WHQG

WHQG

City	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Broadcast area	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Branding	102.9 The Hog
Slogan	Everything That Rocks!
Frequency	102.9 FM MHz (also on HD Radio)
First air date	April 22, 1962 (1962-04-22) (as WRIT-FM)
Format	Active rock
ERP	50,000 watts
HAAT	133 meters
Class	B
Facility ID	36372
Callsign meaning	HQG = HOG (A reference on Harley-Davidson motorcycles enthusiasts (aka Harley Owners Group) and the company's HQ in Milwaukee)
Former callsigns	WRIT-FM (1962-1971) WFWO (1971-1972) WBCS-FM (1972-1987) WLZR-FM (1987–2005)
Owner	Saga Communications (Lakefront Communications, LLC)
Sister stations	WJMR-FM, WJYI, WKLH, WNRG-FM
Webcast	Listen Live
Website	1029thehog.com

WHQG ("102.9 The Hog") is an active rock FM radio station licensed to and serving the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. The station is owned by Saga Communications. The "Hog" moniker and call letters are references to the fans and riders of Harley-Davidson motorcycles, which has its headquarters in Milwaukee. Its studios (which are shared with the other four sister stations) and transmitter are located in Milwaukee's West Side.

History

The 102.9 frequency started out as WRIT-FM, simulcasting its sister station's Top 40 format. In 1971, they became WFWO-FM (For Women Only),^[1] and played light adult contemporary music.

The station flipped to country music on October 1, 1972 as WBCS.^[2] WBCS found success with the format, since they were the only country station in the market at the time (WMIL had switched to Top 40 as WZUU the year before).

WLZR succeeded WBCS-FM with a hard rock format on February 16, 1987.^[3]^[4] "Lazer 103" dominated the album-oriented rock market, such that competing station WQFM switched to smooth jazz in 1996. WLZR's longtime morning show of Bob and Brian debuted in the late 1980s. The station ran a simulcast on sister station 1340 AM beginning in the WBCS era, sporadically until 1997, when 1340 AM became the faith-based WJYI.

Even with Bob & Brian's success, during Lazer 103's last few years, the aging audience of Bob and Brian's show did not translate to listenership of the station's younger-skewing active rock format the rest of the day, as older listeners dispersed to the more work-appropriate offerings of sister station WKLH, or WKTI and other offerings after the show's end. Also in 2004, WLTQ suddenly dropped their light adult contemporary format and switched to 1980s-oriented classic rock as "97.3 The Brew", which also stripped listeners of WLZR post-Bob and Brian, along with WKLH. Management decided to rebuild the station around the demographic of their popular morning show, along with the general decline in the active rock format altogether at the time.

On August 15, 2005, WLZR started stunting with wide-ranging music and teasers. They even played songs with the word "Jack" in them (in reference to the rapidly growing Jack FM format). The next day, just after 10:00, Bob and Brian signed off their morning show by signing on a new radio station -- "102.9 The Hog". The station re-imaged itself, dropped much of the younger-skewing rock music from bands like Slipknot, Mudvayne and Linkin Park, added more rock from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, and widely expanded their playlist. The new slogan was "Everything That Rocks", and serves as a harder rocking counterpart to its classic rock sister, WKLH. Another slogan used to help change the station's image and to steal listeners from other stations included "Not Just the 80's, Everything That Rocks". The results of the image and playlist changes were immediate. "The Hog" soon eclipsed "The Brew" in the local ratings, eventually hastening their May 2010 conversion to Top 40 as WRNW.

The Hog's mascot hog was named "Dr. Squealgood" in a contest which is takeoff of a popular Mötley Crüe song: "Dr. Feelgood". The Hog branding's success has led to Janesville, Wisconsin station WWHG changing its branding to mirror WHQG's.

References

External links

102.9 The Hog official website

Query the FCC's FM station database for WHQG

Radio-Locator information on WHQG

Radio stations in the Milwaukee–Racine, Wisconsin market

by AM frequency	540 620 860 920 940 1050 1130 1250 1290 1340 1400 1460 1470 1500 1510 1540 1560 1610 1640

by FM frequency	88.1 88.9 89.7 90.7 91.1 91.7 92.1 92.5 93.3 93.7 94.5 95.1 95.7 96.1 96.5 96.9 97.3 97.9 98.3 99.1 100.1 100.3 100.7 102.1 102.5 102.9 103.7 104.1 104.5 104.7 104.9 105.3 105.7 106.1 106.9 107.7

NOAA Weather Radio frequency	162.4 162.45 162.525

Digital radio	620 1130 1250 88.9-1 88.9-2 90.7-1 90.7-2 93.3-1 94.5-1 94.5-2 95.7-1 95.7-2 96.5-1 97.3-1 97.3-2 98.3-1 98.3-2 99.1-1 99.1-2 100.7-1 100.7-2 102.9-1 103.7-1 103.7-2 104.7-1 104.7-2 106.1-1 106.1-2 106.9-1

by callsign	KEC60 KZZ76 WWG91 WAUK WCCX WDDW & W230CI WFAW WGTD WGLB WHAD WHQG WIBD WIIL WISN WJMR-FM WJTI & W250BN WJYI WKKV-FM WKLH WKTI WLDB WLIP WLKG WLUM-FM WLVE WMBZ WMIL-FM WMSE WMWK WMYX-FM WNOV WNRG-FM WOKY WSJP WSJP-FM WPJX WPTJ444 & WPZK577 (WISDOT Traffic) WRIT-FM WRJN WRNW WRRD WSJP-FM/W273AT WSSP WTKM WTKM-FM WTMJ WUWM WVCY-FM WVTY WWDV WXRW-LP WXSS WYMS WZTI

Defunct	WAWA WFMR

Nearby radio markets Fox Cities Madison Sheboygan–Manitowoc Janesville–Beloit–Jefferson County Chicago See also List of radio stations in Wisconsin

Saga Communications, Inc.

Radio stations	W261CV KAFE KAZR KBAI KDXY KEGI KGMI KISM KICD KICD-FM KIOA/K260AM KJBX KMIT KMRR KMYR KPSZ KPUG KRNT KSTZ KUQL WAFX WAQY WBAE WBCO WCLZ WCNR WCVQ WDBR WFEA WGAN/WGIN WHAI WHBG WHCU WHMP/WHMQ/WHNP WHQG WINA WIII WINQ WISE WIXY WJMR-FM WJOI WJYI WKBK WKFN WKLH WKNE WKVT WKVT-FM WLFZ WLRW WLVQ WLZX WMGX WMLL WMQR WNAX WNAX-FM WNND/WNNP WNOR WNRG-FM WNYY WOXL-FM WPOR WPVQ WQEL WQMZ WQNY WQPO WQQL WREE WRND WRND-FM WRSI WRSY WSIG WSNI WSNY WSVA WTAX WVAX WVMX WVVR WWRE WWWV WYMG WYNZ WYSE WYXL WYXY/W221CK WZAN WZBK WZID WZZP

Radio networks	Illinois Radio Network Michigan Farm Radio Network Michigan Radio Network Minnesota Farm Radio Network Minnesota News Network

Television stations	KAVU-TV (ABC) KOAM-TV (CBS) KFJX (Fox)¹ KVCT (Fox)¹ KXTS-LD (CBS) KMOL-LD (NBC) KVTX-LP (TMD) KUNU-LP (UNI)

¹Saga Communications operates these stations owned by Surtsey Media.

Coordinates: 43°02′49″N 87°58′52″W / 43.047°N 87.981°W / 43.047; -87.981

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