Roger Wahl, owner of WQZS, tells how he lost a part of himself with its demise

MEYERSDALE — Roger Wahl did not want to see WQZS 93.3 FM go off the air even if it meant he was not the one behind the microphone and running the show.

The radio station that the Somerset County native built with his own hands, literally, has been an integral part of his life and those around him for 33 years. Wahl has reiterated throughout those years that WQZS does not belong to him, it belongs to the community it serves.

That relationship ended over the first few days of April when the Federal Communication Commission revoked his radio station license with the result that the only independently owned radio station by an individual in Somerset County went dark. The call letters, 93.3, that identified the FM radio station on the dial, is gone.

The battle

Wahl fought the FCC's decision to revoke his license over the past year while struggling with health issues and his now tarnished public image after his sentencing for sexual abuse of a longtime friend, an incident that he calls "an honest mistake." He has apologized to the courts, to the community, to the FCC and to the victim, who said she has accepted his "sincere apology."

Wahl called his action one of "passion" resulting from "jealousy." He admitted what he did went way too far. He did not disagree his actions were not only illegal but morally wrong and did not question his punishment, which was a probationary sentence that included wearing an electronic monitor for a portion of it. But, Wahl said he is sad that WQZS was punished, too.

Why: Radio personality receives restricted probation in sex case

Wahl kept fighting to keep his radio station on the air through the available appellate options while being hospitalized, where he is dealing with an amputation of one leg in December and soon the same with his other leg.

Currently, Wahl also is working with the medical staff in Windber for a future that will include prosthetics so he can walk again. The medical treatment and hospital stays were expensive and money was needed for the FCC fight, becoming too draining on his reserves. Wahl said he had to accept defeat, however painful.

Wahl said he has done some things in life that he is not proud of, the action that drew him to the courtroom being one, letting anger and jealousy drive some of his actions in his personal and professional lives. His decisions hurt his friend and his community. But, like so many others, Wahl said he tries to do the best he can.

Against the odds

Going up against the odds is a part of Wahl, just like his radio station is a part of him. He was told his voice was not strong enough for radio when he applied for positions in the profession. So, he drove a truck for years, saved his money and built and obtained the equipment and the license to run his own station.

When Wahl went on the air for the first time at 9 a.m. Oct. 26, 1992, he said the call name for his station, WQZS was his choice. He picked the letters because he liked the idea that they rhymed (QZ-93).

Why the format

Wahl likes the oldies, the classics because he considers them part of the American heritage.

"Growing up, that music was right in front of me," he said. It became entrenched in his mind.

When Wahl started his radio station it was a classic rock format. He noticed that the music he grew up with, however, seemed to disappear. Even country music, known for its deep roots and reluctance to take on the new sound, was not the same when he grew up with George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Kitty Wells and Dolly Pardon, to name a few.

So, after only a couple of years after he started the station with a classic rock format, he started blending in oldies, and a couple of years after that he blended in the traditional country sound.

"I found out it was the missing link," Wahl said about classic country. "Everyone was playing new country. They weren't dedicating any time to classic country – Johnny Cash, Forester Sisters and 'Whispering' Bill Anderson. Our local people here still wanted to hear that kind of music."

And since changing his format, which still included classic rock, the local popularity of the classics is still popular in the area, he said.

Being part of history

"I can't explain things that happen. They just do," Wahl said. But as "The Commander," a name a friend gave him at the beginning of his radio personality journey and just stuck, he believes it is important to memorialize local events from high school sports, in which he or part of his team did play-by-play for those at home who could not attend the games to watch the action of their loved ones in person, to festivals celebrating the region. All of it is part of history, he said. This he is proud of doing.

Waking up to "The Commander" and his talk shows with local people about local events and his news reports that did the same became a part of the community's morning ritual.

What is the weather that day, "Roger said..." What county high school sports team did what, "Roger's team reported..." What can be learned and experienced at the local festivals, "The Commander shares..."

Wahl remembers some of the events that also took on national and international flavor. His advice on where and when to go as two tornadoes ripped through the southern county town of Salisbury brought him a "surprise" award for "helping to save lives." The international press, including NBC, relied on his reports during the successful rescue of nine miners trapped in the Que Creek Mine, one year after the 9/11 attacks that left many Americans feeling vulnerable. Wahl was on the site on Sept. 11, 2001, when Flight 93 fell out of the sky while the passengers and flight crew fought terrorists on board. He was there to report what was happening 20 minutes after the plane was buried deep in the earth along with all those aboard. The smells and sounds stayed with him and were so intense that he could not go on the site for years when it became a temporary and then a permanent memorial.

Wahl said he hopes his work both with the radio station and in the community is his legacy more than a sentencing for the sexual assault of someone that he cares about and wanted to marry.

He said going before the judge and a courtroom full of people who have known him over the years at his sentencing was difficult. Going before the FCC knowing that his actions would probably cause the community to lose WQZS, was horrible. Going to his friend, whom he hurt, to apologize was the worst, Wahl said.

"I still can do more," Wahl said in a telephone interview from his hospital room. He can air a show where he informs his community through talks and the news from a wheelchair, he said.

How: Why WQZS FM 93.3 went off the air

Wahl believes it is important to have media cover local and community events, discussions and concerns and triumphs and failures to provide historical perspectives.

"I'm part of history," he said. "No matter how much people hate or love me, they can't take that away from me."

Wahl still has his voice, he said, and his interest in the survival of his community. He speaks the radio personality language: "laid down the tracks," "blend them (music styles) in." That will not change.

But, even though on rare occasions the FCC rescinds an order, according to his Washington, D.C., attorney, Wahl doesn't see this being one of those. He is hopeful, but pragmatic.

What now?

At 73, Wahl will soon be learning how to walk again with prosthetics. He is considering what he can do to give more back to his community. Maybe supporting a community nonprofit project, Wahl said.

At this stage, he is not done crying.

The radio station will soon be bulldozed for an extended four-lane highway that will be a continuation of Route 219, sought and worked on by Somerset County for more than 40 years that will connect at the Maryland border just south of Meyersdale and Salisbury.

More: Exclusive: PennDOT programs more millions for U.S. 219 construction

Ironically, Wahl sat on committees and boards for years supporting the completion of the highway that he believes will benefit his community and the county he loves. He did not know until a few years ago where his station sits would be bulldozed and paved over with the construction of its final miles. Wahl already made plans to take his equipment out of the building and set it up somewhere else and continue to broadcast. That was, of course, before the FCC's findings that revoked his license and pulled the plug on WQZS-93.

For now, Wahl said goodbye to WQZS 93.3 FM on the radio dial and its followers on the station's Facebook page with a message.

"Dear Patrons

WQZS Radio would like to thank you for all the years of support and advertisement. It has truly been an honor to serve you and the community. We are saddened to announce that WQZS Radio will no longer broadcast. Thank you for your patronage and support."

His message he has asked the Daily American to emit: "Tell my radio family that I miss them."

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Roger Wahl is WQZS. Pulling it off the air shuts down a part of him