WTQR
| City | Winston-Salem, North Carolina |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Piedmont Triad |
| Branding | Q104.1 |
| Slogan | New Country |
| Frequency | 104.1 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| First air date | 1958 (as WSJS-FM) |
| Format | Country |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 443 meters |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 58392 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 36°22′28″N 80°22′31″W / 36.37444°N 80.37528°W |
| Callsign meaning | We Are Triad Quality Radio |
| Former callsigns | WSJS-FM (1958-?) |
| Affiliations | Motor Racing Network |
| Owner |
iHeartMedia (Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses, Inc.) |
| Sister stations | WPTI, WMAG, WMKS, WVBZ |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | wtqr.com |
WTQR (Q104.1 FM) is a country music station licensed to Winston-Salem, North Carolina and serves the Piedmont Triad region, including Greensboro and High Point. Owned and operated by iHeartMedia, the station broadcasts at 104.1 MHz with an ERP of 100 kW. It has studio facilities and offices located on Pai Park in Greensboro, and a transmitter site is located atop Sauratown Mountains near Pinnacle, North Carolina. They are one of three Country music outlets in the market; WPAW and WBRF are the others.
WSJS-FM began broadcasting December 1, 1947, on 104.1 MHz with full effective radiated power of 48 KW. It was licensed to Piedmont Publishing Company.
WSJS-FM played classical and semi-classical music after the owners of WAAA purchased WYFS, and offered an Easy listening format until 1974.
WSJS, WSJS-FM and WSJS-TV had been owned by Piedmont Publishing, owners of The Winston-Salem Journal and The Twin City Sentinel, Winston-Salem's two newspapers, until 1969. Gordon Gray, who had owned the newspapers and the broadcast stations, wanted to sell the FM station. However, Roger Stockton believed in the future of FM while most people did not. Stockton spent 22 years at WSJS and WTQR, starting by selling commercials, and was WSJS sales manager by 1969. WSJS was number one in the Triad, and management feared losing that status if the FM became popular. Curly Howard of WKBX told Stockton he should do country on FM, and Summit Communications president Lee Wallenhaupt and executive vice president Richard Barron supported letting Stockton take the FM station in a new direction. For one thing, country music was changing from a "twangy" sound to one based on orchestras. Stockton sold national advertising but aired it for free at first, charging advertisers once the station proved itself. By 1976, WTQR was number one in the market, though WSJS held on to the top spot among AMs. Stockton became vice president and general manager of the radio stations in 1979, staying until the stations were sold.
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