WQMX

WQMX (94.9 FM) – branded FM 94.9 WQMX – is a commercial country radio station licensed to Medina, Ohio. Owned by Rubber City Radio Group, Inc., the station primarily serves the Akron metro area, but also reaches parts of Greater Cleveland. The WQMX studios are located in Akron, while the station transmitter resides in the neighboring suburb of Copley Township.

History

WQMX began as WDBN in 1960 under license to Barberton, Ohio; the station first aired a beautiful music format. Branded as The Quiet Island, WDBN was one of the early adopters of the beautiful music format that minimized announcements and included no vocal music. Jim Schulke, one of the early beautiful music format programmers, developed much of his programming philosophies at the station.

WDBN was also an early adopter of FM stereo, broadcasting in FM stereo by November 1961. When the FCC limited stations in the area to a maximum ERP of 50 kW, WDBN was "grandfathered" and allowed to maintain its 118 kW signal. As a result, the station blanketed the Cleveland market and could be heard throughout Northeast Ohio and was frequently heard as far away as Flint, Michigan, although its signal in the City of Cleveland was spotty due to the terrain between Cleveland and Medina. By 1967, the station had changed its city of license to Medina, Ohio.