City | De Graff, Ohio |
---|---|
Broadcast area | De Graff, Quincy and southwestern portion of Logan County |
Slogan | The Buzz, 'DEQ-The Crew Q-91.7 (former nicknames) |
Frequency | 91.7 MHz |
First air date | June 4, 1969 (at 91.1 MHz) |
Format | Community radio |
ERP | 100 watts |
HAAT | 2.9 meters (10 feet) |
Class | A (non-commercial) |
Callsign meaning | DeGraff-Quincy |
Owner | Riverside Local Board of Education |
Website | Official WDEQ weblink |
WDEQ-FM (91.7 FM) is an educational radio station in DeGraff, Ohio, United States. The station is owned by the Riverside Local Board of Education in Logan County.
WDEQ-FM signed on the air on June 4, 1969, three days after the first FM radio station in Logan County, WPKO-FM which was then known as WOGM-FM, a sister station to the former WOHP (AM), subsequently WTOO (AM) and currently WBLL (AM). The station broadcasts with an effective radiated power of 100 watts according to FCC records and the Radio-Locator website (see below).
The original WDEQ first took to the air at 91.1 MHz as a ten watt operation before moving to its current frequency. For most of its history, WDEQ has operated only throughout the curricular school year during normal class times with the exception of Riverside High School sports coverage and some occasional specialty programs in the evening, as is the case with many high school-owned stations with a student air staff. Prior to WDEQ's move to its current frequency, WDEQ operated briefly at 103.1 MHz to avoid interference to and/or from the audio signal of WSYX-TV (formerly WTVN-TV) in Columbus (see reference below) and its proximity to neighboring WYSO 91.3 in Yellow Springs. WUHS at Urbana High School in Urbana, Ohio (defunct since 1989) operated with ten watts at 91.7 FM. After WUHS went dark, the 91.7 frequency was applied for by the local school district. As all analog television station transmitters left the air in June 2009 in favor of digital channels (including WSYX) interference from Channel 6 is no longer an issue.
After a few weeks hiatus of being off the air, WDEQ-FM returned to the air on Tuesday October 28, 2008 at first with a big band format and then beginning in 2009 with an oldies format,operating with extended hours during the curricular school year. WDEQ was also operating with reduced power using its secondary transmitter, while its main transmitter was awaiting repairs. Its studio and transmitter are still located at Riverside High School. For a brief time, WDEQ operated at 103.1 in the early 1990s when the former WUHS frequency became available.