WARH
{{Short description|Radio station in Granite City, Illinois, serving St. Louis, Missouri}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox radio station
| name = WARH
| city = Granite City, Illinois
| country = US
| logo = WARHFM.jpg
| logo_upright = 1
| area = Greater St. Louis
| frequency = {{frequency|106.5|MHz}} {{HD Radio}}
| branding = 106.5 The Arch
| format = Adult hits
| subchannels = {{ubl|HD2: Talk radio (simulcast of KTMY Minneapolis-St. Paul)|HD3: 80s hits "My 80s Mix"}}
| owner = Hubbard Broadcasting
| licensee = St. Louis FCC License Sub, LLC
| sister_stations = KPNT, KSHE, WIL-FM, WXOS
| airdate = {{start date and age|1965|11|24}}
| former_callsigns = {{ubl|WGNU-FM (1965–1977)|WWWK (1977-?)|KWK-FM (1987–1988)|WKBQ (1988–1994)|WKKX (1994–2000)|WSSM (2000–2005)}}
| callsign_meaning = "The Arch" (referencing the Gateway Arch)
| licensing_authority = FCC
| facility_id = 74577
| class = C1
| erp = 90,000 watts
| haat = 309 meters (1014 ft)
| coordinates = {{coord|38.5734|N|90.3251|W|type:landmark_region:US–MO_source:FCC|display=inline, title}}
| webcast = {{listenlive|https://live.1065thearch.com/listen}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.1065thearch.com/}}
}}
WARH (106.5 MHz "106-5 The Arch") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Granite City, Illinois and serving Greater St. Louis, including sections of Illinois and Missouri.[https://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=warh&arn=&state=&city=&freq=0.0&fre2=107.9&serv=&vac=&facid=&asrn=&class=&list=0&ThisTab=Results+to+This+Page%2FTab&dist=&dlat2=&mlat2=&slat2=&NS=N&dlon2=&mlon2=&slon2=&EW=W&size=9 WARH] FCC.gov WARH is owned by Hubbard Broadcasting and airs an adult hits radio format. The station's studios and offices are in Creve Coeur, Missouri (although a St. Louis address is used).{{Cite web|url=http://www.1065thearch.com/legal/contact/|title=1065TheArch.com|accessdate=November 9, 2023}} Its transmitter is located near Resurrection Cemetery off Mackenzie Road in St. Louis.
"106-5 The Arch" using the primary slogan "You never know what we're going to play next." The station's name pays tribute to the iconic Gateway Arch monument in Downtown St. Louis. The format is musically similar to the syndicated Jack FM stations in the U.S. and Canada. However, "The Arch" uses a live and local DJ staff around the clock, whereas "Jack" stations are, for the most part, automated with no live voices. WARH uses voice actor Howard Cogan for voice imaging; Cogan was the former voice of the network syndicated version of Jack FM.
WARH broadcasts in the HD Radio format; WARH-HD2 carries co-owned KTMY from Minneapolis, known as "My Talk Radio." (Before March 2017, it featured less familiar rock songs from the 1960s to the present, branded as "106-5 The Deep.") WARH-HD3 carries an all-80s hits format branded as "My 80s Mix"; this launched on WARH-HD3 in May 2021, after being moved from KSHE's HD3 sub-channel.
History
=Country (1965–1977)=
On November 24, 1965, WGNU-FM first signed on as the FM counterpart of WGNU (920 AM), under the ownership of Chuck Norman.[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1969/B%201%20Radio%201969%20BC%20YB.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1969 page B-54] Both stations simulcasted a country music format for Granite City and its surrounding communities.
= AOR (1977–1986) =
In 1977, Norman sold the FM station to Doubleday Broadcasting Co., a subsidiary of publisher Doubleday and Company, who would boost the station's signal to cover most of the St. Louis radio market. The call sign was changed to WWWK, and later, KWK-FM, with the station simulcasting the album oriented rock (AOR) format of KWK (1380 AM, now KXFN).[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-YB/1982/C%20Radio%20AL%20to%20MT%20BC%20YB%201982%20All-4.pdf Broadcasting Yearbook 1982 page C-141] The stations called themselves "Stereo WK." Doubleday sold the stations to Robinson Broadcasting in 1984.{{cite magazine |author= |title=Changing Hands |magazine=Broadcasting |location=New York NY |date=January 30, 1984 |page=89}}
= Top 40 (1986-1993) =
The simulcast ended in 1986, with AM 1380 flipping to oldies as KGLD, while FM 106.5 (now with the call sign KWK-FM) moved to a Top 40/CHR format. The stations were sold to Chase Broadcasting in 1986.{{cite magazine |author= |title=Changing Hands |magazine=Broadcasting |location=New York NY |date=August 25, 1986 |page=102}}
In February 1988, KWK-FM changed call letters to WKBQ-FM, and retained the Top 40 format, but would rebrand as "Q106.5."Jerry Berger, "To Play Is The Thing: Antique Toys On Way", The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, March 1, 1988. After the market's CHR powerhouse station KHTR dropped its CHR format that November, WKBQ became the only Top 40 station in the market until the launch of KHTK in August 1989. When mid-1989 rolled along, WKBQ briefly went towards a rock-lean, but returned back to a mainstream direction by mid-1990. In September 1991, WKBQ-FM brought the morning team of "Steve & DC" to St. Louis from Birmingham, Alabama. In 1993, "Steve & DC" and WKBQ-FM faced controversy over the use of a racial epithet on the air. The following year, they aired an interview with a woman accusing a local broadcaster of harassing her, which may have contributed to his death by suicide in a small plane crash.{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=D. J. |title=The Worst of D.C. |url=https://www.riverfronttimes.com/news/the-worst-of-dc-2491877 |access-date=August 20, 2024 |website=Riverfront Times |language=en}} Also in 1993, WKBQ-FM again was simulcast on AM 1380.
=Country (1993–2000)=
In late 1993, WKBQ-FM was purchased by Zimmer Radio Group of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. On January 20, 1994, WKBQ-FM and country-formatted sister station WKKX swapped frequencies, with WKBQ-FM moving to 104.1 FM, and WKKX moving to 106.5 FM (AM 1380 would continue to simulcast WKBQ-FM after the swap).{{cite magazine|title=Vox Jox|last=Stark|first=Phyllis|magazine=Billboard|date=January 15, 1994|volume=106|issue=3|page=64}}[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1994/RR-1994-01-07.pdf American Radio History] The station became "New Country Kix 106.5," with the popular morning duo "Steve & DC" heard for the second time on the 106.5 MHz frequency.Linda Eardley and Jerry Berger, "Fired DJs To Go Back On Air Here", The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 4, 1994. That led to the team scoring its biggest ratings in St. Louis, as the "Steve & DC" morning show consistently ranked No. 1 in the all-important Persons 18-49 and Persons 25-54 demographics on WKKX.
In November 1996, Emmis Broadcasting bought the station.Judith VandeWater, "KSHE's Parent Buys WKKX", The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, November 2, 1996.
= Smooth jazz (2000–2005) =
In 2000, Emmis swapped WKKX to Bonneville International for Los Angeles country music station KZLA (now KLLI). At 12:00 a.m. on October 4, 2000, after the sale to Bonneville closed, WKKX changed call letters to WSSM and adopted a Smooth Jazz format as "Smooth 106.5" (later "106.5 Smooth Jazz").Diane Toroian, "FM changes are in the air", The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, September 24, 2000.Diane Toroian, "Ownership changes lead to a reworking of the radio dial here", The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 5, 2000.[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2000/RR-2000-10-06.pdf American Radio History][https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2000/RR-2000-10-13.pdf World Radio History]
= Adult hits (2005–present) =
On April 10, 2005, after playing "Thank You" by Euge Groove, the station adopted its current adult hits format, branded as "106-5 The Arch." The first song on "The Arch" was "Roll With the Changes" by REO Speedwagon."WSSM-FM changes format with no notice", The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 12, 2005.[http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2005/RR-2005-04-15.pdf American Radio History] The station adopted its current WARH call letters on April 18, 2005. WARH was initially programmed by Jules Riley. The Program Director since 2019 is Marty Linck, who also serves as the program director for sister station KSHE.
On January 19, 2011, Bonneville announced the sale of WARH, as well as 16 other stations in four markets (St. Louis, Chicago, Cincinnati and Washington, D.C.), to Minneapolis-based Hubbard Broadcasting.{{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}} The sale was completed on April 29, 2011.{{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}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{officialwebsite|https://www.1065thearch.com/}}
- {{FM station data|74577|WARH}}
- {{URL|www.kwk106.com|A tribute site for KWK "The Rockin' Best!"}}
{{St. Louis Radio}}
{{Hubbard Broadcasting Corporation}}
Category:Adult hits radio stations in the United States