WSSQ

WSSQ
Broadcast areaRock River Valley
Frequency105.5 MHz
BrandingQ105.5
Programming
FormatAdult contemporary
Ownership
Owner
WSDR, WZZT
History
First air date
October 22, 1966 (as WJVM at 94.3)
Former call signs
WJVM (1966–88)
Former frequencies
94.3 MHz (1966–2018)
Call sign meaning
Seith Serafin Quality
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID37208
ClassA
ERP6,000 watts
HAAT94 meters
Transmitter coordinates
41°51′8.00″N 89°42′35.00″W / 41.8522222°N 89.7097222°W / 41.8522222; -89.7097222
Links
Public license information
WebsiteWSSQ Online

WSSQ (105.5 FM) – branded as Q105.5 – is a commercial adult contemporary radio station licensed to Sterling, Illinois, United States, serving primarily Whiteside and Lee counties in the Rock River Valley. Owned by Fletcher M. Ford, through licensee Virden Broadcasting Corp., WSSQ serves as the local affiliate for the Chicago Bulls Radio Network. WSSQ also broadcasts Chicago Cubs baseball games.

History

WSSQ launched as WJVM at 94.3 MHz on October 22, 1966; as of 1968, the station was transmitting at 3,000 watts.[2] It was assigned the WSSQ call letters on August 8, 1988.[3] The station was then owned by Seith-Serafin of Sterling, Illiniois,[4] and the station callsign was chosen as an acronym for "Seith Serafin Quality".[5] In July 1993, it was announced that WSSQ and its AM sister station WSDR were sold to LH&S Communications, a company owned by Larry Sales and Howard Murphy which owned radio properties throughout the state of Illinois.[6][7] In 1998, WSSQ was acquired by Withers Broadcasting.[8]

Effective July 28, 2017, Withers Broadcasting sold WSSQ, WSDR, and WZZT to Fletcher M. Ford's Virden Broadcasting Corp. for $400,000. As of January 24, 2018, WSSQ had a construction permit to change frequency to 105.5 MHz, which took place on June 25, 2018.[9]

Current programming

.[10] In addition to its adult contemporary music format, WSSQ is a member of the Chicago Bulls Radio Network;[11] WSSQ is one of the nearest network affiliates for the Quad Cities region.[12]

Logo for old frequency

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WSSQ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Illinois AM, FM stations" (PDF), 1968 Broadcasting Yearbook via AmericanRadioHistory.com, vol. 74, no. YB-33, Broadcasting & Cable, p. B-55, January 1, 1968
  3. ^ "Call Sign History: WSSQ". Licensing.FCC.gov. Federal Communications Commission. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  4. ^ Feder, Robert (September 14, 1988). "Linda Yu to anchor cruise tour of China". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 5, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2015. ... with additional support from WSDR-AM and WSSQ-FM, two stations owned by Seith-Serafin in Sterling, Ill.
  5. ^ Nelson, Bob (2016). "Call Letter Origins: Key and Listing". Nelson.OldRadio.com/Origins.html. Bob Nelson. Archived from the original on February 18, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016. WSSQ (FM) Sterling, IL... S)eith S)erafin Q)uality...
  6. ^ Feder, Robert (July 13, 1993). "Sex Talk Matures On 'Private Lives'". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Seith's WSDR-AM and WSSQ-FM in Sterling and WZZT-FM in Morrison will be acquired by LH&S Communications...
  7. ^ "Radio News Network Sold to Missouri Company". Wisconsin State Journal. February 28, 1996. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2015. LH&S Communications, which is owned by Larry Sales and Howard Murphy, purchased WRN in September of 1994. LH&S also owns the Illinois Radio Network and radio stations WSDR, WSSQ and WZZT, which are all in Illinois]
  8. ^ "Broadcasting Pioneer W. Russell Withers, Jr. Passes Away". WDTV.com. Withers Broadcasting Company of West Virginia. January 17, 2014. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Withers Broadcasting Companies key milestones include the existing acquisitions: ... 1998 - WSSQ 94.3 FM, Sterling, IL...
  9. ^ Upper Midwest Broadcasting
  10. ^ Staff report (April 11, 2015). "Pie auction set to help fight cancer". SaukValley.com. Shaw Media. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2015. Brian Zschiesche from WSDR, WSSQ, and WZZT will host the benefit.
  11. ^ "Chicago Bulls Radio Network". NBA.com/Bulls. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. 2016. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  12. ^ Booker, Roy (February 18, 2016). "Ask the Times: 1973 plane crash claimed 6 lives". QCTimes.com. Quad-City Times. Archived from the original on May 25, 2016. Retrieved May 25, 2016. The Bulls do not currently have a radio affiliate in the Quad-Cities. The nearest stations to the metro area that are part of their network are WAIK (1590 AM) in Galesburg, WSSQ (94.3 FM) in Sterling, and WZOE (1490 AM) in Princeton.