102.3 WWQB Westwood KY (Huntington-Ashland market)

[Mike]

It's been on the air since Tuesday morning.

First they ran a loop telling you that WUGO (GO Radio, known for decades as "U-102" or "The U-Turn") has moved to 99.7

This still runs between songs.

They are playing a selection that sounds like something I would do. Mostly 80's pop and rock (pop songs, power ballads) except that you will also hear Nirvana and other 90's rock. No currents.

Wednesday they ran a stunt loop of construction noises saying they were building a radio station.

RDS is now active and reads WWQB.

I had to go to Charleston yesterday and I can say that from the Dunbar exit east the signal is excellent. They appear to be on the tower in South Point, OH that the 101.5 on channel booster is on.

[RADIOHEAD 1]

Who owns this station?

[Tim Tyler]

The word is that Lynn Martin owns this signal. They got the 102.3 antenna from WUGO Grayson. The tower is in Burlington, Ohio, on the hill across US 52 north of Sam’s Club. WUGO is not running any RDS and their new 99.7 signal doesn't seem any stronger in Ashland.

[Mike]

The word is that Lynn Martin owns this signal. They got the 102.3 antenna from WUGO Grayson. The tower is in Burlington, Ohio, on the hill across US 52 north of Sam’s Club. WUGO is not running any RDS and their new 99.7 signal doesn't seem any stronger in Ashland.

Is that why WUGO was off the air for nearly a day? They swapped antennas?
I doubt GO makes a whole lot of money, but you figure they can buy their own 99.7 antenna to put up on their tower...

Then again, since the frequency swap was WWQB's initiative, GO had every right to demand whatever they wanted from them (including paying them to move frequencies). Example: WWQB is on the air broadcasting a test broadcast letting people know where WUGO moved to...

GO's main motivation for moving to 99.7 are the 102.3 and 102.5 signals closer to Morehead/Lexington that were interfering with them. Keep in mind that GO is the last "local" station left in this region. They want to cover Grayson-Olive Hill and Carter County. They don't care about anything else. Much like WIRO used to be with their Ironton coverage when Ken Auble still owned it. They could have tower danced into Huntington decades ago and been a prime signal on 102.3.

Frankly if radio is to survive at all as a medium, it need to be more like GO and less like Clear Channel. GO is tiny. Yet they THRIVE on locality. Clear Channel is completely irrelevant to my area. Despite owning the top rated stations.

The tower WWQB is on, btw, is the 101.5 on channel booster tower, owned now by Kindred.

[The Interpreter]

WUGO to go silent during switchover Tim Preston 03/25/2013 11:26 PM
Longtime listeners of Grayson’s WUGO radio will find their favorite station at a new location on the FM dial this week following a scheduled shutdown and switchover starting early Thursday.
Station manager Francis Nash said the technical work was set for Wednesday, although weather concerns delayed the action until Thursday. Nash explained a tower team will be used to climb the 365-foot tower near the station’s studios in Grayson, remove the existing broadcast antenna and replace it with a new antenna allowing the station to broadcast at a different frequency.
Nash said the antenna work is set to begin early Thursday and the station is expected to resume broadcasting at 99.7 on the FM dial Thursday evening.
“We won’t be changing our programming and we will sound the same, but we will be at a little better spot on the dial,” Nash said last week, explaining the new frequency is expected to have less interference from other stations.
Nash said “99.7 is a brand-new frequency that’s never been on in our area and we will have less interference on our outer ridge, noting the station previously had to sign agreements accepting a certain level of interference from other stations in similar broadcast ranges.
The old frequency, 102.3 FM, has been sold and will become part of the Huntington/Charleston broadcasting market, Nash said. The frequency is expected to be back on the air “probably a few days later,” after the Grayson station has officially started broadcasting at 99.7 FM.
“We have been at 102.3 for 40 years, so people are going to have to get used to it,” Nash said, expressing confidence the station’s loyal audience will easily make the transition.
WUGO and WGOH broadcast an adult contemporary format, according to Wikipedia. The stations serve the northeastern Kentucky area and are owned by Carter County Broadcasting Co. Inc. They feature programing from CBS Radio and the Kentucky News Network, and broadcast football and basketball games from East Carter and West Carter high schools. WUGO also broadcasts University of Kentucky football and men’s basketball games as well as Major League Baseball’s Cincinnati Reds games, while WGOH serves as the flagship station for Kentucky Christian University athletics. The station has won four National Crystal Radio Awards for community service.
TIM PRESTON can be reached at tpreston@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2651.

http://m.dailyindependent.com/Independe ... d=OPuQcyTN

[Ace Purple]

102.3 WWQB is running mostly songs from the 1980s -- I've heard Phil Collins and Megadeth and Wild Cherry ("Play That Funky Music") and Stone Temple Pilots. In-between are cold segues with the occasional pseudo legal ID liner for WWQB/Westwood, KY telling people that WUGO has moved to 99.7 FM. Not far from the Variety Hits Bob FM/Jack FM type of format, at least with the music they're presumably testing with right now.

[Bitmapped]

I was in the Grayson/Ashland/Huntington area over the weekend. I liked what I heard on 102.3 with the predominantly 80s mix. Seems like it could be a nice niche.

[Shanen Wright]

Could a simulcast with 100.9 The Mix be coming soon?

[Mr. Jones]

Could a simulcast with 100.9 The Mix be coming soon?

I was just thinking the same thing. Cheap and easy.

[contracteng]

WWQB is not on the "Buck" booster.

[RADIOHEAD 1]

Shanen Wright wrote:
Could a simulcast with 100.9 The Mix be coming soon?

I was just thinking the same thing. Cheap and easy.
Mr. Jones
Member


"Cheap and easy" Lynn Martin's middle name

[the jive talkin one]

WWQB is not on the "Buck" booster.

It looks like it's at the top of the hill, on Burlington-Macedonia Road....
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... FM%29&om=1

...alongside "Hits 97.9"...
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... FM%29&om=1

...and "OIdies 97.1"...
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... FM%29&om=1

It's not even close to the popgun claiming to be the transmitter for "Big Buck"...
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q ... FM%29&om=1

[Mr. Jones]

The construction noises are back (with the occasional song in-between) and the promos for WUGO are gone.

Anyone know how close we are to a launch?