WKQX

Infobox Radio Station


name = WKQX
airdate =
frequency = 101.1 FM (MHz)
HD Radio 101.1-2 FM (WKQX-2 - Q2 - Next Generation Alternative)
area = Chicago, Illinois
format = Modern rock
owner = Emmis
erp = 5,700 watts
branding = "Q101.1"
slogan = "Chicago's Alternative"
old slogan = "The Alternative"
"Everything Alternative, Now On Shuffle"
class = B
website = [http://www.q101.com/ WKQX website]
callsign_meaning = W K
Q is used in "Q101" branding/Q in WMAQ
X stands for Experimental
sister_stations = WLUP

WKQX 101.1 FM is an alternative rock radio station serving the Chicago metropolitan area. They are owned by Emmis Communications.

History

The NBC years

WKQX was originally WMAQ-FM, co-owned by NBC with WMAQ-AM. WMAQ-FM generally simulcast the AM station, eventually developing its own format. First playing classical, followed byeasy listening, then Top 40 (adapting new call letters of WJOI, or "Joy"), then country music at the same time the AM station switched, and then to NBC's ill-fated News and Information Service network (as WNIS). The call letters changed to WKQX on New Year's Eve 1976. The call letters were chosen because management felt the station sounded "experimental". WKQX positioned itself as an AOR station that was more adventurous than WDAI but more accessible than WXRT. The program director and midday host was Bob Pittman, Bob Heymann served as assistant program director and morning host, and Bob King was the Music Director. Mitch Michaels did afternoon drive and Lorna Ozmon did nights.

The station was an immediate success, debuting with a 3.9 share overall in the January-February Arbitron ratings of Winter 1977. In Spring 1977, Chicago gained another AOR station, WLUP. This meant that there were four FM rock stations competing against each other. After almost two years of battling for ratings, both WDAI and WKQX coincidentally quit playing rock independently of one another at the end of 1978. WDAI became all disco and WKQX became an adult contemporary station playing Top 40 rock hits from the '60s, and '70s, along with then-current product.

Emmis Communications purchases WKQX

By the mid-1980s, the station had evolved into a Hot AC format, dropping the '60s music by 1988, and were known on-air as “Q101”. At that point, NBC had divested of all of their radio stations, with Emmis Communications becoming a major benefactor of several of NBC’s FM stations. WKQX was now an Emmis station. Robert Murphy was the successful morning drive host on Q101, competing with the likes of WLUP’s Jonathon Brandmeier. The station's slogan in the mid-late '80's was "Today's Music". By 1989, WKQX evolved into an adult Top 40 station, and by 1991 it had transitioned to a Modern AC format, preceding WTMX.

Q101 goes alternative

Q101 continued to evolve, and by 1992, WKQX was a pure alternative rock station.They signed Mancow Muller's morning show away from the now-defunct WRCX-FM (Rock 103.5) in 1998, as Mancow began to syndicate the show. The station helped launch the career of Chicago acts Disturbed and Fall Out Boy, particularly through their prominent local music show, Local 101.

Q101's ratings suffered when the now-defunct WZZN (94.7 The Zone) switched to an alternative rock format to go head-to head with them. Former Q101 air talents, including James VanOsdol (who left Q101 for WXRT, and later returned to Q101) and Brian "The Whipping Boy" Paruch, who had formed a large part of the station's identity in the '90s, popped up on "The Zone." WZZN's music programming eventually went in a harder direction to distinguish itself, and Q101 followed suit. While Q101 did not induldge in hard rock and metal to the extent that WZZN did (bands like Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Guns N' Roses were still well off limits), they seemed to focus more on "core" alternative acts such as The Smashing Pumpkins (broadcasting the band's last arena show from the United Center on November 29, 2000) Nirvana and Alice in Chains to prevent station switching. They also seemed to play a somewhat disproportionate amount of Metallica for an alternative station. Ultimately, these actions decreased the diversity of their playlists.

During the alternative era, Q101 was home to many popular specialty shows that helped to foster the thriving indi-music scene in Chicago. Some of these shows include Zoltar's Industrial Zone, Local 101 with (hosted by Chris Payne and created by James VanOsdol), and Q101 Sonic Boom (Produced by Joey Swanson and Kenny Techstepper).

Q101 goes "on shuffle"

On April 1, 2005, WKQX went completely "on shuffle." While not a format change "per se", it was the largest shift in the station's format since they became an alternative station. Instead of focusing on new music solely, they expanded their playlist to include classic alternative rock from the '80s and '90s, and even '70s artists like Sex Pistols, Bob Marley, and The Clash. The new slogan for the station became “Everything Alternative”. In on-air liners, they even apologized for the hard rock excesses of the past when they competed with WZZN. The "Q101 On Shuffle" approach extended throughout the summer.

As of September 26, 2005, WZZN was no longer a direct competitor, flipping to an oldies format.

The “Summer of Shuffle” returned for Summer 2006. Mancow was dropped by the station on July 14, 2006. Q101 felt they had lost control of their morning slot and desired a more Chicago-oriented show that blended better with their format, in contrast to the syndicated feel of “Mancow’s Morning Madhouse".

"The Morning Fix", an ensemble morning show led by Alan Cox (formerly of WXDX in Pittsburgh) debuted on September 18, 2006. [http://www.suntimes.com/output/business/cst-fin-morning31.html] The tightly-formatted show includes fixed elements such as news, sports, weather, traffic, interviews, parodies and other bits presented in a manner similar to that of a news radio "clock" approach combined with the approach of popular comedy shows such as 'The Daily Show,' 'The Colbert Report,' and 'Saturday Night Live'. The ensemble cast is a mix of experienced radio personalities, comedy actors and writers. [http://www.suntimes.com/output/feder/cst-fin-feder14.html] However, on November 9th, 2007 the show underwent major changes when it was decided that morning airtime would be more wisely used playing music. Only two of the original six members remained, Alan Cox and Jim Lynam. [http://www.suntimes.com/business/feder/642968,CST-FIN-feder09.article] Other DJ's are Electra mid days, Sherman and Tingle Afternoon Drive, And the Mannos, Ryan and Kevin from 7pm-Midnight,

In the Fall rating period, released in early 2007, the Arbitron Media Research Group reported WKQX-FM/Q101 slipped from a 1.8 share to a 1.2 (M-S, 6A-12M, AQH metro 12+). Consequently, the show dropped Alan Cox and Jim Lynam on August 1st, 2008 and moved Sherman and Tingle to the morning slot. [http://www.suntimes.com/business/1086558,emmis080108.article] WKQX executives plan to hire a new afternoon personality for a new program, heavy on Alternative Rock music, according to WKQX Program Director Marc Young.

Image Change

In November 2007, Q101 changed their slogan from "Q101 Everything Alternative" to "Q101.1 Chicago's Alternative. The logo changed as well with the added ".1" (as part of an industry trend to sound out the entire frequency for the sake of digital tuning radios, which have begun to overtake radios with needle tuners), beginning to lean towards an active rock direction with harder artists such as Pantera, Bullet For My Valentine and Metallica added to the playlist, ever since WZZN flipped to oldies, because their "shuffle" format had poor ratings. Despite their active rock lean nowadays, no classic rock (except for alternative-based classic rock) is played still. Adult album alternative artists not played on the alternative chart today such as Counting Crows, Gin Blossoms and Alanis Morissette (with only their songs from the '90s) were dropped, despite competitor WXRT playing those artists.

Live Music Festivals

Twisted

Q101 hosts an annual music festival each December, the first being in 1994.
Twisted Christmas - Bad Religion, Killing Joke, Oasis, Veruca Salt, Weezer
Twisted 2 - Hole, Alanis Morissette, Porno For Pyros, White Zombie
Twisted 3 - Fiona Apple, Bloodhound Gang, Sheryl Crow, Gravity Kills, KoRn, Stabbing Westward, The Violent Femmes, The Wallflowers, Weezer
Twisted 4 - 311, Björk (cancelled), Chumbawamba, The Cure, Duran Duran, Everclear, Sarah MacLachlan, Sugar Ray
Twisted 5 - Beck, Cake, Everlast, Garbage, Goo Goo Dolls, Soul Coughing, Third Eye Blind
Twisted 6 - Fiona Apple, Blink-182, Bush, The Chemical Brothers, Filter, Foo Fighters, Moby, Oasis, Run DMC
Twisted 7 - Cypress Hill, Deftones, Disturbed, Everlast, Incubus, Live, The Offspring, Orgy, Papa Roach
Twisted 8 - 311, Alien Ant Farm, Blink-182, Bush, The Crystal Method, Puddle of Mudd, Sum 41, Pete Yorn
Twisted 9 - 3 Doors Down, Box Car Racer, Disturbed, Jimmy Eat World, Local H, Moby (cancelled), Public Enemy, Sugarcult, The Vines
Twisted 10 - 311, AFI, Dashboard Confessional, Jane's Addiction, KoRn
Twisted 11 - Califone, Franz Ferdinand, The Hives, Modest Mouse, My Chemical Romance, Secret Machines, Snow Patrol, Taking Back Sunday, The Used
Twisted 12 - The All-American Rejects, Coheed and Cambria, Death Cab For Cutie, Fall Out Boy, Hot Hot Heat, The Lovehammers, O.A.R., The Psychedelic Furs
Twisted 13 - Disturbed, Flyleaf, Guster, Gym Class Heroes, Jet, My Chemical Romance, Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Rise Against, Stone Sour
Twisted 14 - The Almost, Atreyu, Coheed and Cambria, Danger is My Middle Name, The Secret Handshake, Silverchair, Silversun Pickups, The Starting Line, Strata

Jamboree

Q101 also hosted an annual outdoor music festival during the summer entitled "Jamboree".
1995 - Bush, Collective Soul, Sheryl Crow, Duran Duran, Faith No More, The Flaming Lips, The Lupins, Sponge, Stone Roses
1996 - Afghan Whigs, Candlebox, Cracker, Cypress Hill, Everclear, Filter, Foo Fighters, Garbage, Girls Against Boys, KoRn, No Doubt, Seven Mary Three, Stabbing Westward
1997 - Beck, The Cardigans, Echo and the Bunnymen, Erasure, Jamiroquai, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Moby, Republica, Social Distortion, Veruca Salt, Verve Pipe
1998 - Barenaked Ladies, Ben Folds Five, Creed, Eve 6, Fastball, Foo Fighters, Harvey Danger, Soul Asylum, Spacehog, The Specials, They Might Be Giants, Scott Weiland
1999 - 2 Skinnee J's, Blink-182, Blondie, The Flys, Hole, Kottonmouth Kings, Lit, Local H, The Offspring, Orgy, Puya, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Silverchair
2000 - 311, Bloodhound Gang, Everclear, Eve 6, Goldfinger, Long Beach Dub All Stars, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Moby, The Suicide Machines, Third Eye Blind, Travis
2001 - Alien Ant Farm, Cold, Crazy Town, Disturbed, From Zero, Fuel (band), Linkin Park, Lucky Boys Confusion, Monster Magnet, Papa Roach, Run DMC, Saliva, Staind
2002 - Dashboard Confessional, Earshot, Hoobastank, Kid Rock, Local H, Our Lady Peace, Quarashi, The Strokes, Tenacious D, Thursday, Trik Turner, Unwritten Law, X-Ecutioners, Zwan

External links

* [http://www.q101.com Q101]
* [http://www.rocklists.com/q101.html List of Q101 Countdowns]
* [http://www.radiohitlist.com/Q101/Q101-main.htm Q101 Top 101 Countdowns plus a searchable archive]
* [http://www.scottchilders.com/timecapsule/TCWMAQ.htm Scott Childers on WMAQ History.] (Relevant to WMAQ-FM and eventually WKQX)
*fmq|WKQX
*fml|WKQX