 | |
| Broadcast area | South Bend, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 99.9 MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Live 99.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Alternative rock |
| Subchannels | HD2: 107.9 The Lake (Classic rock) HD3: WSBT simulcast (Sports) |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks United Stations Radio Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| WSBT, WNSN, WZOC | |
| History | |
First air date | October 10, 1947 (as WHFB-FM)[1] |
Former call signs | WHFB-FM (1947–2016) |
Call sign meaning | W Q Live 99.9 Q |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 72175 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000 watts |
| HAAT | 124 meters (407 ft) |
| Translator(s) | HD2: 107.9 W300EJ (Benton Harbor) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live Listen Live (HD2) |
| Website | live999radio.com 1079thelake.com (HD2) |
WQLQ (99.9 FM) is a radio station licensed to Benton Harbor, Michigan targeting the South Bend, Indiana market. WQLQ is owned by Mid-West Family Broadcasting. Its signal is regularly heard as far as Chicago, Illinois, and as far east as Battle Creek, Michigan.
As of June 2011, the station has re-imaged from Cat Country 99-9 to Real Country 99-Nine.
Previous to the country format, the then-WHFB-FM acted as a local station serving the Benton Harbor/St. Joseph area, with beautiful music and adult contemporary music formats.
In September 2015, Schurz Communications, which previously held a minority interest in Douglas Road Radio, agreed to acquire full ownership of the company. The transaction is part of the $442.5 million acquisition of Schurz' broadcast interests, including WHFB-FM, by Gray Television.[3][4][5] Though Gray initially intended to keep Schurz' radio stations, on November 2, it announced that Mid-West Family Broadcasting would acquire WHFB-FM and Schurz' other South Bend radio stations for $5.5 million. Mid-West Family already owns several stations in the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph area, where the station's city of license is located.[6][7][8] The sale to Mid-West was consummated on February 16, 2016.
Upon acquiring the station, Midwest Family announced on October 4, 2016, that WHFB would flip to Top 40/CHR as "Live 99.9" the following Tuesday, the 11th. The station began stunting with TV show theme songs on October 7, 2016, which ended with the noon launch on the aforementioned date. The callsign was changed on October 12, 2016 to WQLQ to match.[9][10]
On July 24, 2024 at noon, after playing "Get Him Back!" by Olivia Rodrigo, WQLQ shifted to alternative rock, retaining the "Live" branding but using the new slogan "The Alternative". Core artists include The Killers, Nirvana, Foo Fighters (whose song "Best of You" was the first under the new format), Red Hot Chili Peppers, Weezer and Pearl Jam. The change came after the flip of the station's HD3 subchannel to a simulcast of sister station WSBT the day prior, and comes after the younger-leaning CHR format failed to overtake Artistic Media Partners' adult-leaning WNDV, only registering a 2.7 in the Fall 2023 ratings books, whereas WNDV held a 7.7. The shift now positions the station closer to Federated Media's active rock WRBR-FM, which held a 5.4 share.
- ^ 1971 Broadcasting Yearbook, Broadcasting, 1971. p. B-102. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for WQLQ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Schurz Communications to sell WSBT and other TV, radio stations". South Bend Tribune. September 14, 2015. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ Kuperberg, Jonathan (September 14, 2015). "Gray Acquiring TV, Radio Stations from Schurz for $442.5 Million". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved September 14, 2015.
- ^ "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. September 17, 2015. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
- ^ "Gray Sells Radio Stations From Schurz Deal". TVNewsCheck. November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ^ Venta, Lance (November 2, 2015). "Gray Television Divests Schurz Clusters To Three Buyers". RadioInsight. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ^ Allen, Kevin (November 2, 2015). "WSBT Radio Group will have a new owner, again". South Bend Tribune. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ^ Midwest Family To Launch CHR "Live 99.9" South Bend
- ^ Live 99.9 South Bend Debuts