Memories of WRVQ

[saintrichard]

I don't know how old the people are who browse this board, but I remember being in the Army in the early 70's and stationed at Camp Pickett Virginia. After a long overseas tour, I was injured and sent to Camp Pickett to mend. There was really nothing to do to pass the time EXCEPT for a station I picked up from Richmond called WRVQ, it was the summer of 1973 to be exact. Being from a large Northeastern city I never heard top 40 presented this way before on an FM outlet. I always thought top 40 was strictly an AM thing. They were called the Super Q and the summer contest was called "WRVQ Summer Rerun Time" one host was named Bill Garcia, I never heard top 40 in full dimentional stereo before the jingles and presentation were great, to hear songs like The Morning After, I'm Doin' Fine Now and Kodachrome bring back those memories. It was a tight playlist but many oldies from the 60's and early 70's were thrown in. Was anyone else around in those great days to hear that fantastic station, when I finally was discharge and went back to Philly I was greeted with a few dry AM top 40 signals, it was not the same. What I did not know then was the station and transmitter were more than 70 or so miles away and the station sounded like it was right next door to me. I know it sounds corney but if not for WRVQ my time in Virginia would of been a harder task to handle, thanks WRVQ. If anyone else has memories of WRVQ please share them, I would think WRVQ was the prototype for that kind of format on FM, are they around anymore????

 

[Radio-X]

> I don't know how old the people are who browse this board,
> but I remember being in the Army in the early 70's and
> stationed at Camp Pickett Virginia. After a long overseas
> tour, I was injured and sent to Camp Pickett to mend. There
> was really nothing to do to pass the time EXCEPT for a
> station I picked up from Richmond called WRVQ, it was the
> summer of 1973 to be exact. Being from a large Northeastern
> city I never heard top 40 presented this way before on an FM
> outlet. I always thought top 40 was strictly an AM thing.
> They were called the Super Q and the summer contest was
> called "WRVQ Summer Rerun Time" one host was named Bill
> Garcia, I never heard top 40 in full dimentional stereo
> before the jingles and presentation were great, to hear
> songs like The Morning After, I'm Doin' Fine Now and
> Kodachrome bring back those memories. It was a tight
> playlist but many oldies from the 60's and early 70's were
> thrown in. Was anyone else around in those great days to
> hear that fantastic station, when I finally was discharge
> and went back to Philly I was greeted with a few dry AM top
> 40 signals, it was not the same. What I did not know then
> was the station and transmitter were more than 70 or so
> miles away and the station sounded like it was right next
> door to me. I know it sounds corney but if not for WRVQ my
> time in Virginia would of been a harder task to handle,
> thanks WRVQ. If anyone else has memories of WRVQ please
> share them, I would think WRVQ was the prototype for that
> kind of format on FM, are they around anymore????
>

Well, most probably know about Q better than I do, but...

You had tuned into Q about a year after they switched from country to CHR.
They have really (with the exception on Lazer 93 in the mid-80's) been the only CHR in Richmond for nearly 35 years.

WRVQ has a "grandfathered" signal, broadcasting at 200,000 watts from a 350' tower in far-eastern Henrico County. I am exactly 67.3 miles away from the transmitter and it's probably one of the better recieved stations from Richmond.

As for "if they are around anymore" yes...they were on the bottom of the ratings heap about a year and a half ago, but they re-tooled the station and now have respectable ratings.

Hope this helps a wee bit,

Radio-X

 

[stevehendrix]

> > I don't know how old the people are who browse this board,
>
> > but I remember being in the Army in the early 70's and
> > stationed at Camp Pickett Virginia. After a long overseas
>
> > tour, I was injured and sent to Camp Pickett to mend.
> There
> > was really nothing to do to pass the time EXCEPT for a
> > station I picked up from Richmond called WRVQ, it was the
> > summer of 1973 to be exact. Being from a large
> Northeastern
> > city I never heard top 40 presented this way before on an
> FM
> > outlet. I always thought top 40 was strictly an AM thing.
>
> > They were called the Super Q and the summer contest was
> > called "WRVQ Summer Rerun Time" one host was named Bill
> > Garcia, I never heard top 40 in full dimentional stereo
> > before the jingles and presentation were great, to hear
> > songs like The Morning After, I'm Doin' Fine Now and
> > Kodachrome bring back those memories. It was a tight
> > playlist but many oldies from the 60's and early 70's were
>
> > thrown in. Was anyone else around in those great days to
> > hear that fantastic station, when I finally was discharge
> > and went back to Philly I was greeted with a few dry AM
> top
> > 40 signals, it was not the same. What I did not know then
>
> > was the station and transmitter were more than 70 or so
> > miles away and the station sounded like it was right next
> > door to me. I know it sounds corney but if not for WRVQ
> my
> > time in Virginia would of been a harder task to handle,
> > thanks WRVQ. If anyone else has memories of WRVQ please
> > share them, I would think WRVQ was the prototype for that
> > kind of format on FM, are they around anymore????

I am one of the Q jocks Garcia hired. Glad to know someone remembers the early days. Garcia and most of the early Q staff are part of a Yahoo group I formed and we keep in touch regularly. I will post your message for all of us to enjoy. THANK YOU for your service to our country and being a SUPER Q listener in our early days!<P ID="signature">______________
Steve Shannon WELK,WINA
Steve Hendrix WRVQ,WRNL,WLEE
Starr Stevens WROV,WXIL,WKEE
The Real Steve Kelly WGH,WZCL,WLTY
Kelly Wayne WTVR,WKEZ
www.wrovhistory.com
</P>

 

[saintrichard]

Thanks so much for the info guys, I am glad some remember and were employed at this fantastic station. Like I said, it helped me in my hard times, the music kept me going and the presentation was fabulous. It was a great promo in '73, when they would play a few songs you had to identify, that was called Summer Rerun Time. I remember having them on in the Mess Hall, the Barracks, even when we went out in the field, I would take a portable radio and have them blasting in the forest LOL. Again, the signal was a real flamethrower, I guess that 200kw helps get them out, I hate to bother anyone but were they 200kw back in '73. Thanks Again.
John Digiovanni
[email protected]

 

[Dan_Evans]

I have lots of good memories of WRVQ, from the days of the 80's per say. This was after it's birth into CHR but before the station really started to fade. I can remember one of the promos, which said "From the Blue Ridge Moutains, to the Chesepeake Bay, all the music, is on Q94". Back then, they were the station to listen to out here. It was a powerhouse ratings wise, just as WKHK is today. The DJ's treated the place as if it were home, who could forget the closing words by the Q-Zoo everyday "Hey Richmond, we love ya". Roger St John(god bless him), who went through the middays and was like the boss you wanted to have, play the music and make the day go buy a little bit better. Shadow, who did traffic in the Q-94 Go-Patrol. Lisa McKay doing paws pause, to see that animals are given a home. Shotgun John doing the Top 5 at 10, NOT done by Ryan Seacrest, but locally! Kirby doing overnights and also the nights at SkateLand. It was a fun station until people were either FORCED out or in Roger St John and Bob-A-Lou's case, God called them home. It was the station of my childhood and pre-teen years.



> > I don't know how old the people are who browse this board,
>
> > but I remember being in the Army in the early 70's and
> > stationed at Camp Pickett Virginia. After a long overseas
>
> > tour, I was injured and sent to Camp Pickett to mend.
> There
> > was really nothing to do to pass the time EXCEPT for a
> > station I picked up from Richmond called WRVQ, it was the
> > summer of 1973 to be exact. Being from a large
> Northeastern
> > city I never heard top 40 presented this way before on an
> FM
> > outlet. I always thought top 40 was strictly an AM thing.
>
> > They were called the Super Q and the summer contest was
> > called "WRVQ Summer Rerun Time" one host was named Bill
> > Garcia, I never heard top 40 in full dimentional stereo
> > before the jingles and presentation were great, to hear
> > songs like The Morning After, I'm Doin' Fine Now and
> > Kodachrome bring back those memories. It was a tight
> > playlist but many oldies from the 60's and early 70's were
>
> > thrown in. Was anyone else around in those great days to
> > hear that fantastic station, when I finally was discharge
> > and went back to Philly I was greeted with a few dry AM
> top
> > 40 signals, it was not the same. What I did not know then
>
> > was the station and transmitter were more than 70 or so
> > miles away and the station sounded like it was right next
> > door to me. I know it sounds corney but if not for WRVQ
> my
> > time in Virginia would of been a harder task to handle,
> > thanks WRVQ. If anyone else has memories of WRVQ please
> > share them, I would think WRVQ was the prototype for that
> > kind of format on FM, are they around anymore????
> >
>
> Well, most probably know about Q better than I do, but...
>
> You had tuned into Q about a year after they switched from
> country to CHR.
> They have really (with the exception on Lazer 93 in the
> mid-80's) been the only CHR in Richmond for nearly 35 years.
>
>
> WRVQ has a "grandfathered" signal, broadcasting at 200,000
> watts from a 350' tower in far-eastern Henrico County. I am
> exactly 67.3 miles away from the transmitter and it's
> probably one of the better recieved stations from Richmond.
>
> As for "if they are around anymore" yes...they were on the
> bottom of the ratings heap about a year and a half ago, but
> they re-tooled the station and now have respectable ratings.
>
>
> Hope this helps a wee bit,
>
> Radio-X
>

 

[Oldiesgal]

> > > I don't know how old the people are who browse this
> board,
> >
> > > but I remember being in the Army in the early 70's and
> > > stationed at Camp Pickett Virginia. After a long
> overseas
> >
> > > tour, I was injured and sent to Camp Pickett to mend.
> > There
> > > was really nothing to do to pass the time EXCEPT for a
> > > station I picked up from Richmond called WRVQ, it was
> the
> > > summer of 1973 to be exact. Being from a large
> > Northeastern
> > > city I never heard top 40 presented this way before on
> an
> > FM
> > > outlet. I always thought top 40 was strictly an AM
> thing.
> >
> > > They were called the Super Q and the summer contest was
> > > called "WRVQ Summer Rerun Time" one host was named Bill
> > > Garcia, I never heard top 40 in full dimentional stereo
> > > before the jingles and presentation were great, to hear
> > > songs like The Morning After, I'm Doin' Fine Now and
> > > Kodachrome bring back those memories. It was a tight
> > > playlist but many oldies from the 60's and early 70's
> were
> >
> > > thrown in. Was anyone else around in those great days
> to
> > > hear that fantastic station, when I finally was
> discharge
> > > and went back to Philly I was greeted with a few dry AM
> > top
> > > 40 signals, it was not the same. What I did not know
> then
> >
> > > was the station and transmitter were more than 70 or so
> > > miles away and the station sounded like it was right
> next
> > > door to me. I know it sounds corney but if not for WRVQ
>
> > my
> > > time in Virginia would of been a harder task to handle,
> > > thanks WRVQ. If anyone else has memories of WRVQ please
>
> > > share them, I would think WRVQ was the prototype for
> that
> > > kind of format on FM, are they around anymore????
>
> I am one of the Q jocks Garcia hired. Glad to know someone
> remembers the early days. Garcia and most of the early Q
> staff are part of a Yahoo group I formed and we keep in
> touch regularly. I will post your message for all of us to
> enjoy. THANK YOU for your service to our country and being a
> SUPER Q listener in our early days!

I remember when it was WRVA-FM and played C&W at night signing off at midnight. All us youngsters(!) listened to Big Lee and had not a clue what was coming. Then Q94 burst forth , I think a few months as AC then went all out as CHR. WLEE switched to "Richmond's Radio " as a full service AC, finaly to MOYL and then dark. I stayed with Q until I got too old to do Kirby's Boogie Checks and switched to EZ-104 with 4 in a row. When I left, I was a Lite 98 fan. Seriously though, Q94 outlasted Q105 in Tampa , B94 in Pittsburgh,WAVA,and Q107 in DC. That is quite a feat.
>

 

[GRB1053]

Growing up in Fluvanna County (South east of Charlottesville) in the 1970's and 80s, Q94 was a huge part of my teen/adolesent/young adult life. There was rarely a day that I didn't tune in to the Q, even if it wasn't but for a moment or two. Almost everyone I knew listened. Back in those days, WCHV AM1260 in Charlottesville was the popular hit station in my area, but those of us who knew "Super Q" referred to any AM radio station as "Basic AM" after hearing our favorite tunes and GREAT on-air personalities in full-blown stereo! (oh, and I buy one of those FM converters that allowed a car AM radio to recieve the FM band! Still mono, but it allowed me to listen to the Q!!) I was the stereotypical, hard-core faithful listener.

WRVQ was truly my inspiration to get into the radio business. I even had the pleasure of working with the likes of Bob-a-lou when he had his brief stint at the now defunct WVMX "Mix 106." Bob-a-lou, to me, was an inspiration himself. He taught me a lot about radio.

I know many people who work in radio today who were either too young to remember Q94 back in the day, or who weren't even born yet and I have to wonder where do they get their inspiration to get into radio? The way it is now, if you can speak reasonally clear, operate a computer and read a liner card you're on.

Q94 is a lot better these days as a CHR, but often I think how many would like to see Q94 go to a classic hits-type of format, not so much like the trendy Jacks or Bobs, with a big music library and real high-energy personalities? I know it's highly unlikely anything like that would ever happen, but it's a nice thought!

Here's some phrases to remember:
"The Great James River Raft Race"
"Q94..The Musical Force"
"Q94..The Flame Thrower!"

How about: "Q94 has balls....BASKETBALLS! SOFTBALLS! (etc etc)

Man, do I ever miss radio like that!!

GRB