WTBQ hosts opens new studio in Warwick

Station now broadcasting on FM as well as AM WARWICK - On Thursday, Feb. 7, Orange County’s WTBQ Radio (1110 AM) held its official grand opening at the station’s new studio facility at 87 Ronald Reagan Boulevard in Warwick. An overflowing crowd, including WTBQ personnel, local civic leaders, business owners and listeners, also were invited to a reception following the ceremonies. During the event, WTBQ President and CEO Frank Truatt also announced that the station was now broadcasting on FM 99.1 as well as AM 1110. The AM (amplitude modulation) frequency assigned to WTBQ is only available during daylight hours. On FM (frequency modulation), the station can broadcast at any time. “In the past we could only sign on from sunup to sundown,” said Truatt. “That meant we had to continuously change our programming schedule throughout the year. And the restriction has prevented us from providing service for commuters who leave early or come home late. Now we no longer have to discontinue a late show and we can offer an early show that can provide valuable local weather and traffic information for early risers.” Truatt reported that music programs that are designed for a general audience, will air on Q-99.1 FM during evenings and overnights. The AM 1110 daytime programming will be simulcast on FM 99.1. A new nighttime schedule will be released next month. WTBQ also has a 24-hour Webcast on www.wtbq.com. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, state and local leaders including Assemblywoman Annie Rabbitt, Orange County Executive Ed Diana, Sheriff Carl DuBois and Warwick Town Supervisor Michael Sweeton among others came forward to present proclamations and congratulate Truatt and his staff. Their statements were also broadcast live on WTBQ. And later, Father Joseph Doran, who currently says Mass at St. Columba’s Catholic Church in Chester, blessed the station on the air and also while sprinkling holy water throughout the complex. “Local radio and television stations are the lifeblood of the communities they serve,” said Rabbitt. “We rely on them for important information that impacts our daily lives and we listen to them as they put community leaders in direct interaction with the public they serve.” Warwick resident and media entrepreneur Ed Klein founded WTBQ. The station began broadcasting on July 29, 1969. At that time, Klein was also the publisher of The Warwick Advertiser. In the late 1970s he sold the station to “Polka King” Jimmy Sturr who, in turn, sold it to Goodtime Broadcasting. Sturr regained ownership in 1992. Advertisers and fans may not be aware that for almost two years, the popular local station shut down. But on July 1, 1994, Truatt, who had purchased the station from Sturr, put WTBQ back on the air. Klein brought much laughter when he mentioned that Friday’s grand opening went much smoother than the original ceremony he held 39 years ago. “Right after we went on the air for the very first time,” he recalled, “we blew the fuse.”