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Original Call Letters: WLCO |
Originally Licensed: Jun 1955 |
Original City of License: Eustis |
Original Frequency: 1240 |
Origin of Call Letters: |
Original Power: 790 watts |
Original Location: 1057 N. Palm Circle |
Original Format: Variety |
Network Affiliation(s): |
Associated Press Radio |
| NBC Radio News | |
| Westwood One | |
| United Press International | |
| CNBC Business Radio | |
| Talk America | |
| United Broadcasting Network | |
| Premiere Radio Networks |
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Owner(s): |
1955-Lake County Broadcasting Company |
| 1956-Floyd W. Hess | |
| 1964-Barringer Broadcasting Corp. | |
| 1978-C-S Broadcasting Corp. | |
| 1983-Lake Media | |
| 1995-Christianson Broadcasting Inc. | |
| 1998-McKenzie Broadcast Associates, Inc. ($210,000) | |
| 2003-Gateway Broadcasting and Internet, Inc | |
| 2003-McKenzie Broadcast Associates, Inc. | |
| 2004-Rama Communications ($180,000) with WQBQ-AM 1410 | |
| 2005-Mary Banks Ministries Inc. (LMA) | |
| 2006-Glover Radio Network LLC (LMA) | |
| 2009-WE Properties/Central Florida Sports Marketing (LMA) | |
| 2010-Rama Communications | |
| 2015-Trinity Broadcasting ($100 with WLAA-AM 1600, WOKB-AM 1680, WMEL-AM 1300 and WNTF-AM 1580 |
History Of Call Letters and Formats: |
WLCO-1955-Variety |
| WLCO-1965-Variety "Radio Wilco!" | |
| WLCO-1966-Country Western | |
| WLCO-1973-Variety "The Good Life" "Good Life Radio" | |
| WLCO-1977-Rock and Roll | |
| WLCO-1979-Country Western | |
| WEUS-1982-All American (Easy Listening) | |
| WEUS-1985-Country | |
| WLCF-1987-All American (Easy Listening) | |
| WWLB-1989-All American (Easy Listening) | |
| WKIQ-1989-All American (Easy Listening) | |
| WKIQ-1989-Country "Classic Hit Country" | |
| WKIQ-1992-MOR | |
| WKIQ-1993-Talk/Music | |
| WKIQ-1996-Music/Talk/News | |
| WKIQ-1998-Classic Country | |
| WKIQ-2004-Silent | |
| WKIQ-2005-Gospel | |
| WKIQ-2004-Classic Country | |
| WKIQ-2005-Spanish | |
| WKIQ-2006-Gospel/R&B | |
| WKIQ-2006-Religious "Where Tradition Meets Truth" | |
| WKIQ-2008-News/Sports/Music "Your Hometown Station" | |
| WKIQ-2009-Urban Contemporary "The New Q 1240" | |
| WKIQ-2009-Silent (9-2-09) | |
| WKIQ-2009-Sports/Sporting News Radio (9-25-09) | |
| WKIQ-2010-Silent (5-10) | |
| WKIQ-2010-Regional Mexican Simulcast of WLAA-AM 1600 | |
| WKIQ-2010-Regional Mexican "La Gigante" | |
| WKIQ-2017-Silent (9-17 Due to hurricane Irma) | |
| WKIQ-2017-Regional Mexican | |
| WKIQ-2018-Regional Mexican "La Que Buena" |
History Of WKIQ |
| From Byron Felts:
"1994-J&V Communications, (John & Virgen Torrado) put the station back on the air after years of it being silent since "Country 1240" had signed off and left it dark. It was a simulcast between WTRR-AM 1400 in Sanford. The liners and legal IDs mentioned the two stations. Eventually, the simulcast was on three stations with the addition of WKFL(-AM 1170), Bushnell. They played oldies and easy listening. (The old WTRR format.) They also briefly aired a format called "Power Talk." |
"1996-Carl Christianson (Christianson Broadcasting) buys the station from J&V. 1240 re-images to News/Talk as "Talk 1240". "Rise & Shine with Carl & Maggie" mornings, G Gordon Liddy middays. The "Derry Brownfield Show" was aired on tape delay. Chuck Harder's "For The People" aired in the afternoons, and Bob Green with "Talk Track" between 4-6. Talk 1240 was an Florida Radio Networks station airing FRN News on the :30 break, and aired NBC Radio News on the top of each hour. In 1996, we were affiliated with Talk America, United Broadcasting Network, Premiere Radio Networks and Westwood One. We aired NASCAR events, and remote broadcasts of local high school football and basketball games. Glenn Richards, who was Chief Met at WFTV Channel 9 at the time, provided us with personalized weather reports over WFTV's SAP (secondary audio feed) via a television in the production room. I would also record and air segments with the weather updates in my own voice from time to time. We had a two person sales staff, with Larry and Leigh Ann-but we had several local accounts and did pretty well for a couple of years. Had the Women's expo and many other regular remotes with local businesses. Bob Green had brought "Talk Track" over from WQBQ and had a blast with it. Especially with the local Lake County school board elections going on. Those particular airings brought him lots of callers. |
1997-Byron Felts launches the station's first website at wkiq.com. (I believe we were Lake county's first radio station website to go online as well.) |
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1998-Sometime around March, station is sold to McKenzie Broadcasting. This eventually becomes Gateway Broadcasting and Internet. Format changes to Classic Hit Country via satellite full-time. |
1999-Offices and studio relocates from transmitter building to a leased building on 441 in Tavares just outside of Eustis, where the WKIQ and WQBQ offices are joined into one center under Gateway's management. |
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2003-Gateway's operation folds under bankruptcy. Offices are closed and both WKIQ and WQBQ go silent. RAMA Communications obtains them both sometime later in 2004, and has held the licenses to present day. |
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2009-WKIQ in Eustis returned to the air on September of 2009 with a 24-hour all-sports format and programming provided by Sporting News Radio. The station will stream their broadcasts as well. WKIQ plans to provide coverage of local sports including high-school, youth leagues, local professional sports and competitions, and golf and fishing. |
2010-WKIQ-AM 1240 has fallen silent once again. O.K. Walters was the latest broadcaster to try and revive the Lake County station. WKIQ was programmed as a 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week, sports radio station with an emphasis on local sports. |
2010-Rama Communications took possession of the station once again and began simulcasting the regional Mexican format of WLAA-AM 1600. |
2023-From Leo Vargas; In 2018 the regional Mexican "La Que Buena" format, which aired on WLAA 1600 AM, was moved to WKIQ-AM 1240, replacing the "La Gigante" format. With this change, "La Que Buena" & its staff relocated to the WKIQ studios in Eustis, where the station still operates today. |
Names in WKIQ History |
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Bob Green-1988-"Leesburg Tonight"-7PM-8PM-Mon-Fri./1996-"Talk Track"-3PM-6PM-Christianson Broadcasting Inc. |
Carl Christianson-1995-1998-Mornings/Co-owner-Christianson Broadcasting Inc |
Maggie Christianson-1995-1998-Mornings/Co-owner-Christianson Broadcasting Inc-Maggie also began the annual Woman to Woman Expo |
Larry King-1996-Co host of "Hometown News"- 9:30AM Thursdays/Sales Manager-Christianson Broadcasting Inc./1998-Mornings-with Belinda Zimmerman and Bill Western-McKenzie Broadcast Associates, Inc. |
| Belinda Zimmerman-1998-Mornings-McKenzie Broadcast Associates, Inc. |
| Bill Western-1998-Mornings-McKenzie Broadcast Associates, Inc. |
 Byron Felts-1996-1998-Webmaster/Call Screener for "Talk Track"/Production Manager-Christianson Broadcasting Inc. |
Michael Holcombe-1999-2000-Operations Manager/Talk host-McKenzie Broadcast Associates, Inc. |
 Shanti Persaud-2004-General Manager-Rama Communications, Inc./2014-President-Trinity Broadcasting |
| Sabatta Persaud-2004-2014-President-Rama Communications, Inc. |
 Steve January-2004-General Manager-Rama Communications |
| Spencer Glover-2007-General Manager-Glover Radio Network LLC |
| Jim Decker-2007-Operations Manager-Glover Radio Network LLC |
| Becky Decker-2007-Office Manager-Glover Radio Network LLC |
| Doug Balch-2007-6AM-10AM Weekdays-Glover Radio Network LLC |
| Freddy Tavares-2007-Afternoons-Glover Radio Network LLC |
| Wayne Youngblood-2007-"Southern Gospel Show"-Sundays-6AM-10AM-Glover Radio Network LLC |
| Tom Duff-2007-News Director-Glover Radio Network LLC |
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 Chuck Harder-"For The People" In Memory |
Roger Ballas (Editor of The Mount Dora Topic, The Eustis News and The Tavares Citizen)-Co host of "Hometown News" |
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LeeAnn Pippin-Sales |
Jennifer Miller-Special Events Director |
Vic DeVore-News Director |
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Don Connelly-Chief Engineer |
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John Fuller supplies some photos of WLCO/WKIQ studios. John writes; "...(I) drove up to Eustis (Oct 2, 2004) . . ."and tracked down WKIQ (ex-WLCO) at 1057 N. Palm Circle, in a residential neighborhood, still in the same little building I remembered from 1966. Alas, it was off the air. Peeking through the windows it appeared most of the equipment had been removed, and the place abandoned. Weeds had taken over the property, even the parking spaces. The new owners apparently have put the station's revival on hold. |
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| Click images to enlarge | |||
| Photos courtesy of John Fuller | |||
 Building exterior 1986 |
 Unknown, Bob Green & Maggie Christianson |
 Larry King interviews a guest |
 Larry King |
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