WINQ (AM)

For the station in Tampa, Florida, that held the WINQ calls in the 1960s and 1970s, see WJBR (AM).

WINQ (1490 kHz; "WINK Country") is an AM radio station licensed to serve Brattleboro, Vermont. The station is owned by Saga Communications and licensed to Saga Communications of New England, LLC; it operates as part of its Monadnock Broadcasting Group. WINQ simulcasts the country music programming of Keene, New Hampshire, sister station WINQ-FM.

WINQ

Simulcasting WINQ-FM Winchester, New Hampshire
Brattleboro, Vermont
Frequency	1490 kHz
Branding	WINK Country
Programming
Format	Country
Affiliations	Premiere Networks Westwood One
Ownership
Owner	Saga Communications (Saga Communications of New England, LLC)
Sister stations	WKVT-FM, WRSY
History
First air date	November 29, 1959; 65 years ago (1959-11-29) (as WKVT)[1]
Former call signs	WKVT (1959–2018)
Call sign meaning	"wink"
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	57781
Class	C
Power	1,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates	42°50′51″N 72°34′56″W
Translator(s)	106.9 W295CO (Brattleboro)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen live
Website	987wink.com

The station had previously been assigned the WKVT call letters by the Federal Communications Commission.^[3]

Last logo as WKVT

WKVT was part of a network of progressive talk stations throughout the northeastern United States that are owned by Saga Communications (others including WNYY in Ithaca, New York, WHMP in Northampton, Massachusetts, WHNP in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts, and WHMQ in Greenfield, Massachusetts); these, in turn, were among the last progressive talk stations still on the air in early 2017. Because of the migration of most progressive talk shows to off-air platforms, Saga announced plans to begin dropping the format in February 2017; WNYY was the first to change,^[4] followed by WHNP,^[5] with most of the other stations in the network likely to follow.^[6]

On May 30, 2018, WKVT dropped its syndicated programming, including Stephanie Miller and Thom Hartmann, and began to carry the country music programming of Keene-based WINQ; WKVT's local morning drive time program, Green Mountain Mornings, was retained following the format change.^[7] The station changed its call sign to WINQ on June 19, 2018. Green Mountain Mornings, which was hosted by Olga Peters, was cancelled in December 2018.^[8]

Translators

In addition to the main station, WINQ is relayed by an FM translator.

Broadcast translator for WINQ

Call sign	Frequency	City of license	FID	ERP (W)	HAAT	Class	Transmitter coordinates	FCC info
W295CO	106.9 FM	Brattleboro, Vermont	200013	85	0 m (0 ft)	D	42°50′47″N 72°41′17″W	LMS

Until December 2018, WINQ was heard on FM translator W262CL (100.3 FM). This translator was converted to a soft adult contemporary station, fed via the HD2 channel of WKVT-FM (which is, in turn, a simulcast of the HD2 channel of WKNE), after WINQ signed on a new translator, W295CO (106.9 FM); this translator was obtained in an FCC filing window that requires W295CO to permanently be associated with WINQ.^[9]

References

1. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1999 (PDF). 1999. p. D-456. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
2. "Facility Technical Data for WINQ". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
3. "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
4. Reynolds, Nick (January 11, 2017). "A Progressive Talk Station Goes Off Air. No, It's Not A Conspiracy". Ithaca Times. Retrieved January 13, 2017.
5. Lazer 99.3 adds second signal
6. Fybush, Scott (January 16, 2017). Prog Talk Fades Away. NorthEast Radio Watch. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
7. Walters, John (June 6, 2018). "Gubernatorial Moneyball: Will Outside Money Flood Vermont Again?". Seven Days. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
8. "Local media outlets collaborate over growing concern". Brattleboro Reformer. January 4, 2019. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
9. Venta, Lance (December 30, 2018). "Saga Brings EZ Favorites To Brattleboro & Keene". RadioInsight. Retrieved January 4, 2019.

External links

• Official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 57781 (WINQ) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• WINQ in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 200013 (W295CO) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• W295CO at FCCdata.org
• Monadnock Broadcasting Group