Branding Q93.5 | Slogan Plays the Hits | |
City Columbia, South Carolina Broadcast area Columbia, South Carolina Frequency 93.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) Translator(s) 99.7 W259CL (Columbia, relays HD2) | ||
WARQ is a radio station licensed to Columbia, South Carolina and serves the Columbia market. The Alpha Media outlet is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to broadcast at 93.5 MHz with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 2.8 kW. Its studios are on Pineview Road in Columbia, while the transmitter tower is located atop the Capitol Center building at 1201 Main Street.
WARQ broadcasts in the HD Radio (hybrid) format.
History
WARQ signed on the air as WXRY on February 6, 1971 in mono with a Beautiful/Easy Listening music format. Later, the station converted to FM stereo, still with a Beautiful/Easy Listening music format supplied on reel to reel tape by Schulke.
In 1983, the station adopted the call letters WCEZ and maintained the Beautiful/Easy Listening format, with the slogan "The Beautiful Place to Be" and "Easy 93 WCEZ."
Shortly after the sale of then WCEZ (along with sister WVOC AM 560) to Ridgley Communications, the station abandoned the automated reel-to-reel Beautiful/Easy Listening format to a light rock format that incorporated more vocals and fewer traditional instrumentals. WCEZ then adopted the moniker "Lite 93.5" and began broadcasting a satellite-delivered light rock format supplied by Westwood One networks known internally as "Format 41."
Ridgley Communications later filed for bankruptcy protection and a private ownership group in the Fall of 1989 purchased WCEZ/WVOC out of bankruptcy. The group of owners, which included Olympia Networks Steve Bunyard and broadcast veteran Rick Dames, organized and operated the stations under the Clayton Radio name.
In January 1990, Clayton Radio replaced Format 41 with a Gold-based WARM AC format developed by McVay Media. The station adopted the moniker Star 93.5 and the call letters WAAS. As unfortunate as the transpositions were, the call letters were designed to put the station at the top of the Arbitron rating service list of stations and stood for "We Are Always Shining." The jingles used by WAAS were customized versions of JAM's "Q-Cuts" package.
By 1992, WAAS was at a crossroads. The station was experiencing financial difficulties as well as a ratings battle with 2 other ACs in the market, WTCB and WSCQ (now known as WXBT). That August the station, in a rather bold move, dropped AC for Active Rock (with select Classic rock cuts) under the "Rock 93.5" handle. The new call letters became WARQ and the station set out to battle established AOR/Classic rock hybrid WMFX for the rock audience.
In early 1995, WARQ was sold to new owners and the studios were moved with new sister station WWDM. When the move was completed, a brief stunt was done on April Fools' Day when WARQ dropped Album Rock for Hip hop as "93 Jamz" for about an hour. After the stunting was done, Rock 93-5 was relaunched with a new on-air slogan "Real Rock". At that point, the station segued toward a more Active/Alternative Rock hybrid, but would eventually become a full Alternative station by early 1996 dropping the "Real Rock" slogan in the process for "Columbia's Rock Alternative".
In 1999, a new handle known as "Channel 93-5" was adopted by Clear Channel. This lasted until 2004, when the "Rock 93-5" moniker was reclaimed after Inner City Broadcasting bought it.
The station was owned for a bit by YMF Media LLC through licensee YMF Media South Carolina Licensee LLC, which also owned Urban Contemporary WHXT, Urban AC WWDM, Modern Rock WMFX, and Sports WOIC in the Columbia radio market.
It is now owned by Alpha Media (formerly known as L&L Broadcasting) as of late 2013, which also bought Urban Contemporary WHXT, Urban AC WWDM, Modern rock WMFX, and Sports WOIC in the Columbia radio market at the time of purchase.
On March 21, 2014, WARQ began stunting with a loop directing listeners to sister station WMFX 102.3 FM, which shifted from classic rock to mainstream rock.
On March 24, at Midnight, WARQ ended stunting and changed their format to hot AC, branded as "Q93.5".
WARQ's new HD2 station Rock 99.7 (launched around Christmas 2016) plays active rock and modern rock, with only 2 minutes of commercials. They play 90s, 00s, 10s, and new alternative rock, like Rock 93.5 did. One of their favorite bands is Alice in Chains, but they play new bands like Twenty One Pilots too. Rock 99.7 plays 90s artists like Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Stone Temple Pilots, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, Garbage, and Collective Soul. And they play 00s artists like Linkin Park, Chevelle, Three Days Grace, Shinedown, Seether, The Killers, Blink 182, and even hometown favorite Crossfade. The 2010s artists they play include Cage the Elephant and The Black Keys.