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W Q I N 1290: Alumni and Legacy ?

Steve Green NEPA

Steve Green NEPA

Please pardon if this isn't Northeast Pennsylvania radio. I situate the topic here because a) I'm looking for NE PA reaction to the station ... b) Lykens is to a large extent Anthracite country .... c) iIrc WQIN used to cut a pretty decent swatch into Schuylkill County .... d) I'm sorta comfortable with this forum, hi.

Much like my question about WMIM's lineage, WQIN was also listed as a former 1000-watt omni, probably a former daylighter, listed since as having a generous 30-watt nighttime license, and also as dark as an abandoned mine.

When did they sign on ..... when did they leave the air .... were they indeed on the air for very long in the FIRST place ... what was their heyday .... etc ?
 
I can't give you exact dates but I seem to remember WQIN began broadcasting around 1973 and lasted until the late 1980s, perhaps longer. It began as a daytimer but later got that 30 watts nightime when the FCC allowed daytimers limited night power around 1985. The main guy was Jim Hepler, who had done sports on Channel 27 in Harrisburg in the early 70s. He also had something to do with the 98.9 FM that came on in Millersburg later, after WQIN went dark. The format was a hodge-podge. I heard WQIN one time, in the 80s, and they were (inexplicably) playing "They're Coming to Take Me Away Ha-Ha" by Napoleon XIV as an oldie. It was just such a ridiculously inappropriate record to play at that time for any reason. If that was typical, no wonder it went dark. Can't imagine there was much of an advertising base in Lykens either. Ever been there?
 
I worked as a weekend parttimer (John Michaels) from late 1975 for a year or so and later fulltime for about 6 months in 1980 inbetween jobs at 98ycr and then WKBO. Hepler was the active owner, PD, MD, GM, SM, and morning man (I think he even took out the trash) and was pretty much the same when he later took over WQLV Love 99 in Millersburg (where I worked for him for an unbelievable 3rd time) in the 93-94 timeframe as Gary Jadus. The world needed stations like WQIN where young people with the "radio bug" could go and get their first air experience and have some freedom to find their voice. It was truly an alphabet soup format. I remember on sundays going from gospel at sign-on to a church tape, then a country countdown. At noon, two guys did a polka show for an hour and one of them stayed til sign-off doing an oldies show. There was lots of news from Mutual. One time there was also a coal mining disaster near Tower City in the 1970s that lasted for days. I don't think Mutual even sent anyone to cover it, they just aired the reports from WQIN staff. I was even on Mutual one day during that time. I mention that because oddly, I also worked in Carlisle in news at WIOO. Our competing station, WHYL, carried Mutual news. So I was likely being heard on the national news broadcast of a direct competitor. Strange. And you are right about the market and sales. They had to give away alot to get back a little and the result was low pay.
 
During the mid to late 80's, WQIN was sold to the Standard Speaker out of Pottsville (who also owned WMBT). they were the ones who shut it down and turned in the license.
 
From 1989 Broadcasting/Cable Yearbook ............

QIN signed on September 1975. In July 1988 sold to WQIN Broadcasting Inc. Uzal Martz, Jr, President; Julian Milewski, Station Mgr, Director of Operations, and Engineering; Lou Mercintaino, Sales Mgr; Al Kovy, Program Director; Robin Dietrich, Production Director and Tom Zawierucha, News Director.
 
That lineup sounds like a Chicago election ticket.

'Vote for Martz, Milewski, Mercintaino, Kovy, Dietrich and Zawierucha.'

Or Else!!!!

Lol .... the rock group Boston also sounded like some similar election ticket : Delp, Scholz, Hashian, Goodreau and Sheehan.
Real melting pot stuff. That group also emerged around the same time as WQIN.

* * * * * * *

But what was the purpose of placing a radio station in Lykens in the first place? I'm sure it's a deserving borough ; all of us anthracite country towns are. Were those folks on the board all radio geeks?
 
From a 1980 Broadcasting & Cable Year Book-
1975- Sign On
500 watts- Non-Directional daytime on 1290 khz :)
Quinn Bcstg- Owner
Mutual- Net
Format- Top 20,C&W,MOR,Spec progs
James Hepler- GM,Prog Dir
Curt Davis Music Dir
Rick White-News Dir
John Thomas-Chief Engineer
Rates- $6:$4.60.
 
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