WQBW

Infobox Radio Station


name = WQBW
airdate =
frequency = 97.3 (MHz) HD Radio
city = Milwaukee, Wisconsin
area = Milwaukee, Wisconsin
format = 80s classic rock
owner = Clear Channel Communications
sister_stations = WISN, WKKV, WMIL, WOKY, WRIT
erp = 15,500 watts
haat = 278 meters
branding = "97.3 The Brew"
slogan = "The Biggest Variety of Rock Hits"
class = B
facility_id = 26609
webcast = [http://www.973thebrew.com/pages/streaming.html Listen Live]
[http://973thebrew.com/cc-common/hdradio/ HD2 stream]
website = [http://www.973thebrew.com/ www.973thebrew.com]
callsign_meaning = W Q BreW

WQBW (97.3 FM) is a classic hits/adult-oriented rock radio station in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The station's music is very 80s-oriented. They are known on-air as "97.3 The Brew", and are owned by Clear Channel Communications.

History

The original call sign of this frequency was WISN-FM, to match its AM sister. During the 1970s and early 1980s they were AOR-formatted WLPX. They switched to CHR as WBTT (B97) in 1983.

Light adult contemporary became the format in 1985 with the WLTQ call sign, and lasted almost two decades.

Clear Channel desired to compete with Saga's two successful rock stations, WKLH and WLZR. They even tweaked their oldies station, WRIT to better take on WKLH. In 2004, after watching WLTQ's ratings drop further and further, they made the move. WLTQ began stunting on August 17, airing a continuous loop of songs featuring the words "air" and "America", along with sound bites of Air America Radio host Al Franken. The ruse was in response to Clear Channel's recent flip of an FM station, WXXM, in Madison to Progressive talk format. Come Monday morning, August 20, the real format revealed itself, and "The Brew" was born.

Their slogan was "Rock of '80s and More", and the new station experienced notable ratings success out of the gate, as they quickly became the top FM station in Milwaukee, second only to longtime market leader WTMJ overall. The Brew was effective in taking away listeners from WKLH, and the station's heavy dose of 1980s-era hard rock bands helped steal highly desired older listeners away from WLZR after their popular Bob and Brian morning show signed off for the day. WKLH tweaked their on-air imaging in response, and WLZR did a complete makeover, dropping much of the newer hard rock, expanding the playlist, and rechristening the station as "102.9 The Hog" (WHQG). WHQG was also a success from the start, and along with WKLH, stole listeners back from The Brew. The situation was helped as well by the heavy repetition of The Brew's tight playlist. WQBW's ratings were virtually cut in half.

In response, The Brew went in a slightly different direction. They added more 80s pop music from artists like Richard Marx and more recent songs from bands such as Nickleback and Santana, as the station went in a slight Hot AC direction. The slogan changed to "The Biggest Variety of Rock Hits". Their television and on billboard advertising features an overweight shirtless man named "Dancin' Kevin", inspired by commercials for Chicago's WLUP from the 1980s.

WQBW HD2

On April 25, 2006, Clear Channel announced that WQBW's HD2 subchannel will carry "Radio Radio" from their Format Lab, a format focusing on classic modern rock hits.

External links

* [http://www.973thebrew.com/ 97.3 The Brew]
* [http://www.formatchange.com/category/milwaukee/ Audio and background of The Brew's sign-on]
* [http://www.jsonline.com/enter/tvradio/sep04/260433.asp "New format is going to party like it's 1989" (JSonline.com)]
* [http://www.jsonline.com/enter/tvradio/sep04/260926.asp "WLTQ-FM changed on its own, honest" (JSonline.com)]
*FMQ|WQBW
*FML|WQBW
*FMARB|WQBW