WOKO

WJOY-FM signed on the air on June 26, 1962.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37008091/|work=Burlington Free Press|page=2A|title=WJOY-FM Will Go on Air Today|access-date=October 10, 2019|date=June 26, 1962}} It was Vermont's first FM radio station and broadcast a classical format, programmed separately from its AM counterpart, WJOY (1230 AM).{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/36978063/fm_to_bring_new_broadcasting_era/|work=Burlington Free Press|title=FM To Bring New Broadcasting Era|page=22|date=May 17, 1962|access-date=October 10, 2019}} The station contracted with Heritage Music, a company based in New York and Bellingham, Washington, to provide its musical selections.{{r|era}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37008014/|work=Burlington Free Press|date=June 23, 1962|title=WJOY-FM Will Feature Serious Heritage Music|access-date=October 10, 2019|page=6}} To prepare for FM broadcasting, one studio was cut in half to add an FM control room, and another studio was converted to a transmitter room for WJOY's AM and FM operations.{{r|today}} In 1967, WJOY-AM-FM broke ground on new studio facilities, including a new and taller {{convert|359|ft|m|adj=on|sp=us}} tower to replace the {{convert|220|ft|m|adj=on|sp=us}} tower being used.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37008412/|work=Burlington Free Press|date=October 23, 1967|page=13|access-date=October 10, 2019|title=Ground Broken for New WJOY Studios}} WJOY-FM began stereo broadcasting in 1969.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37008494/|title=WJOY-FM To Add Stereo Broadcasts|page=12|work=Burlington Free Press|access-date=October 10, 2019|date=April 14, 1969}}

In 1971, Frank Balch, who had joined WJOY as an announcer in 1951, and had become president of the Vermont Broadcasting Corporation, acquired majority control of WJOY-AM-FM.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37008638/|work=Burlington Free Press|date=April 7, 1971|title=Balch To Buy WJOY Radio|page=19|access-date=October 10, 2019}} The next year, on August 14, 1972, WJOY-FM became WQCR;{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37008715/|page=11|work=Burlington Free Press|title=WJOY-FM Becomes WQCR Today|access-date=October 10, 2019|date=August 14, 1972}} the call letters were said to stand for "Wonderful Queen City Radio". The station continued to have an easy listening sound.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37008849/|title=Music in the air EVERYWHERE...|date=October 29, 1973|access-date=October 10, 2019|work=Burlington Free Press|page=15}}

There were two major developments for WQCR in 1975. In February, it flipped to a rock format; in July, it increased its effective radiated power from 3,200 watts{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=82658 |title= History Cards for WOKO|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} (Guide to reading History Cards) to 33,000, doubling its coverage area.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37009045/|work=Burlington Free Press|date=July 3, 1975|page=26|title=WQCR-FM Increases Power|access-date=October 10, 2019}} Balch served in the late 1970s, as director of the National Association of Broadcasters and on the University of Vermont Board of Trustees.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37009624/|work=Burlington Free Press|agency=Associated Press|date=March 2, 1977|title=Balch Named UVM Trustee|page=1B|access-date=October 10, 2019}} WQCR's power was further increased to 50,000 watts in 1980.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37010287/|title=WQCR-FM Boosts Power|date=April 20, 1980|access-date=October 10, 2019|page=11B|work=Burlington Free Press}} Despite having fully automated programming, "Q99" was a strong second overall in the market in 1981, and led among young adults.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37010014/|pages=1D, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37009979/radio_ratings_shake_up_stations_in_area/ 3D]|title=Radio Ratings Shake Up Area Stations|date=August 11, 1981|first=Alan|last=Abbey|work=Burlington Free Press|access-date=October 10, 2019}}

After 35 years in broadcasting, Balch sold WJOY-WQCR to Hall Communications of Norwich, Connecticut, for $2.2 million in 1983.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37010496/|work=Burlington Free Press|title=Connecticut Company to Buy Two Burlington Radio Stations|date=September 2, 1983|access-date=October 10, 2019|first=Bob|last=Eley|page=5B}} The new ownership switched WQCR from automated to live programming.{{cite news|pages=1F, [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37010897/ 12F]|title=Giant firms buy into area's high tech rec|date=January 29, 1984|first=Bob|last=Eley|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37010979/|work=Burlington Free Press|access-date=October 10, 2019}} The 1984 sign-on of WXXX put a massive dent in WQCR's ratings; the new contemporary hit outlet debuted at number one and dropped WQCR from a 21.2 share in the fall 1984 Arbitron book to a 9.4.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37011167/|title=WXXX Ratings Top Area Radio Market|access-date=October 10, 2019|date=August 9, 1985|page=6C|work=Burlington Free Press}}

September 9, 1988, brought technical and format changes. The station rebranded as "The New Rock 99 FM" the same day it doubled its power to 100,000 watts.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37011874/|date=September 9, 1988|title=Q-99 FM doubles its power to 100,000 watts|page=1D|work=Burlington Free Press|access-date=October 10, 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37011916/|date=September 8, 1988|work=Burlington Free Press|access-date=October 10, 2019|title=It's Only Rock N Roll|page=3}}

On April 1, 1990, after 16 years as a rock station, WQCR switched to country music and adopted new WOKO call letters, seeking to fill a void in the market, which only had one FM country outlet.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37011983/|date=March 1, 1990|title=WQCR-FM to switch its format|first=Mike|last=Donoghue|page=5C|work=Burlington Free Press|access-date=October 10, 2019}} Around the same time, under the guidance of former executive vice president and COO Dick Reed, Hall flipped stations it owned serving New London, Connecticut, and Providence, Rhode Island, to country.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/2000s/2005/RR-2005-06-30.pdf|date=June 30, 2005|work=Radio & Records|title=Doing What's Right, And Doing It Well|first=Lon|last=Helton|page=32|access-date=October 11, 2019}} The move was described by general manager Dan Dubonnet in 1992 as a quest to "save" the station, which was gaining little traction as a rocker; it tripled its weekly audience in the two years after the flip and benefited from the increased popularity of country music in the early 1990s.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37012149/|title=WOKO rides the new country wave|page=Weekend 9|work=Burlington Free Press|date=May 28, 1992|access-date=October 10, 2019}} The station's success earned it back-to-back station of the year honors from the Vermont Association of Broadcasters in 1993 and 1994;{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37012441/|first=Christopher|last=Graff|agency=Associated Press|date=June 12, 1994|title=Greene named top broadcaster|work=Burlington Free Press|page=4B}} by 1995, WOKO was back on top of the Burlington radio ratings.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37012491/|title=Country WOKO clobbers on-air competition|first=Maria|last=Blackburn|date=February 3, 1995|page=12A|work=Burlington Free Press|access-date=October 10, 2019}} Hall became Vermont's first FM duopoly owner with its purchase of WEXP-FM that same year.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37012622/|first=Mike|last=Donoghue|access-date=October 10, 2019|date=February 23, 1995|page=8B|title=WEXP sold to owner of WOKO|work=Burlington Free Press}}

{{reflist}}

• {{Official}}
• {{FM station data|25867|WOKO}}

{{Burlington-Plattsburgh Radio}}

{{Country Radio Stations in Vermont}}

{{Hall Communications}}

Category:1962 establishments in Vermont

Category:Country radio stations in the United States

Category:Radio stations established in 1962

OKO