View source for WBQH

{{Redirect|WTOP (AM)|other stations that use or have used the WTOP call sign|WTOP (disambiguation)}}
{{Redirect|WFED (1050 kHz)|the current station in Washington, DC|WFED}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name             = WBQH
| logo             =
| city             = [[Silver Spring, Maryland]]
| country          = US
| area             = {{ubl|[[Washington, D.C.]]|[[Baltimore]]|Southern [[Maryland]]}}
| branding         = ''La Mera Mera 1050''
| frequency        = 1050 [[kHz]]
| translator       = {{Radio Relay|93.5|W228DI|[[Silver Spring, Maryland]]}}
| airdate          = {{start date and age|1946|12|7}}
| format           = [[Regional Mexican]]
| language         = [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish]]
| power            = {{ubl|2,000 watts (day)|500 watts (6:00 a.m. to sunrise)|41 watts (night)}}
| class            = D
| licensing_authority = [[Federal Communications Commission|FCC]]
| facility_id      = 8673
| coordinates      = {{coord|39|02|31.4|N|77|02|45.9|W|type:landmark_region:US-MD_source:FCC|display=inline,title}}
| callsign_meaning =
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WGAY (1946–1960)|WQMR (1960–1971)|WGAY (1971–1984)|WNTR (1984–1993)|WKDL (1993–2000)|WPLC (2000–2004)|[[WFED]] (2004–2008)|[[WTOP-FM|WTOP]] (2008–2009)|WZAA (2009–2010)|WTOP (2010)<ref>{{cite web |work=CDBS Public Access Database |publisher=FCC Media Bureau |title=FCC History Cards for WBQH|url=https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=52796 |access-date=June 3, 2018}}</ref>}}
| affiliations     =
| operator         = United Media Group
| owner            = [[Hubbard Broadcasting]]
| licensee         = Washington DC FCC License Sub, LLC
| sister_stations  = [[WFED]], [[WSHE (AM)|WSHE]], [[WTOP-FM]]
| webcast          = {{TuneIn|La-Mera-Mera-1050-s21984}}
| website          = {{url|http://lameramera1050.com/}}
}}
'''WBQH''' (1050 [[AM broadcasting|AM]]) is a [[radio broadcasting]] station in the [[Washington, D.C.]] region, licensed to [[Silver Spring, Maryland]].  It broadcasts a [[regional Mexican]] format. It is owned by [[Hubbard Broadcasting]], and is leased to United Media Group LLC. WBQH programming is heard on FM translator W228DI (93.5), also in Silver Spring.
WBQH by day broadcasts with power of 2,000 watts from the [[WFED]] transmitter site in [[Wheaton, Maryland]]. Because [[1050 AM]] is a Mexican [[Clear-channel station|clear channel frequency]] reserved for [[XEG-AM|XEG]] in [[Monterrey]], WBQH reduces power to 41 watts at night to prevent interference. It also possesses [[PSRA|pre-sunrise authorization]] for 500 watts from 6:00 a.m. to sunrise.
==History==
The original owners and operators, Ed Winton and Bob Chandler, are credited with creating the beautiful music format, which was mostly instrumental music, with orchestral covers of showtunes, soundtrack excerpts, and standard popular songs. Chandler was known to arrange for recording of music that he did not have in the station's library. In addition, on Sunday afternoons at 1:00&nbsp;p.m., Matinee at One played a complete [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] show soundtrack with an explanation of the plot.
This simulcast arrangement continued well into the 1980s, as WQMR reverted to WGAY. Winton and Chandler sold the station on September 1, 1984, to [[Greater Media]], which in turn ended the simulcast and changed the call letters to WNTR. (The WGAY calls and format afterward were maintained on the FM band on 99.5&nbsp;MHz, which is now [[WIHT]].) Greater Media subsequently bought WRC (now [[WTEM]]) from [[NBC Radio]] and sold WNTR to [[Jones Radio Networks|TM Productions]].
Later, WNTR was sold to [[Pat Robertson]], the [[televangelist]] and founder of the [[Christian Broadcasting Network]], who used WNTR as the anchor of a conservative talk radio network dubbed "The News Talk Radio Network". WNTR was also the first station to carry [[Rush Limbaugh]] in Washington, before he moved to WMAL (now [[WSBN]]). This ended when the World Building studios caught on fire.<ref>''[[The Washington Post]]'', February 2, 2007</ref> However, Robertson's company continued to run the station from another building in Silver Spring for a time, initially as part of his network and later in a brokered-program format. In March 1993, it became one of two Washington, DC area affiliates of the [[Radio AAHS]] network for children.
As Radio AAHS, the station's call letters became WKDL (in a simulcast with [[WKDV (AM)|WKDV]] in [[Manassas, Virginia]]). The concept was not successful at the time, and Metro Radio then bought the station, and switched WKDL to a Spanish language format. When that did not succeed, it briefly carried first the Genesis Radio Network of conservative talk, and then a business radio format under the WPLC callsign. [[Bonneville International]] bought the station in 2004, at which point the station became WFED, carrying "Federal News Radio", a news/talk format oriented to government employees that Bonneville had launched as an Internet-only station on February 22, 2000.
Initially, WFED aired the [[Associated Press]]' All News Radio service during the overnight hours, as a complement to Bonneville's main [[all-news]] station, WTOP.  When AP All News Radio was terminated, the station began an affiliation with [[CNN Headline News]], which itself was phased out in 2007 by provider [[Westwood One (1976–2011)|Westwood One]]. In November 2007, the 1050 frequency increased its daytime power from 1&nbsp;kW to 3.5&nbsp;kW to better reach the government office workers in Washington, D.C. who comprise Federal News Radio's core audience.
[[File:Wzaa.png|thumb|left|The station's logo as "Air America Washington" reflected WZAA's operation by Air America.]]
In August 2008, WFED was moved to [[WFED|1500 AM]], following the discontinuation of that frequency's previous occupant, WWWT.  This move significantly improved WFED's daytime and nighttime coverage. While the 1500 facility is a 50,000-watt clear channel station, 1050 must power down to 44 watts at night, effectively limiting its nighttime coverage to [[Prince George's County]].
After a month-long transition period, 1050 was switched to a simulcast of [[WTOP-FM]], under the WTOP call letters.  From June 17, 2009, until January 25, 2010, the station aired a [[Talk radio|news, talk and information]] format, mostly provided by [[Air America (radio network)|Air America]], which leased the station from Bonneville; the call letters were then changed to WZAA.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2009/06/wzaawashington-launches-tonight.htmlWZAA/Washington|title=launches tonight}}</ref>  Air America announced its closure and ended live programming on January 21, 2010, and went off-the-air on January 25; as a result, WZAA reverted to the WTOP-FM simulcast, and changed its call letters back to WTOP on February 1.  That June, the simulcast again ceased, and 1050 was leased out to United Media Group, who launched the current regional Mexican format and WBQH callsign.<ref name="ri-wtoptowbqh">{{cite news|url=http://www.radio-info.com/news/bonneville-leases-out-its-washington-dc-market-1050-which-goes-regional-mex|title=Bonneville leases out its Washington, D.C.-market 1050, which goes regional Mexican|date=June 24, 2010|work=Radio-Info.com|access-date=June 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100630221001/http://www.radio-info.com/news/bonneville-leases-out-its-washington-dc-market-1050-which-goes-regional-mex|archive-date=June 30, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref>
[[File:WBQH1050.png|thumb|Former "La Mera Mera 1050" logo]]
Bonneville announced the sale of WBQH, as well as 16 other stations, to [[Hubbard Broadcasting]] on January 19, 2011.<ref name=ri-saletohubbard>{{cite news|title=$505M sale: Bonneville sells Chicago, D.C., St. Louis and Cincinnati to Hubbard|url=http://www.radio-info.com/news/505m-sale-bonneville-sells-chicago-dc-st-louis-and-cincinnati-to-hubbard|access-date=January 19, 2011|newspaper=Radio-Info.com|date=January 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122010447/http://www.radio-info.com/news/505m-sale-bonneville-sells-chicago-dc-st-louis-and-cincinnati-to-hubbard|archive-date=January 22, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>   The sale was completed on April 29, 2011.<ref name=ri-hubbardtakeover>{{cite news|title=Hubbard deal to purchase Bonneville stations closes|url=http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2174844&spid=24698|access-date=May 2, 2011|newspaper=[[Radio Ink]]|date=May 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312055419/http://www.radioink.com/Article.asp?id=2174844&spid=24698|archive-date=March 12, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>
WBQH, along with [[WTTZ-LP]], agreed on May 16, 2022, to broadcast [[Baltimore Ravens]] games in [[Spanish language in the United States|Spanish]] beginning with the [[2022 Baltimore Ravens season|upcoming season]].<ref>[https://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/218293/baltimore-ravens-ink-spanish-language-radio-deal Simon, Perry Michael. "Baltimore Ravens Ink Spanish-Language Radio Deal," AllAccess.com, Monday, May 16, 2022.] Retrieved July 26, 2022.</ref>
==Translator==
In addition to the main station, WBQH is relayed by one FM translator to widen its broadcast area.
{{RadioTranslators
| call1    = W228DI
| freq1    = 93.5
| fid1     = 138906
| watts1   = 130
| haat1    = 88
| class1   = D
| coord1   = {{coord|39|2|32|N|77|2|49|W|region:US-MD_type:landmark|name=W228DI}}
| city1    = Silver Spring, Maryland
| notes1  =
}}
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{AM station data|8673|WBQH}}
* {{FCC-LMS-Facility|138906|W228DI}}
* {{FXL|W228DI}}
{{Washington Radio}}
{{Spanish Radio Stations in Maryland}}
{{Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation}}
[[Category:1946 establishments in Maryland]]
[[Category:Hubbard Broadcasting]]
[[Category:Montgomery County, Maryland]]
[[Category:Radio stations established in 1946]]
[[Category:Radio stations in Maryland|BQH]]
[[Category:Regional Mexican radio stations in the United States]]
[[Category:Silver Spring, Maryland]]
[[Category:Spanish-language radio stations in Maryland|BQH]]