WKQW-AM
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WKQW is an AM radio station licensed to the community of Oil City, Pennsylvania. The town is situated 8 miles south of Franklin, the county seat of Venango County, in western Pennsylvania. WKQW is licensed to Clarion County Broadcasting, and operates at the assigned frequency of 1120 kHz, with a maximum power output of 1,000 watts, daytime only. It remains Venango County's only locally operated, programmed, and managed full-service radio station.
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[edit] Beginnings: As WKQW-AM
WKQW was founded in 1986 by local broadcaster and engineer Stephen M. Olszowka. Seven years after WKQW went on the air, Olszowka successfully applied for an FM license, giving birth to WKQW-FM. The new station broadcast at 96.3 FM with an effective radiated power of 6,000 watts, and went on the air with an oldies format, separate from WKQW's adult contemporary format (which would later become talk).
[edit] Tragedy Strikes: Olszowka Dies
Tragedy struck in February of 2004, with the sudden and untimely death of the 54-year-old Olszowka. With his passing, his mother Helen Gesing Olszowka assumed ownership of the station, since her son had never married nor sired offspring. With no desire to become a businesswoman in her sunset years, she sold the station less than a year later to William Hearst's Clarion County Broadcasting, for $540,000. Hearst is also the owner of WWCH-AM and WCCR-FM, both of which are also licensed to Clarion County Broadcasting.
[edit] WKQW Today
Following the takeover by Hearst, WKQW switched to a classic country format and adopted the moniker "Wildcatter Country". Its FM sister changed its format from Oldies to 80's based adult contemporary at around the same time. Though controlled from its Clarion County base, WKQW is still a very separate operation, maintaining its studio and office presence and its own independent staff at its original location: 222 Seneca Street in downtown Oil City.
