Class C2 Former callsigns WRCI (?-1/31/86) City of license Midland Slogan The Rock Station | HAAT 169 meters Facility ID 72924 Frequency 93.3 MHz Format Active rock Branding Z-93 | |
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Area Saginaw, Bay City, Midland | ||
WKQZ (a.k.a. The Rock Station, Z93) is an active rock radio station at 93.3 on the FM dial serving east-central Michigan, owned by Cumulus Media. The station is licensed to Midland, Michigan, although its studios are in Saginaw. It also airs Detroit Lions games in the fall.
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WKQZ can be reached in most of the Mid-Michigan thumb as the signal increases as listeners travel north toward Midland, and decreases as listeners travel south of Flint and Lapeer. As listeners travel southward, WDRQ 93.1 Detroit's signal tends to "bleed" into WKQZ's signal.
Programming
Z93 plays mostly modern rock tracks, but also frequents in classic rock.
During the weekday morning hours from 5-10 AM (and a re-run program on Saturdays), "Joe and the Poorboy," a local comedic program, airs with select music played during the runtime.
As of August 22, 2016 Joe Volk, the lead performer of the "Joe and the Poorboy" program, is no longer employed by the station or its owner Cumulus Media. No reason for his separation has been announced yet.
In January 2015, Z93 began airing the nationally syndicated show Loveline.
History
What is now Z93 was originally WRCI "Easy 93-5", an adult contemporary music station at 93.5 FM in Midland. WRCI was locally programmed at first, but in 1982 affiliated with the "Star Station" adult contemporary format delivered via satellite by Satellite Music Network. The station then tried a country format, known as "Kickin' Country 93.5 WRCI", for a very short period of time. After going off the air briefly, the station changed its calls to WKQZ and adopted its current rock format in 1986, and the station soon afterward shifted from 93.5 to 93.3, enabling a boost in power from 3,000 to 39,000 watts.
Coverage
The WKQZ signal covers a large amount of territory in east-central Michigan, from Mio in the north down to Flint in the south and from west of Mount Pleasant eastward into the Thumb. It also frequently covers fringe areas thanks to being the only signal in the entire state of Michigan on 93.3 FM.
The station also has many remote broadcasts from different areas, frequenting the counties of Midland, Bay and Saginaw.