headed by Nick Corvello and would retain ownership until a fire silenced the station in the early 1980s.
The license and tower, being all that was left from the station, were then advertised for sale. Stan Wall, owner of WLSW-FM, 15 miles south of Latrobe, purchased the remains of the station for $66,000 in April 1984. Coincidentally, Wall had been turned down for a job at WAKU when he was beginning his career and had also served as manager of competitor WTRA before putting WLSW on the air.
A construction permit was granted for the station in 1989 to move down the dial to 880 AM (still daytime-only but with almost double the coverage), but that permit was abandoned the following year when the station was granted nighttime power of 220 watts.
In 1990, the station began simulcasting WLSW full-time over WQTW. Specialty programs of high school football, weekend oldies and polka programming remained independent of WLSW.
Since 1990, WQTW has been leased to two other operators through time-brokerage agreements, though the formats they adopted were short lived. For a brief period in the mid-90's, the station affiliated with the Prime Sports Satellite Network, in an attempt to support the growing audience for all-sports radio.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, licensed to the city of Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe, Pennsylvania
Latrobe is a city in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania in the United States, approximately southeast of Pittsburgh.The city population was 7,634 as of the 2000 census . It is located near the Pennsylvania's scenic Chestnut Ridge. Latrobe was incorporated as a borough in 1854, and as a city in 1999...
. WQTW operates at 1570 kHz with a maximum power of 1,000 watts day, 220 watts night. The station is owned by L. Stanley Wall, who also owns and operates WLSW
WLSW
WLSW is an American radio station, licensed to Scottdale, Pennsylvania. The station operates at the federally-assigned frequency of 103.9 MHz with an effective radiated power of 320 watts...
-FM in Connellsville (licensed to Scottdale), Pennsylvania.
First in Latrobe
WQTW first signed on the air as WAKU on December 12, 1951, making it the second AM station to come on the air in Westmoreland CountyWestmoreland County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 369,993 people, 149,813 households, and 104,569 families residing in the county. The population density was 361 people per square mile . There were 161,058 housing units at an average density of 157 per square mile...
, as WHJB (now WKHB
WKHB
WKHB is an AM radio station licensed to Irwin, Pennsylvania, United States, which serves the greater Pittsburgh area. Known as 620 KHB, the station operates with 5,500 watts daytime and airs a mix of health talk and paid programming with oldies music in the morning, evening and overnight hours...
) had been the first in 1934. A second station, WTRA (now WCNS
WCNS
WCNS is a commercially licensed AM radio station, licensed to Latrobe, Pennsylvania. WCNS broadcasts at the federally assigned frequency of 1480 kilohertz, with a daytime power output of 500 watts, and a nighttime power of 1,000 watts...
) came on the air five years later after WAKU's debut.
WAKU was originally owned by Clearfield Broadcasters, Inc., which owned and published the Clearfield Progress newspaper, headquartered in Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Clearfield is a borough in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 6,631 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Clearfield County.-Geography:Clearfield is located at ....
; as well as radio station WCPA
WCPA (AM)
WCPA is an American radio station, licensed to Clearfield, Pennsylvania, the seat of government for Clearfield County. WCPA is owned and operated by First Media, Inc...
. The newspaper was looking to expand its advertising reach by building or buying radio stations in nearby markets, and would do so with further acquisitions in Indiana and Centre counties. The station initially signed on the air as a daytime-only station, with a maximum power output of 250 watts, with studios at 200 Depot Street in downtown Latrobe. It was granted permission in 1955 to increase its power to a full 1,000 watts; its current power output today.
In 1957, Clearfield Broadcasting decided to sell WAKU, as they were preparing to acquire Indiana County-based WDAD
WDAD
WDAD is a radio station in Indiana County, Pennsylvania, serving Indiana, Cambria, and Westmoreland counties. It is owned and operated by Renda Broadcasting. The station broadcasts on AM 1450. Its slogan is "Classic Hits."-History:...
and WQMU
WQMU
name = WQMU| image = | area = Indiana, Pennsylvania / Pittsburgh | branding =U-92| slogan = "Today's Best Music"| airdate = August 14, 1968| frequency = 92.5 | format = Adult Contemporary erp = 3,000 watts| class = A| owner = St...
, a transaction that would be completed in 1958. WAKU was sold to WAKU, Inc., a company headed by Harry Reed on July 1, 1956. This would mark the first of several transactions over the next decade.
In 1959, WAKU was acquired by Rosenblum Stations, which also owned WISR
WISR
WISR is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Butler, Pennsylvania. The station was the first to go on the air in Butler County, doing so on September 26, 1941. The station was the very last to be granted a broadcast license before the FCC halted the licensing of any more stations until after...
in Butler, and WACB
WTYM
WTYM is a 24 hour commercially licensed AM radio station broadcasting at 1380 kHz with a maximum power output of 1,000 watts, non-directional. The station is wholly owned by Family-Life Media-Com Inc., and its city of license is Kittanning, the seat of government for Armstrong County,...
in Kittanning, as well as two other stations in Ohio. The call letters were then changed to WSHH, which were later acquired by a Pittsburgh FM station
WSHH
WSHH is an adult contemporary radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The station, which is owned by Renda Broadcasting, operates at 99.7 MHz with an ERP of 15.5 kW...
that still uses these same call letters today. Rosenblum Stations, however, sold WSHH to Tayloradio, in 1962; a company headed by Keith Horton, the vice president and general manager of WELM in Elmira, New York. This period of ownership would also not last long, as WSHH was sold to Westmoreland Broadcasting Corporation, a company headed by John J. Stewart, in February of 1963 and assigned its current callsign, WQTW.
Westmoreland Broadcasting remained WQTW's owner until October 31, 1973, when it was acquired by Regency Broadcasting Corporation, a company headed by Nick Corvello and would retain ownership until a fire silenced the station in the early 1980s.
Down in Flames
WQTW experienced a major setback on New Year's Eve of 1982, when its studios and offices were destroyed in a fire, leaving the station dark for about a year and a half http://www.pbrtv.com/jan13103.html, and keeping local firefighters busy for about six hours that day.The license and tower, being all that was left from the station, were then advertised for sale. Stan Wall, owner of WLSW-FM, 15 miles south of Latrobe, purchased the remains of the station for $66,000 in April 1984. Coincidentally, Wall had been turned down for a job at WAKU when he was beginning his career and had also served as manager of competitor WTRA before putting WLSW on the air.
WQTW Returns
Upon purchasing the station, WQTW had to be returned to the air quickly in order to avoid forfeiture of the FCC license. A double-wide mobile home was purchased and parked at WQTW's transmitter site on George Street in Derry Township, just on the outskirts of Latrobe. The station returned to the air less than six months later with a full-service format of middle-of-the road and oldies music, with polka music on the weekends.A construction permit was granted for the station in 1989 to move down the dial to 880 AM (still daytime-only but with almost double the coverage), but that permit was abandoned the following year when the station was granted nighttime power of 220 watts.
In 1990, the station began simulcasting WLSW full-time over WQTW. Specialty programs of high school football, weekend oldies and polka programming remained independent of WLSW.
Since 1990, WQTW has been leased to two other operators through time-brokerage agreements, though the formats they adopted were short lived. For a brief period in the mid-90's, the station affiliated with the Prime Sports Satellite Network, in an attempt to support the growing audience for all-sports radio.
WQTW Today
WQTW abandoned its simulcast of WLSW in the fall of 2007, switching to a format of oldies from the 50's through the 80's, in addition to some college sports broadcasts, with mild success. In March of 2009, WQTW made the switch to its current format of classic country music. On weekends, WQTW's airs specialty weekend programming and high school sports broadcasts.Sources
- Disk jockey and station owner Stan Wall shaped the region's radiohttp://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_487133.html
- 1953 Broadcasting Yearbook
- 1955 Broadcasting Yearbook
- 1957 Broadcasting Yearbook
- 1960 Broadcasting Yearbook
- 1961-62 Broadcasting Yearbook
- 1967 Broadcasting Yearbook
- 1975 Broadcasting Yearbook
- 1981 Broadcasting Yearbook