WQAQ

Infobox Radio station
name = WQAQ


city = Hamden, Connecticut
area =
slogan =
branding = "The Soundtrack of Quinnipiac"
frequency = 98.1 MHz
repeater =
airdate =
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format = Alternative
power =
erp = 16 watts
haat = -25.0 meters
class = D
facility_id = 54311
coordinates = coord|41|25|10.00|N| 72|53|41.00|W|region:US_type:city
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns =
owner = Quinnipiac University
licensee =
sister_stations =
webcast = [http://www.wqaq.com listen live]
website = [http://www.wqaq.com wqaq.com]
affiliations =

WQAQ (98.1 FM) is a student run radio station broadcasting a Alternative format. Licensed to Hamden, Connecticut, USA, the station serves the Connecticut college area. The station is currently owned by Quinnipiac University. [ cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=WQAQ |title=WQAQ Facility Record |work=United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division ] [cite web|url=http://www1.arbitron.com/sip/displaySip.do?surveyID=SU08&band=fm&callLetter=WQAQ|title=WQAQ Station Information Profile|publisher=Arbitron]

The organization is approved and funded by the Student Government Association and completely run by students, including an elected management staff. Though primarily a "college alternative" format, there are also many hip hop, metal, and talk shows. The station is on the air throughout the school year, 24 hours a day.

Antenna Controversy

Prior to the Fall 2006 semester, and allegedly without any notification to the students, WQAQ's broadcast antenna was removed from its location atop the campus student center, forcing the station off-air and putting the station's FCC license in jeopardy. [http://www.quchronicle.com/media/storage/paper294/news/2006/09/05/CampusNews/The-Day.The.Music.Died-2257297.shtml?norewrite200609141607]

Programs and Features

WQAQ hosts a spring concert (past acts include Minus the Bear, The Bouncing Souls, Say Anything and The Receiving End of Sirens) and an Open Mic Night (a battle of the bands competition, recent winners including Camera Shy Paparazzi and Chris Fredda). Several notable shows include the WQAQ morning show which features the best of all genres played on the station, Political Eruption (a political news talk show), and the Afternoon Drive show begun by Steve Kistner. WQAQ's longest running show is Slacker Radio, a punk music show. By the initiative of former Program Director Chris Cooper, WQAQ began broadcasting 24 hours a day and updated to digital broadcasting, including internet streaming.

* Catch QaQ a comedy talk show which also features college alternative music. The show started in 2003 as "Jack and John at the Crack of Dawn," Sunday mornings from 4 a.m. - 8 a.m. A semester later, the show and moved to Sunday (6 p.m. - 8 p.m.) nights, and was renamed "Sunday Night Live". In its second year, the show was again renamed to "Catch QaQ".

* Slacker Radio, apunk rock format radio show. The show was begun in 1999 featuring mostly underground and local punk and ska acts. Each featured an acoustic block with mostly folk-punk songs or acoustic versions of punk and ska songs. Annually, Slacker Radio would do one all acoustic show.

* The Political Eruption, a weekly, 60 minute political talk program. Each show centers around a different topic or news story that is debated by the hosts.

* Scooby's Doobie, was a weekly college alternative format radio show. It was started in 1999 by Dave Carlson and Sarah Papsun, though Sarah hosted alone beginning in 2000. Scooby's Doobie was at one time part of the "Thursday Fourplay" block of programming and often featured Chris Fredda of Slacker Radio as a guest co-host and sometimes fill-in host.

Notable Former Staff

A number of former WQAQ staffers have gone on to careers in commercial radio and entertainment:

*Justin Louis - Former Production Director, DJ - WJLK-FM, "94.3 The Point", Monmouth/Ocean, NJ

*"Little" John Principale - Former APD/MD, DJ - CBS Radio

*Ryan Jones - Former Music Director, DJ - WTIC-FM, Hartford, CT

*Drew Carrano - Former DJ - WPLR-FM/WYBC-FM, New Haven, CT

*Rob Guerrera - Former DJ - Mike & Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio, Bristol, CT

References

External links

*FM station data|WQAQ