KKHQ-FM
Radio station in Cedar Falls, Iowa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KKHQ-FM (98.5 MHz), branded as Q98.5, is a radio station serving Waterloo, Cedar Falls, and surrounding cities with a Top 40/CHR format. This station is owned by Townsquare Media.
| |
| |
Broadcast area | Waterloo-Cedar Falls |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 98.5 MHz |
| Branding | Q98.5 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KCRR, KOEL, KOEL-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | January 7, 1994 (as KKCV) |
Former call signs | KKCV (1993–2003), KOEL (2003) KOEL-FM (2003–2020) |
Call sign meaning | The Q in KKHQ is used for the "Q98.5" branding |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| 66780 | |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 15,000 watts |
| HAAT | 129 meters (423 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | q985.fm |
History
KKCV signed on the air on January 7, 1994, and aired a country format branded as "The Hog."[2] The station would later rebrand as "K98.5."[3] On September 22, 2003, the country formats of KKCV and KOEL-FM were merged on the 98.5 FM frequency, along with the KOEL-FM call letters, as the latter flipped to Top 40/CHR format as "Q92.3."[4]
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus stations, including the then-KOEL-FM, for $238 million. The deal was part of Cumulus' acquisition of Dial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled by Oaktree Capital Management.[5][6] The sale to Townsquare was completed on November 14, 2013; KOEL-FM was one of three stations (along with KCRR and KKHQ-FM) that were placed in a divestiture trust for eventual resale within two years.[7] In December 2016, the Federal Communications Commission approved Townsquare's request to reacquire the stations from the divestiture trust.[8]
On December 9, 2020, KOEL-FM and KKHQ-FM swapped frequencies, bringing the KOEL-FM call letters and the country format back to 92.3 FM after 17 years. In return, KKHQ-FM's Top 40/CHR format moved to 98.5 and rebranded as "Q98.5".[9]
