KIQ (AM)

KIQ (1260 AM) is a radio station in,. The station is owned by. KIQ's studios and offices are located in, while it's transmitter is located near. By day, the station is powered at 5,000 watts. But to avoid interfering with other stations on AM 1260, it reduces power to 1,000 watts at night and uses a directional antenna at all times. KIQ's programming is also heard on FM translator station 102.3 W272BC in Philadelphia (hence it's branding as "iHeart80s @ 102.3").

As one of the oldest stations in the area, KIQ's history includes it's call sign of only three letters, beginning with a K, rare for a station in the east.

History
KIQ first went on the air on May 6, 1924 as "the station of the ", playing the orchestra's concert season. By the 1950s, KIQ was Top 40 with the moniker "Get your KIQs on 1260."

For a time it was owned by. In the 1970s and 80s, KIQ was an oldies station. By the early-1990s, KIQ was airing a full-service format.

Beginning in 1998, KIQ aired a sports radio talk format owned by Capstar (a forerunner to ) as "Sports Talk KIQ 1260". In the 2000s, KIQ was the radio home of the (commentated by the local shock jock duo of Gilbert and Glen) and  (commentated by Danny Quarrie and J. Franklin Conway). It was also the AM radio flagship of the until 2014.

On September 4, 2012, KIQ joined as a charter affiliate, rebranding as "NBC Sports Radio KIQ 1260/102.3", simulcast on translator station W272BC on 102.3 FM.

On November 2, 2015, NBC Sports Radio announced it would end its programming on KIQ and move it to WVYV. After that date, KIQ began simulcasting sister station under the branding of "The Breeze 106.1/102.3/1260", effectively taking it back to its roots as an all-music station.

On October 4, 2016, KIQ broke off from the WISX simulcast and flipped to an all-1980s music format as "iHeart80s @ 102.3". The first song played under the new format was "The Power of Love" by Huey Lewis and the News. The new format features voice-tracked presenters from other iHeartMedia stations and has a limited local staff.

2013 controversy
On July 8, 2013, KIQ released a ad for The KIQ Rude Awakening which advised riders to discourage holding seats for pregnant women wearing  gear (the Penguins and the  ). Many SEPTA riders found the ad to be "offensive" and "taking the rivalry too far."

Because of the advertisements, there were calls for the Philadelphia 76ers to cut their ties with Clear Channel and KIQ. The 76ers, Flyers, and Penguins all issued statements the next day condemning the ad, with the Flyers' statement deeming it as being "offensive, insensitive and completely unacceptable", while the 76ers requested that Clear Channel and SEPTA apologize for the ad, and stated that the team would reevaluate its relationship with KIQ.

On July 11, KIQ's station management suspended Rude Awakening hosts Louis Indelicato, Sam McCloy, and Orlando Johnston, and fired them and cancelled the show later that afternoon. Both Clear Channel CEO and a SEPTA spokesperson apologized for the ads. Indelicato and McCloy moved to WVYV (which would later take over the NBC Sports Radio affiliation from KIQ) while Johnston found work in the music industry after being fired by Clear Channel.

KIQ never recovered from the loss of The KIQ Rude Awakening, a factor behind its decision to become a full-time satellite of NBC Sports Radio. The incident is widely believed to have become the factor behind KIQ to drop its sports radio format in favor of simulcasting WISX due to declining ratings because of this controversy.