WQEN

Infobox Radio station


name = WQEN-FM
airdate = 1976
frequency = 103.7 MHz
city = Trussville, Alabama
area = Birmingham, Alabama
format = Top 40
owner = Clear Channel
erp = 100,000 watts
haat = 285 meters
branding = "103.7 The Q"
slogan = "Alabama's Hit Music Channel"
class = C0
facility_id = 22997
webcast = [http://www.1037theq.com/pages/streaming.html Listen Live]
website = http://www.1037theQ.com
sister_stations = WDXB, WENN, WERC, WMJJ
callsign_meaning = W QuEeN city (refers to Gadsden, the station's former city of license)|

WQEN (103.7 FM, "103-7 the Q"), is a Clear Channel-owned Top 40 music formatted radio station licensed to Trussville, Alabama, that serves Birmingham and north-central Alabama. Other stations in the Birmingham market owned by Clear Channel include WMJJ-FM (96.5), WDXB-FM (102.5), WENN-FM (105.5), and WERC-AM (960).

History

In the late 1960s, the station that is now WQEN signed on as "WLJM-FM", licensed to Gadsden. Little is known about WLJM, except that it was the FM companion to Gadsden's WJBY-AM. In 1975, the FM station was sold to the owners of WAAX-AM, another Gadsden radio station, and the FM station took its current call letters. After a brief run as an automated easy listening radio station, WQEN became one of the first FM Top 40 stations in Alabama, known on the air as "Super Q-104" and "Q-104 The Southern Super Giant". For over 30 years, WQEN has been a Top 40 station.

By 1976, the transmitter for WQEN was moved to Steele, some 15 miles south of Gadsden, and the power of its signal was increased to 100,000 watts. This enabled Q-104 to cover Gadsden, east Alabama, and many areas of the Birmingham metropolitan area. During this time WQEN was "Super Q-104" and "Q-104 The Southern Super Giant." Except for a brief period in the late '80's when the station was known as "103.7 Q-FM"," the station was called Q-104 for over 20 years. Until the mid 1990's, Q-104 was primarily focused on Gadsden, Anniston and eastern Alabama.

In 1998, WQEN began broadcasting from a tower near Springville, enabling its signal to cover the entire Birmingham market, and began broadcasting from studios in Birmingham. The station was rebranded with its current name, "103-7 the Q," at that time. This gave Birmingham its first Top 40 station since WAPI-FM (I-95, now WYSF) dropped the format in 1994. The DJ line-up featured Rick and Bubba in the mornings, Scott Bohannon (formerly of WAPI-FM/I-95) in middays, and Luka (formerly of WRAX/107-7 the X) in the afternoons.

In 2005, WQEN was one of several stations in north Alabama and southern Tennessee that changed either their city of license, broadcast frequency, or both. As a result, WQEN, now licensed to Trussville, rather than Gadsden, began broadcasting from Red Mountain in Birmingham, greatly improving its signal in Jefferson County and Shelby County.

External links

* [http://www.1037theQ.com Official Website of 103-7 the Q]
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