Radio This Week Back Then #65: April 20-26
This week: WAPW "Power 99" Atlanta, KPNT "105-7 the Point" St Louis, and WKRQ "Q102" Cincinnati
What was on the radio this week…back then. This is a weekly visit of radio audio from this week in past years for those that enjoy radio history, those working in radio looking for promotional ideas, or stations looking to re-find lost audio of their heritage. If you enjoy these weekly audio rewinds, they take a lot of time to put together, so please do me a favor, subscribe, and share and pass it on. Thank you! A searchable and sortable index of all the audio is located on the Aircheck Index page.
This week:
Atlanta | top 40 WAPW “Power 99” (1990)
St Louis | modern rock KPNT “105-7 the Point, Everything Alternative” (2012)
Cincinnati | top 40 WKRQ “Q102, Cincinnati’s Hit Music” (2019)
Happy reading and listening!
Related: Atlanta
About
The 99.7 facility first signed on 27 November 1963 as WLTA, which ran MOR during the week and light classical on Sundays.1 Presently, it is running CHR as WWWQ “Q99.7.”
Aircheck
This aircheck comes from the top 40 “Power 99” era. Power’s beginning traces back to 5 March 1986 when soft AC WARM-FM flipped to top 40 “Power 99.7.” It enjoined at CHR battle already in place with incumbents WZGC 92.9 “Z93” and WQXI-FM 94.1 “94Q.” The more “Power”-like WAPW calls didn’t come until 1988. Power’s run ended in October 1992 when it flipped to modern rock “99X.” 99X became a highly influential outpost of the alternative format in the 1990s.
Audio
Aircheck Log
Related: St Louis
About
Aircheck
KPNT has been running modern rock now for more than 30 years. This aircheck comes from this week in 2012.
Audio
Aircheck Log
Related: Cincinnati
About
Aircheck
The WKRQ calls first arrived in September 1972 when automated solid gold WKRC-FM flipped to top 40 WKRQ with live air shifts.2 It briefly ran AOR a few years later before returning to top 40. In 2002, it shifted to hot AC “Q102, Music First.” In more recent years, it has been an adult-leaning top 40. Branded as “Q102, Cincinnati’s Hit Music,” this late night aircheck from 2019 has an adult CHR lean.
Audio
Aircheck Log
As always, the logos and other intellectual property belong to the stations. The recordings were made from over the air broadcasts. Similarly, other data (charts, ratings, etc.) belong to their respective owners.
“WLTA-FM Joins Atlanta Sound Scene,” The Atlanta Journal, 14 December 1963.
“Super Q Radio Here To Stay,” The Cincinnati Post, 23 November 1972.
The fact that 2 of these are still thriving says much about good local radio management.