- WSKQ-FM
-
WSKQ-FM City of license New York City Broadcast area New York City Branding Mega 97.9 Frequency 97.9 (MHz) (also on HD Radio)
97.9 HD-2 for One Caribbean RadioFirst air date 1941 Format Tropical ERP 6,000 watts HAAT 415 meters Class B Facility ID 61641 Former callsigns WGYN (1943-1952)
WEVD-FM (1952-1989)Owner Spanish Broadcasting System Webcast Listen Live Website lamega.com WSKQ-FM, known on-air as Mega 97.9, is a radio station in New York City owned by Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS). Currently located at 97.9 FM, the station has a tropical format, which consists of such musical styles as Bachata, salsa, merengue, and Reggaeton.
History
The 97.9 FM facility's heritage goes back to 1941, when the Muzak Corporation went on the air as W47NY at 44.7 MHz. The call letters changed to WGYN in 1943 and the frequency ended up at 97.9 on the FM band in 1947.
In 1952 the call letters became WEVD-FM. The station was owned by The Forward with brokered ethnic programming, Jewish programming, and some big band music.
Norman B. Furman was general manager of WEVD from 1968 to 1972. He initiated a variety of programs to serve the many ethnic communities in New York.The call letters were announced as WEVD...."the station that speaks your language." These languages included Yiddish ,Hebrew ,Italian, Greek, Portuguese, German, Russian, Japanese and Irish, All serving their various communities. The "Forward Hour"--the popular variety show was MC'd by Norman for many years. He had a major role in developing and procuring the most popular of all Jewish jingles:" Joe and Paul a fargenigen......A suit, a coat kenst du krigen"
In October 1983 SBS brought the 620 AM frequency in Newark, New Jersey and converted what had been jazz and easy listening-formatted WVNJ into a Spanish adult contemporary music station with the callsign of WSKQ. Known on-air as Super KQ, the station was led by Rafael-Diaz Gutierrez, Raul Alarcon(former DJ in Cuba), and Adriano Garcia Sr.(CEO of SAR Records and father of lead vocalist A.G.(Adriano Garcia Jr. of New York Hardcore band Against The Grain). WSKQ would become the New York market's third full-time Spanish station at that time, after WADO and WJIT (now WZRC).
In 1988, SBS negotiated a deal that would enable them to acquire the 97.9 FM frequency that was occupied by ethnic WEVD. SBS had acquired the 1050 AM frequency in October 1988, as the frequency's previous occupants, WFAN had just replaced WNBC on the 660 AM frequency. Since it was illegal in 1988 for the same company to own two AM stations in a market, there was a problem in regards to what to do with the 1050 frequency. To solve this problem, the FCC allowed SBS to operate the 1050 frequency as a non-commercial station. The call letters would be WUKQ, and would play Spanish adult contemporary music without commercial interruptions, while 620 AM would become a Spanish oldies station. Finally, on February 1, 1989, the deal between SBS and WEVD closed, and SBS instituted a Spanish music format with the call letters WSKQ-FM on 97.9 FM, while WEVD moved to 1050 AM.
The Spanish oldies music format on 620 AM would remain for several years after the deal, and in 1995, that station would take on a tejano format as WXLX. A couple of years later, SBS would sell the station to One-on-One Sports (now Sporting News Radio), and it would become a sports-talk station.
As for WSKQ-FM, the Spanish adult contemporary format would initially obtained mediocre ratings. Then in 1993, with the hiring of Vice President and General Manager Alfredo Alonso the station moved to an upbeat tropical format playing a lot of salsa, merengue, and dance music using the name MEGA 97.9. At that point the station would flourish; as of 2005, it is one of the highest rated radio stations in New York City. In fact, its morning show, the syndicated El Vacilón de la Mañana, has sometimes reached number one out of all morning shows in New York.The shows, such as El Vacilon and its Sunday night programs "On Fuego: The Daddy Yankee Show" and TRL Latino are syndicated by CBS Radio and ABC Radio Networks.
The Spanish adult contemporary format would be resurrected in January 1996, when SBS would acquire WPAT-FM's license and transmitter.
External links
- Mega 97.9 website
- Query the FCC's FM station database for WSKQ
- Radio-Locator information on WSKQ
- Query Arbitron's FM station database for WSKQ
Preceded by
WEVDFM 97.9 in New York, New York
1952 - February 1, 1989Succeeded by
WSKQPreceded by
WSKQAM 620 in New York, New York
1983 - 1995Succeeded by
WXLX (now WSNR)Preceded by
WUKQAM 1050 in New York, New York
February 1, 1989-PresentSucceeded by
WEVD (now WEPN)Radio stations in the New York City market By FM frequency 88.1 · 88.9 · 89.1 · 89.9 · 90.3 · 90.3 · 90.7 · 91.5 · 92.3 · 93.1 · 93.9 · 94.7 · 95.5 · 96.3 · 97.1 · 97.9 · 98.7 · 99.5 · 100.3 · 101.1 · 101.9 · 102.7 · 103.5 · 104.3 · 105.1 · 105.9 · 106.7 · 107.5
Westchester Cty., NY: 88.1 · 90.3 · 93.5 · 96.7 · 100.7 · 103.9 · 107.1
New Jersey: 88.3 · 89.1 · 89.5 · 90.3 · 91.1 · 99.1 · 106.3 · 107.1By AM frequency NOAA Weather Radio frequency 162.550By callsign KWO35 · WABC¹ · WADO · WARY · WAWZ · WAXQ · WBAI · WBBR¹ · WBGO · WBLS · WCBS¹ · WCBS-FM · WDFH · WEMP · WEPN · WFAN¹ · WFAS-FM · WFDU · WFME · WFMU · WFUV · WGHT · WHCR-FM · WHTZ · WHUD · WICR¹ · WINS · WKCR-FM · WKDM · WKLV-FM · WKMK · WKRB · WKTU · WLIB · WLTW · WMCA · WMSC · WNSW · WNYC · WNYC-FM · WNYE · WNYM · WNYU-FM · WOR¹ · WPAT · WPAT-FM · WPLJ · WQEW¹ · WQHT · WQXR-FM · WRKS · WSIA · WSKQ-FM · WSNR · WSOU · WVIP · WVOX · WWES · WWFS · WWPR-FM · WWRL · WWRU · WWRV · WWZY · WXNY-FM · WXPK · WXRK · WZRC
Chinese Radio New York
Chung Wah Chinese Broadcasting Company
ICN Radio
RBC RadioDefunct Translators W292DV (Silent)New York Radio Markets: Albany-Schenectady-Troy • Binghamton • Buffalo-Niagara Falls • Elmira-Corning • Hamptons-Riverhead • Ithaca • Nassau-Suffolk (Long Island) • New York City • Newburgh-Middletown (Mid Hudson Valley) • Olean • Plattsburgh • Poughkeepsie • Rochester • Syracuse • Utica-Rome • Watertown
Other New York Radio Regions: Jamestown-Dunkirk • North Country • Saratoga
Spanish-language Radio Stations in the state of New York Stations See also: adult contemporary, classic hits, college, country, news/talk, NPR, oldies, religious, rock, sports, top 40, urban, and other radio stations in New York
Also see: Classical, Jazz, Religious, Spanish, Smooth Jazz, and Other.Categories:- HD Radio stations
- Spanish Broadcasting System radio stations
- Radio stations in New York City
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.