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WQBK-FM (105.7 MHz "Q105.7/103.5") is a commercial radio station licensed to Malta, New York, and serving the Capital District, New York. The station is owned by Townsquare Media, and a classic rock radio format with co-owned 103.5 WQSH in Cobleskill. Its studios are on Kings Road in Schenectady. In morning drive time, WQBK-FM carries the syndicated Free Beer and Hot Wings Show. It also airs New York Jets NFL games.
WQBK-FM's transmitter is on Bald Mountain tower, in the Town of Brunswick, New York. WQBK-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 7,100 watts.It broadcasts using HD Radio technology, with its HD2 digital subchannel carrying an urban contemporary format branded "Hot 99.1," which feeds 250-watt FM translator W256BU on 99.1 MHz.
Bradmark acquired the station in November 1996, one month after the sign-on. WNYQ took over the adult contemporary format previously heard on WENU, using the branding Wink 105.7. From its launch, it aired local programming from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. weekdays, with satellite programming fed from Westwood One nights and weekends.
In 2000, Bradmark Communications was sold to Vox Media, a growing owner of radio stations in small markets throughout New York and New England. Vox ended all satellite programming and decided to take WNYQ to a Hot AC approach, initially keeping the Wink 105.7 name. In early 2002, WNYQ rebranded as Q105.7, moving closer to Adult Top 40. Though initially successful, the station began to see its ratings decline due to competition from new rival WKBE and several out-of-market Top 40 stations, including WFLY and WZRT, with usable signals in WNYQ's signal area.
In 2004, Vox applied to move WNYQ's signal into the more lucrative Albany market, making it the second Bradmark/Vox station to do so. (WYAI, formerly WHTR in Corinth, was the first.) In December 2004, WNYQ flipped to a satellite-fed Classic Hits format while keeping the Q105.7 name, as Vox prepared for the station's relocation. The Classic Hits format remained on the 105.7 frequency until it signed off in May 2006, ahead of its relocation. The same format returned in September 2006 at WNYQ (the former WENU, then WQYQ) in Hudson Falls.
When Vox sold the firm's remaining Glens Falls stations to Pamal Broadcasting in mid-2004, initially there was a clause that would allow Pamal to get the first rights to buy the 105.7 station as a move-in. This plan was slowed down by regulatory concerns with Pamal's revenue share in the adjacent Capital District and the potential that the signal that would have been sold if purchased (WINU) would not able to find new ownership in the required amount of time.
In preparation of the move, Vox applied for the call letters WBZZ; that call sign took effect on September 21, 2006. After some delays, the station finally returned to the air from the Bald Mountain tower site on November 28, 2006, initially WABT. It was during this time that the station began to refer to itself as Buzz 105.7. For the following week, DJs were frequently heard informing listeners to "make the switch," explaining that the old 104.5 frequency would no longer broadcast the format by the coming week. The station relaunched exclusively on 105.7 on December 4, 2006, with WABT flipping to ESPN Radio two weeks later as WTMM-FM.
In August 2008, the station changed its slogan from "Bright, Fresh, and Upbeat" under the Hot AC format, to "The Best Variety from Yesterday and Today" under the new Adult Contemporary format. By the end of 2009, the station began to lean a little bit more Hot AC than WYJB but still was mostly an Adult Contemporary station.
In early October 2011, an FM translator on 99.1 FM, W256BU, went on the air. It began airing an urban contemporary format, branded "Hot 99.1," fed from the HD Radio subchannel on 105.7.
On September 7, 2012, at 5 pm, the station flipped to an Adult Top 40 format, branded as "PopCrush 105.7."
However, at the same time that WQSH began stunting, WINU flipped to the alternative format as "Alt 104.9", likely as a preemptive strike, which could require Townsquare to find a new format, or at least a different brand. However, on March 19, at midnight, WQSH still flipped to alternative, with the "Alt 105.7" branding. The first song on "Alt" was "All Mixed Up" by 311. Pamal Launches Alt 104.9 Albany as Rewind 105.7 Starts Stunting Radioinsight – March 16, 2018 With the shift of WQSH to alternative, sister stations WQBK-FM and WQBJ moved to classic rock.
Starting in the 2018 NFL season, WQSH began airing New York Jets football games whenever co-owned WTMM-FM had a conflict due to New York Yankees baseball. In the 2019 season, WQBK-FM became the primary New York Jets Radio Network affiliate in the Capital District.
On August 9, 2019, WQSH changed call letters to WQBK-FM, which were used since on 103.9 FM since 1972; subsequently, the call sign for 103.9 became WPBZ-FM, reflecting its new soft adult contemporary format, dubbed "The Breeze." Just over a month later, WQBJ would take on the WQSH call letters. The classic rock format and "Q" branding would return to 103.5 FM on September 3, 2021, with both WQBJ and WQSH continuing to simulcast. Alt 103.5 Albany Switches To Q105.7 Simulcast Radioinsight - September 3, 2021
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