WQTW

WQTW is an American radio station, licensed to the city of Latrobe, Pennsylvania. WQTW operates at 1570 kHz with a maximum power of 1,000 watts day, 220 watts night. The station was owned by L. Stanley Wall, who also owned and operated WLSW-FM in Connellsville (licensed to Scottdale), Pennsylvania until his death on June 4, 2015.

History

First in Latrobe

WQTW first signed on the air as WAKU on December 12, 1951, making it the second AM station to come on the air in Westmoreland County, as WHJB (now WKHB) had been the first in 1934. A second station, WTRA (now WCNS) came on the air five years later after WAKU's debut.

WAKU was originally owned by Clearfield Broadcasters, Inc., which owned and published the Clearfield Progress newspaper, headquartered in Clearfield, Pennsylvania; as well as radio station WCPA. The newspaper was looking to expand its advertising reach by building or buying radio stations in nearby markets, and would do so with further acquisitions in Indiana and Centre counties. The station initially signed on the air as a daytime-only station, with a maximum power output of 250 watts, with studios at 200 Depot Street in downtown Latrobe. It was granted permission in 1955 to increase its power to a full 1,000 watts; its current power output today.