WTBQ

Infobox Radio station
name = WTBQ


city = Warwick, New York
area = Orange County
branding = "WTBQ"
slogan = "Radio Worth Listening To"; "The All-New 99Q"
airdate = July 27,1969
frequency = 1110 AM and 99.1 FM
format = Talk, music
power = 500 watts daytime (AM) and 19 watts (FM)
erp =
class = D
callsign_meaning = See below
former_callsigns =
owner = FST Broadcasting
webcast = http://www.wtbq.com
website = http://www.wtbq.com
affiliations = ABC, MRN

WTBQ is an independent radio station broadcasting from Warwick, New York, featuring oldies, local talk shows and specialty programming. It is the last locally-owned radio station left in Orange County, New York, and one of only two in the Hudson Valley (WHVW in Poughkeepsie being the other). The station airs on 1110 AM (throughout Orange County and northern New Jersey) and 99.1 FM (in the Town of Warwick and surrounding areas).

Early history

Local media mogul Ed Klein brought WTBQ to air July 27, 1969 with studios in the village of Warwick; the call letters came from Klein's young daughter's affection for her Teddy Bear. Originally, WTBQ had a "Beautiful Music" format, in contrast to Top 40 music, which Klein hated. In 1982 it was purchased by polka king Jimmy Sturr, who moved the studios to nearby Florida, New York. After another change in ownership (George Dacre's "Goodtime Broadcasting"), the station went silent in late 1992, but returned to the air under current owner Frank "Smokin'" Truatt on July 1, 1994.

WTBQ today

Frank Truatt and newsman Rob McLean co-host the morning show, which airs weekdays until 9:00 am Eastern Time. An important feature of the Morning Show is "Our Town", heard each day from 8:05-8:30 am, in which local politicians are interviewed on a rotating basis. "Our Town" was created by veteran singer and WTBQ Saturday morning host Dick Wells, who also served as co-anchor of the weekday morning newscasts. On September 9, 2007, Wells suffered a heart attack while performing; after a brief hiatus, he made a surprise return to the Dick Wells Show on December 8, 2007. Frank Truatt, station owner and radio personality now also DJs a 1970's radio program called "Rockollections" every Monday from 7 to 9 PM. Other WTBQ personalities include popular talk show host John Moultrie, 30-year radio veteran Rich Ball, polka queen Nat "The Cat" Gubala, 17-time (and counting) Grammy winner Jimmy Sturr and the ever-popular Uncle Buck (Frank Pileggi).

Sunday morning features the quirky [http://www.wtbq.com/personalities.asp Hawkeye Show] ; the eclectic music of "Anything Goes" with [http://www.wtbq.com/personalities.asp Frank Lowell] and "A Drop of The Irish", a locally-produced Irish music and interview show with Paul Byrne. [http://www.myspace.com/dropoftheirish] Saturday programming includes "The Latin Jubilee", the only bi-lingual show on Orange County radio [http://www.jubileepresents.com] ; "Teen Talk" and "Horse Talk". [http://www.bnihudsonvalley.com Frank De Raffele] , an Executive Director of [http://www.bni.com Business Network International (BNI)] hosts [http://www.eeradioshow.com Entrepreneurial Excellence] every Monday afternoon from 5 - 6 PM Eastern Time. Fridays at 5 PM the weekend starts with Souzie's "Mellow Brick Road", the only Australian radio program in the United States. The best music continues Fridays with Chris Cordani's "Revenge of the 80s" at 7 PM.

The station is an affiliate of ABC Radio and features broadcasting immortal Paul Harvey three times a day. National personalities Neal Boortz and Clark Howard anchor mid-mornings and mid-afternoons respectively. Sports programming is headlined by coverage of NASCAR racing, with Warwick Valley High School football airing weekends in the fall, as well as "Johns on Sports," with John Gottlieb and John McMullen, also on Saturdays.

On November 30, 2007, WTBQ moved its studios from the village of Florida to Ronald Reagan Boulevard in the Town of Warwick, NY. It had been located in the "Professional Building" at 62 North Main Street in Florida since 1984, prior to which it was located in the village of Warwick. On February 7, 2008, WTBQ held a grand opening and ribbon-cutting at the new studios, which was attended by the news media, as well as many government officials and station personnel.

24-hour streaming

Although WTBQ broadcasts on the air during the daylight hours only (due to WBT in Charlotte, a clear-channel station that owns the frequency at night), WTBQ has streamed on the internet 24 hours a day since 1999, the first station in the Hudson Valley to do so. (WTBQ was also the first area radio station with a website back in 1995.) Internet-only personalities and shows include Val Martin, Nat the Cat and Teddy Smith.

The overnight programming now airs on 99.1 FM (see below).

FM translator

At 4:30 pm on January 25, 2008, WTBQ began airing on FM translator W256BD on a frequency of 99.1 MHz. The arrangement, made possible by a Special Temporary Authority from the Federal Communications Commission and W256BD owner Digital Radio Broadcasting, will allow WTBQ to broadcast its programs 24 hours a day via an FM transmitter located on WTBQ's AM broadcast tower. It is one of the first instances of an AM station using an FM translator in the United States.

Notable alumni

Jimmy Sturr

Howard Hoffman

Alex Miller

Joe Ryan

Rob Dillman

Eric Hodge

Joe Cyr

Rick Davis

Jimmy Howes

Max Kinkel

John Moultrie

Dick Wells

Mike Bennett

External links

*amq|WTBQ
* [http://www.wtbq.com WTBQ website]