WUSQ

WUSQ-FM

WUSQ is a Country formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Winchester, Virginia, serving the Northern Shenandoah Valley. WUSQ is owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications.

History

ShenVal Communications signed WHPL-FM on the air in 1965. Calls were changed to WEFG-FM in the late 1960s. Its early years the station was big on local sports coverage.

In the early 1970s, WEFG played an automated "hit parade" format of then current pop tunes as well as a heavy mix of oldies.

Gospel found its way to 102.5 in 1976. First only in the evenings, with John Scott Slonaker, then to other dayparts including mornings where Phil Roby played the music. The rest of the day WEFG was automated. Many local and national preachers broadcast their shows on WEFG.

WEFG broadcast the "gospel" sounds in mono to people in the "four states" thanks to its 21,000 watts on a tower they shared with sister WHPL-AM (now WTFX-AM).

In April 1982, ShenVal sold both WEFG and WHPL-AM to Holt Communications. Also in April of '82, WEFG switched to WUSQ and country hit the airwaves for Winchester with 32,000 was stereo sound, one of the last stations in the area to do so. WUSQ became known as "Shenandoah Country, Q-102".

In 1991, Holt sold WUSQ told Baltimore based Benchmark Communications. In 1993, WUSQ added syndicated "After Midnight" to their lineup.

From 1996 until 2000, WUSQ saw their ownership change from Benchmark to Capstar to AM/FM, finally to Clear Channel. Today, Q102 is consistently the highest rated station in Winchester, battling cross-town WINC-FM for the top spot.