WQEZ (1370 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a soft adult contemporary format. Licensed to Fort Campbell, Kentucky, United States, the station serves the ClarksvilleHopkinsville area. The station is owned by Saga Communications through licensee Saga Communications of Tuckessee, LLC, and operates as part of its Five Star Media Group.[3] Its tower and transmitter located on Stateline Road in Oak Grove, Kentucky immediately outside the main gates of the Ft. Campbell, Kentucky military installation.

WQEZ
Broadcast areaClarksville, TennesseeHopkinsville, Kentucky
Frequency1370 kHz
BrandingEZ 99.9
Programming
FormatSoft adult contemporary
Ownership
Owner
  • Saga Communications
  • (Saga Communications of Tuckessee, LLC)
WCVQ, WKFN, WNZE, WRND, WVVR, WZZP
History
First air date
1963; 61 years ago (1963)[1]
Former call signs
  • WABD (1963–2001)
  • WJMR (2001–2003)
  • WKFN (2003–2005)
  • WJQI (2005–2009)
  • WEGI (2009–2013)
  • WRND (2013–2018)
Call sign meaning
"EZ" (branding)
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID61260
ClassD
Power
  • 1,000 watts (day)
  • 53 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates
36°38′28″N 87°26′1″W / 36.64111°N 87.43361°W / 36.64111; -87.43361
Translator(s)99.9 W260DH (Fort Campbell)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitemyez999.com

History

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The station went on the air as WABD in 1963 broadcasting a top-40 station appealing to soldiers and their families at the Fort Campbell Military Reservation. Leo Wilson of Hopkinsville helped build the station and Gary L. Latham was president and general manager. In addition to Latham, Shelby McCallum and then-Kentucky Governor Ned Breathitt were partners in the station, whose call letters stood for "Airborne Division", in honor of the 101st Airborne Division at the military base. The station launched WABD-FM (now WCVQ) in 1968. In the late 1970s, album rock moved to WABD-FM and the AM became oldies.[1]: 91, 92 

In 1986, the stations were sold to Southern Broadcasting of Clarksville, Tennessee, with Tom Cassetty, president and general manager. WABD-FM changed call letters to WCVQ-FM; that station became gold-based adult contemporary sound, while WABD took the urban format.[1]: 92 

Southern sold the stations to Saga Communications, Inc., the current owner and operator.

Today the station's studios and offices are located in Clarksville, Tennessee co-located with WVVR, WCVQ, WKFN, WZZP-FM, and WRND-FM, a cluster of stations known as the 5 Star Radio Group owned by Saga Communications, Inc.

The station changed its format to all country gospel music on January 1, 2008.

On April 15, 2009, Saga dropped the all country gospel music format to simulcast WEGI-FM "Eagle 94.3 Classic Hits" and changed the call letters to WEGI.

On December 26, 2013, WEGI (along with WEGI-FM) shifted their format to variety hits, branded as "Rewind 94.3".[4] The stations changed their call signs to WRND and WRND-FM, respectively, on December 27, 2013.

On April 11, 2018, WRND split from its simulcast with WRND-FM and changed their format to soft adult contemporary, branded as "EZ 99.9" under new WQEZ calls. The 99.9 frequency in the branding is for FM translator W260DH 99.9 FM Fort Campbell.[5]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Nash, Francis M. (1995). Towers Over Kentucky: A History of Radio and TV in the Bluegrass State (PDF). HOST Communications. ISBN 9781879688933 – via World Radio History.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for WQEZ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "WRND Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  4. ^ "WEGI Rewinds Itself".
  5. ^ Saga Launches EZ 99.9 Clarksville Radioinsight - April 11, 2018
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