WDAQ
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| WDAQ | |
| City of license | Danbury, Connecticut |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Northwest Fairfield County, Connecticut |
| Branding | 98Q |
| First air date | 1948 |
| Frequency | 98.3 MHz |
| Format | CHR |
| Power | 1.3 kW |
| ERP | 3 kW |
| Class | A |
| Callsign meaning | W DAnbury Q |
| Former callsigns | WLAD-FM (1948-79) |
| Owner | Berkshire Broadcasting Group |
| Website | www.98q.com |
WDAQ (98Q) is a Contemporary Hit Radio station licenced to Danbury, Connecticut and serving the immediate Danbury area. The station is owned by locally-based Berkshire Broadcasting (alongside sister stations WLAD and WREF) and broadcasts on 98.3 MHz with 3 kilowatts ERP from a tower in Danbury.
[edit] History
WDAQ first signed on in 1948 as WLAD-FM, one of the first Class A FM stations to sign on in the United States and the first to sign on in the Danbury area (over a decade prior to the sign on of the higher powered WINE-FM). Originally, the station was part of the Rural Radio Network as one of two Connecticut affiliates of the New York-based network. This programming would last until the 1950s when WLAD-FM evolved into an extention of its then-daytimer sister.
In the mid 1960s, spurred on by FCC regulations forcing FM stations to create formats separate from their AM sister stations, WLAD-FM upgraded to a stereo signal and flipped to easy listening. In 1979, call letters were changed to WDAQ and the station began moving to soft adult contemporary. In 1982, the station rebranded itself as "Light 98" FM.
By the late 1980s, WDAQ fell in the ratings as stronger signaled WEBE, WKCI and WEZN contemporized their formats. Seeing an opportunity between teen formatted WKCI and mainstream adult contemporary WEBE and soft adult contemporary WEZN, WDAQ was reborn as hot adult contemporary 98Q in September, 1989. The station became instantly popular and shot to #1 within a year, beating sister WLAD and crosstown rocker WRKI.
During its existence as 98Q, the station has been #1 in the majority of Danbury Arbitron market ratings surveys. Part of this success can be traced to the station holding a hyper-Danbury focus as opposed to the more regional focus that other FM stations in the market.
[edit] Musical Approach
In recent years, WDAQ has shifted more towards Adult Top 40 with more dayparting. This adjustment appears to have had no negative effect on its Arbitron ratings as 98Q remains the leading station in the Greater Danbury area.
[edit] Links
In-Town AM Stations: 800 | 850 | 940 | 1510
New York City/Hartford AM Stations: 660 | 770 | 880 | 1010 | 1050 | 1080 | 1130 | 1560
FM Stations: 88.1 | 89.5 | 91.1 | 91.7 | 92.5 | 93.3 | 93.7 | 95.1 | 98.3 | 99.1 | 99.9 | 100.7 | 101.3 | 101.5 | 102.9 | 104.7 | 105.5 | 107.9
