WBCQ (SW)
Radio station in Monticello, Maine, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
WBCQ is a shortwave radio station operating at Monticello, Maine, United States. The station is owned and operated by Allan Weiner,[1][3]: 828 who also owns and operates WXME AM 780 kHz and WBCQ-FM 94.7 MHz at the shortwave site. The station transmits talk shows and other programs produced by commercial networks as well as former pirate radio broadcasters, including Weiner himself.[1][4]: 24, 371, 383
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| Broadcast area | |
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| Frequencies |
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| Branding | WBCQ, The Planet |
| Programming | |
| Format | Variety |
| Ownership | |
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| History | |
First air date | September 8, 1998[1] |
Call sign meaning | Weiner Broadcasting Company Q |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 77261 |
| Power | 500000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 46°20′28″N 67°48′53″W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live (TuneIn) Listen Live (MP3) |
| Website | www |
History
WBCQ began operation on September 8, 1998, on 7,415 kHz.[1]
"WBCQ, Monticello, Maine, began testing August 20 and began programming September 8, only on 7415, on a 245° beam, which roughly crosses Buffalo, Columbus, Evansville, Little Rock, San Antonio, Laredo, Durango, Tuxpan, across the Pacific to south of New Zealand."[5]
Rotatable antenna and 500 kW transmitter
In 2018, WBCQ applied for a transmitter license associated with a rotatable antenna, later revealed to be a 500 kW transmitter for an Ampegon rotatable curtain antenna on a single mast.[6]
Acquisition of World Harvest Radio International
In August 2020, it was reported that pending FCC approval, Weiner planned to purchase World Harvest Radio International, the shortwave arm of the Family Broadcasting Corporation.[7]
Frequencies
As of 2023, WBCQ broadcasts on 7.49 MHz (41m band) from noon until midnight (as WWCR is licensed to use the frequency during morning hours[8]), including original programming in the late-afternoon and evening hours (Eastern time zone); the remaining time is leased to R.G. Stair's Overcomer Ministry. WBCQ also broadcasts on 3.265 MHz (mostly dormant), 6.16 MHz (a secondary frequency that operates evenings), 5.13 MHz ("Radio Angela," a two-hour evening service with eclectic music and spoken word entertainment), and 9.33 MHz (a full-time lease-out to World's Last Chance, a flat-Earth evangelistic society.)[9]
