| KQRC-FM | |
| City: | Leavenworth, Kansas |
| Area: | Kansas City metropolitan area |
| Branding: | 98.9 The Rock! |
| Language: | English |
| Format: | Mainstream rock |
| Haat: | 335m (1,099feet) |
| Coordinates: | 39.022°N -94.514°W |
| Class: | C0 |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
| Facility Id: | 74101 |
| Callsign Meaning: | "Rock" |
| Owner: | Audacy, Inc. |
| Licensee: | Audacy License, LLC, as Debtor-in-Possession |
KQRC-FM (98.9 MHz, "98-9 The Rock") is a radio station licensed to Leavenworth, Kansas and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. Its studios are located in Mission, Kansas, and the transmitter site is in South Kansas City. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc.
The 98.9 MHz frequency shuffled between formats when it first went on the air in 1962. Licensed to Leavenworth, the station began as KCLO-FM, a religious/MOR outlet simulcasting with its AM sister station on 1410.
In 1979, it became a country station as KTRO.
Mark and Connie Wodlinger, the former owners of Top 40 outlet KBEQ-FM, bought KTRO in late 1982. In December of that year, KTRO began targeting the larger Kansas City market by flipping to a Top 40 format as "ZZ 99", KZZC.[1] KZZC competed heavily against KBEQ by emphasizing on newer music in comparison to KBEQ's oldies lean. The station also was home to Kansas City legendary DJ Randy Miller in morning drive. During this time, the station's transmitter was relocated to a site near Basehor in Wyandotte County to improve coverage. On August 25, 1986, due to financial trouble, the station flipped to a syndicated oldies outlet as "98.9 Gold" with the KZZC call letters still in place.[2] [3] In August 1987, the station's transmitter moved again, this time to the KCTV Tower.
On September 24, 1987, at Noon, "98.9 The Wave" debuted with a new age (a precursor to the smooth jazz format) and easy listening format, competing with a multitude of AC stations. The call letters were also changed to KCWV.[4] [5] In May 1989, Wodlinger Broadcasting sold the station to Journal Broadcast Group for $6 million.[6] [7]
On October 27, 1989, at 5:37 p.m., the station flipped to soft rock as KRVK, "98.9 The River".[8] [9] The station was largely automated with very low-key on-air personalities.
On April 3, 1992, at 5 p.m., after playing "The River" by Garth Brooks, the station flipped to its current format as "98.9 The Rock", which debuted with Kansas City band Shooting Star's "Hang On For Your Life".[10] [11] The current KQRC call letters were adopted on April 20, 1992. The Rock has lived up to its name in the stability of its format, surviving a rock format shuffle in 1997 that claimed Kansas City's (then) longest-surviving (23 years) FM rock station, KYYS.
Journal sold KQRC to Sinclair Broadcast Group in 1997, with Entercom buying the station in 2000.[12] [13]
In 2002, the station's transmitter would be relocated to its current location near East 56th Street and Bennington Avenue in South Kansas City.
98.9 The Rock broadcasts a Mainstream Rock format consisting of Hard rock and Heavy metal acts. They tend to play heavier rock than modern rock/alternative rock sister station KRBZ with such artists as Disturbed, Godsmack, Staind and Shinedown mixed with older rock acts like Black Sabbath, Guns N' Roses, AC/DC, Def Leppard and Van Halen. Metallica is frequently played, including a featured "Mandatory Metallica" with three consecutive songs by the band aired nightly. The station's morning show, hosted by shock jock Johnny Dare, is regularly ranked atop the local Arbitron ratings. The Rock airs two nationally syndicated shows on Sundays - The House of Hair with Dee Snider, and the rock news show HardDrive with Lou Brutus.
On September 26, 2010, KQRC was the first FM radio station in the country to release an app for the iOS operating system (Apple mobile devices) that offered an events list with Google Mapping, and push messaging.
After sister station KRBZ announced it would end its alternative rock format in August 2024, KQRC would pick up their former afternoon program, The Church of Lazlo, in the same timeslot; as a means of transition, the two stations would simulcast the show until KRBZ's move took place.
For many years, KQRC hosted Rockfest, the largest single-day music festival in North America.[14] Past headliners include Disturbed, Godsmack, Staind, Seether, Stone Temple Pilots, and Korn.