WTOP

WTOP may refer to:

Radio stations

Television stations

Organisations

WBQH

WBQH (1050 AM) is a radio station in the Washington, D.C. region, licensed to Silver Spring, Maryland. It broadcasts a Regional Mexican format.

History

The station signed on December 7, 1946 as WGAY, airing a beautiful music format. It was believed that WGAY was named for one-time owner, Connie B. Gay, though it was merely coincidental; at the time, "beautiful music" connoted a "bright and gay" happy sound. However, Gay bought the station in the late 1950s/early 1960s. It was later purported that the station initially broadcast government job openings, and that WGAY stood for "Government And You."

The original owners and operators, Ed Winton and Bob Chandler, are credited with creating the beautiful music format, which was mostly instrumental music, with orchestral covers of showtunes, soundtrack excerpts, and standard popular songs. Chandler was known to arrange for recording of music that he did not have in the station's library. In addition, on Sunday afternoons at 1:00 p.m., Matinee at One played a complete Broadway show soundtrack with an explanation of the plot.