The station signed on the air as KBQC-FM (call letters stood for: "Bettendorf-Quad Cities" on July 4, 1984 broadcasting live from a bandshell in Middle Park, during the "Old Fashioned 4th of July" event staged by the city of Bettendorf. For several weeks prior to going live, the station had broadcast The Beatles' "Here Comes the Sun continuously, as a teaser to the slogan of the station, "B-93, Where it's Always 93 and Sunny." KBQC was Bettendorf's first licensed commercial radio station, and was built off an FCC construction permit issued in May 1983, after a contentious application process by several proposed owner/operators. The prevailing party was Stromquist Broadcast Services, owned by Peter Stromquist, of Edina, Minnesota. Stromquist and his first hired employee, Barry Martin, originally from Joplin, Missouri, and later known as "Martin in the Morning," oversaw construction from the ground up, of the transmitting facilities in LeClaire, Iowa, and of the new studios and offices on State Street in downtown Bettendorf, located adjacent to Omeara's Pub. Stromquist sold his interest in the station in 1985 and went on to become VP/GM Europe Middle East, Africa for United Press International, CEO of ABC's radio division in Asia, and Director of Mainland China operations for the broadcasting division of Paris-based Hachette media. Martin subsequently became the morning host of KVON-AM in the San Francisco bay area for nearly 20 years, and is now working in a public relations capacity for local government.
The station underwent a number of format changes from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s. Formats included oldies and Christian rock, under which the frequency first obtained the KQCS call letters. From 1995 to 2004, the station was KORB-FM broadcasting first an alternative rock format as "Planet 93.5". From 1997 to 2000, Howard Stern was broadcast in mornings. In early 2000, the station shifted to active rock as "93 Rock". The shift to active rock was very successful, with KORB becoming one of the highest rated stations in the Quad Cities for a few years. However, the ratings of sister station WXLP were not as good, and it didn't help that the two shared somewhat-similar formats. It was decided in April 2004 to pull the plug on the original 97X format, which had been on-the-air since 1978, as "93 Rock" merged with "97X", becoming "97 Rock", while retaining the WXLP call letters. Following the move, a Hot AC format took over the 93.5 frequency as "Star 93.5" and call letters were changed to KQCS. Despite being the only Hot AC offering in the Quad Cities market, and having 10 years to build a loyal following, "Star" struggled in the ratings. Year after year, it was among the lowest-rated FM stations in the market. "Star" featured "Intelligence for Your Life" hosted by John Tesh in the evenings, and carried the "Daily Dees" syndicated program hosted by Rick Dees. Local air talent included Melissa Martin and Steve Donovan.
93.5 today
On August 30, 2013, a deal was announced in which Townsquare Media would acquire 53 Cumulus Media stations, including KQCS, for $238 million. The deal is part of Cumulus' acquisition of Dial Global; Townsquare and Dial Global are both controlled by Oaktree Capital Management. The transaction was consummated effective November 14, 2013. On June 13, 2014, it was announced that KQCS would flip to sports, partially simulcasting KJOC and airing ESPN Radio programming as ESPN 93.5, on June 16th, after 93.5 registered just a 1.5 in the fall 2013 Arbitron ratings. A number of other changes were announced, including a local talk show, broadcasting of area high school games; and the move of Chicago Cubs baseball, Chicago Bears football and Iowa State University sports to the 93.5 FM frequency. On July 9, 2014, KQCS changed their call letters to KJOC. On August 30, 2019, the station flipped back to active rock after a 15-year absence, branded this time as "I-Rock 93.5". Concurrently, the sports format moved to sister station KBOBAM 1170, replacing classic country on that frequency.
