WBCQ: A One-of-a-Kind Shortwave Radio Station
A brokered programming business model has kept the station on the air for 26 years
By James Careless
Published: July 24, 2024
There are all kinds of shortwave radio stations in the world, but WBCQ seems unique.
Allan Weiner at the foot of the rotatable antenna installed in 2018.
Located in Monticello, Maine, WBCQ is an up-to-500,000 watt shortwave powerhouse that covers the world via 7.490 MHz, 9.330 MHz, 5.130 MHz, 3.265 MHz, and 6.160 MHz — depending on the time of day, to maximize signal propagation by bouncing off the ionosphere.
The same rural broadcasting center and antenna/transmitter site is also home to local stations WXME(AM) — carrying talk and rock music on 780 kHz with a translator on 98.3 MHz — and WBCQ(FM), airing classic country on 94.7.
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| Allan Weiner getting the job done at WBCQ |
Dedicated to free speech
To put it mildly, the programs aired on WBCQ’s shortwave broadcasts are eclectic.
Depending on when you tune into “WBCQ The Planet,” you could hear evangelistic religious programs such as “The Overcomer Ministry” and “World’s Last Chance,” music shows like “American Debauchery” with DJ Duane Bruce, “Marion’s Attic” featuring historic audio recordings, “Le Show” with Harry Shearer, and Radio Newyork International, the name of which is an eponymous nod to Allan Weiner’s ship-based radio station near New York City in the late 1980s.
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