City Augusta, Georgia Branding 104.3 WBBQ First air date 1958 | Broadcast area CSRA Frequency 104.3 MHz | |
Slogan Augusta's Most Music, Best Variety (General)
Augusta's Continuous Christmas Station (Nov. to Dec.) | ||
WBBQ-FM (104.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Augusta, Georgia, USA, the station is currently owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.. Its studios are located at the Augusta Corporate Center near the I-20/I-520 interchange in Augusta, and the transmitter tower is in Beech Island, South Carolina.
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Station history
WBBQ-FM signed on in 1958 as the sister to WBBQ AM 1340. The FM simulcasted the AM's programming for much of its existence. Both stations switched to Top 40 under the guidance of Edward H. Dunbar beginning in the early 1960s. WBBQ was very popular with this format and was the #1 station in the Augusta market for over 35 years. In addition, the station had a top-notch news department. Both WBBQ AM and WBBQ FM were owned by George Weiss (under his company Savannah Valley Broadcasting), who would play an active role in the station's growth.
In August 1994, the new station manager Birnie Florie (a former news reporter and salesman) ordered that WBBQ swap formats with newly acquired sister FM WZNY while Weiss was out of the country. WBBQ switched to adult contemporary and WZNY switched to CHR.
That move, along with a few other unfavorable decisions, caused Weiss (in 1997) to donate WBBQ and WZNY to the Medical College of Georgia shortly before his passing from cancer. MCG, in turn, sold the stations to Cumulus Broadcasting for $14 million. The money was used to establish the Weiss Endowment for Research for cancer research.
Cumulus sold WBBQ in 2000 to Clear Channel Communications (now known as iHeartMedia, Inc.).